236 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST. 
summer resident throughout the region. My earliest arrival 
date in March 11, (1918) ; the greatest numbers arrive in the 
last week of March and the first week of April. Departure 
is rather irregular, depending upon the clemency of the 
autumn, but few remain after the third week of November. 
Keyes and Williams mention it at Charles City in December. 
Few large flocks of these birds are seen, the average being 
from 150 to 300 individuals. On March 17, 1918, I saw a 
flock that probably contained about 800 birds—the largest 
I have seen in northern Iowa. 
The birds nest along the swampy borders of the Cedar 
River, in heavy sloughs, and about ponds. On June 25,1915, 
I counted 87 nests in Willow Pond and 14 in the ponds 
across the Illinois Central tracks. In 1916 a total of 123 
nests were counted in these ponds. Nesting is common in the 
“Cemetery Bayou,” and the nests may be reached easily by 
& person in a canoe. I made no attempt to count the nests 
in the bayou, however. 
16. Sturnella neglecta Aud. Western Meadow Lark. 
A common summer resident, reported in winter by various 
observers. It arrives March 14th to March 20, nesting in 
late April and early May. This species is found mostly on 
the open prairies, the western form occupying the open 
woodlands and regions about towns. 
126. Sturnella neglecta (Aud.) Western Meadow Lark. 
Keyes and Williams state: “In Floyd County it [the Western 
Meadow Lark] is more common than S. magna, and frequents 
the outskirts of the towns, while S. magna is usually found on 
the prairies” (Bds. of Ia., 1889, 188.) I have not been able to 
determine that one species is more common than the other, 
but the distinction as to habitation holds quite well. It is not 
uncommon, however, to find S. magna and S. neglecta. to- 
gether, and I consider it probable that they interbreed. 
species it would fhen Re ee be found that the brendine red-wing 
in northern Iowa is A. p. predatorius, while A. p. arctolegus undoubtedly 
. occurs in migration. (In case of adoption of these subspecies by the ~ 
A. O. U. committee the name phoeniceus will become obsolete. While 
they have not as yet been officially adopted they have been necneniiges 
in various published writings.)” 
