September, 1922.] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



117 



assistance, which is gratefully acknowledged, was 

 received from Mr. Harry Piers and Mr. P. A. 

 Taverner. The writer would be pleased to learn 

 of any occurrences of the Meadowlark in Nova 

 Scotia which are not included in this list. 



1. (Date?) "Very rare. Only a mere straggler. 

 One was shot at Stewiacke." — Downs, A., Birds of 

 Nova Scotia, Proc. & Trans., N.S. Inst, of Sci., Vol, 

 VII, p. 166. Halifax, N.S., 1888. 



2. A female, much wasted, [was] taken alive by 

 Mr. Flemming, of Sackville, Halifax Co., N.S., 

 Feb. 16, 1889.— M.S. Notes of Harry Piers. 



3. T. J. Egan got one from Prospect, Halifax 

 Co., N.S., in May, 1S90. It was a male.— M.S. 

 Notes of Harry Piers. 



4. "On Oct. 24th, 1895, a Meadowlark was 

 obtained by Mr. Dickie, of Canning, Kings Co., 

 [N.S.]. The bird is very rare in this province." 

 Piers, Harry, Notes on Nova Scotian Zoology, No. 1^, 

 Proc. & Trans., N.S. Inst, of Sci., Vol. IX, Pt. 3, 

 p. 261. Halifax, N.S., 1897. 



5. A Meadowlark in winter plumage in the 

 Nova Scotia Provincial Museum was taken, accord- 

 ing to the label attached to it, at Lawrencetown, 

 Halifax Co., N.S., Oct. 21, 1901. 



6. "Meadowlark (S. magna) taken at Eastern 

 Passage, Halifax, [N.S.], 28 April, 1905."— Piers, 

 Harry, Report of the Provincial Museum of Nova 

 Scotia for 1905, p. 7. Halifax, N.S., 1906. This 

 specimen, which is preserved in the Nova Scotia 

 Provincial Museum, is in breeding plumage. 



7. "One taken at Comeau's Hill, Yarmouth Co., 

 N.S., in fall of 1908, Allen, E. Chesley, Annotated 

 List of Birds of Yarmouth and Vicinity, South- 

 western Nova Scotia, Proc. & Trans., N.S. Inst, of 

 Sci., Vol. XIV, Pt. 1, p. 84, Halifax, N.S., 1916. 



8 & 9. Two seen at Weymouth, N.S., Feb. 23, 

 1911.— Sanders, G. E., Ottawa Naturalist, Vol. XXV, 

 p. 104. Ottawa, Ont., 1911. One seen by Sanders 

 at Weymouth on Feb. 26, 1911, and recorded under 

 the reference given above is presumed to have been 

 one of the two seen Feb. 23. 



10. "Another at Emerald Island off Shelburne 

 Co., Feb. 20, 1912. This was said to be one of 

 three or foiu- on the island at the time." — Allen, E. 

 Chesley, Annotated List of Birds of Yarmouth and 

 Vicinity, Southwestern Nova Scotia, Proc. & Trans., 

 N.S. Inst, of Sci., Vol. XIV, Pt. 1, p. 84. Halifax, 

 N.S., 1916. 



11. A male Meadowlark in breeding plumage in 

 the Nova Scotia Provincial Museum was taken, 

 according to the label attached to it. at Eastern 

 Passage, Halifax Co., N.S., Jan. 30, 1914. 



12. One was taken [by R. W. Tufts] at Bout 

 Island, near the mouth of the Gaspereau River, 

 Kings Co., N.S., Jan. 7, 1916.— Tufts, R. W., 

 Notes on the Birds of the Grand Pre Region, Kings 

 Co., N.S., Proc. & Trans., N.S. Inst, of Sci., Vol. 

 XIV, Pt. 3, p. 182. Halifax N.S., 1917., 



13. A Meadowlark was observed about the 

 Citadel, in the city of Halifax, N.S., on several 

 successive days during the last week in March, 1917, 

 by the writer. 



14. A Meadowlark was observed clearly at close 

 range, with X6 binoculars, in a field near the border 

 of a salt marsh, at Central Chebogne, Yarmouth 

 Co., N.S., on Dec. 2, 1921, by the writer. It was 

 in company with a small flock of Robins and a 

 Flicker. 



All of the records given are from the central and 

 western parts of Nova Scotia. There are seven 

 winter records, three spring records, three fall 

 records and one record for which the season is im- 

 known, but no summer records. It is evident that 

 the Meadowlark occurs in Nova Scotia only as a 

 straggler. 



The bird (No. 13) observed by myself at Halifax, 

 N.S., in March, 1917, was certainly a Meadowlark, 

 but I am in doubt as to whether it was an Eastern 

 or a Western Meadowlark. My attention was 

 first attracted to the bird by its song, which was 

 somewhat like that of the Robin, but which I 

 realized was a song unfamiliar to me. I was at 

 that time already very familiar ^^'ith the song of the 

 Eastern Meadowlark, but I have never met the 

 Western Meadowlark in the field. Passers-by who 

 heard the song of the Meadowlark at the Halifax 

 Citadel, were heard to remark, "Listen to the 

 Robin." When I finally obtained a good view of 

 the bird I was astonished to see that it was a 

 Meadowlark. The idea that it might have been a 

 Western Meadowlark did not occur to me until 

 some time afterwards. 



I have examined carefully the three specimens 

 (Nos. 5, 6, and 11), preserved in the Nova Scotia 

 Provincial Museum, and have found them all to be 

 Eastern Meadowlarks {Sturnella magna magna). 



