THE MBADOWLAEK. 459 



season it is more or less gregarious, and small flocks may often be seen roving 

 about in search of good feeding grounds. This is especially true in the fall of 

 the year, when several families unite, and as many as two dozen may occasion- 

 ally be flushed in a field over which they scatter, roaming about independently 

 of each other; but when one takes wing all the others in the vicinity generally 

 follow. In the Eastern States the Meadowlark is a rather shy bird and not 

 easily approached within gunshot, while in many parts of the South and in the 

 Middle States it is quite the reverse and generally allows itself to be closely 

 approached without taking wing. Its flight is rather laborious, at least in 

 starting - , and is accomplished by a series of rapid movements of the wings, 

 alternating with short distances of sailing, and is rarely protracted. On alight- 

 ing, which is almost invariably accompanied with a twitching of its tail, it 

 usually settles on some fence rail, post, bowlder, weed stalk, or on a hillock in 

 a meadow from which it can get a good view of the surroundings, and but 

 rarely on a limb of a tree. Its favorite resorts are meadows, fallow fields, 

 pastures, and clearings, but in some sections, as in northern Florida, for instance, 

 it also frequents the low, open pine woods, and nests in these. 



Our handsome Meadowlark is a favorite with most people, but its clear, 

 whistling notes, so frequently heard in the early spring, though melodious and 

 pleasing to the ear, are not much varied. 



One of its songs sounds like " he'e'-he'e'-hde'-thde'-hea," uttered in a clear, high 

 key; a second or call note resembles "e"eck, e^ck," ending with a tremulous 

 quaver. All of these notes, although short, are difficult to reproduce in type. 

 Mr. W. E. Grover, of Galveston, Texas, writes me that one of their calls sounds 

 like a long-drawn, whistled "laze-kill-de'e'." 



Considered from an economic point of view, it is one of the best feathered 

 friends the farmer has, and deserves the fullest protection, feeding, as it does, 

 mainly on noxious insects and their larvae, caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, 

 spiders, worms, etc., and only to a limited extent on small grain. In the late 

 fall and winter it resorts sometimes to the roads and barnyards, where it may 

 occasionally be seen searching among the droppings of horses for undigested 

 particles of grain. 



The Meadowlark spends the greater part of its time on the ground, and 

 all of its food is procured there. It is rare to find one alone, and I believe it 

 remains paired for life. 



Nidification usually begins in the first half of May and lasts through the 

 greater part of June, and occasionally fresh eggs are found during the first ten 

 days in July, possibly second broods, but as a rule, in the northern parts of its 

 range at least, only a single brood is raised in a season. 



Both sexes assist in the construction of the nest, which is always placed on 

 the ground, either in a natural depression or in a little hollow scratched out by 

 the birds, alongside a bunch of grass or weeds. It is invariably well hidden, 

 stalks and blades of grass being pulled and partly woven over it, forming a 

 more or less complete dome or roof, generally concealing the eggs or young 

 effectually from view. The nest proper consists of a slight lining of dry, wiry 



