﻿Common Birds in Relation to Agriculture. 505 



that the bird should be protected, except, perhaps, in 

 a few places where it is too abundant. 



THE MEADOW LARK, OR OLD FIELD LARK. 



(Siurnella magna.) 



The meadow lark is a common and well-known bird 

 occurring from the Atlantic Coast to the Great Plains, 

 where it gives way to a closely related subspecies, which 

 extends thence westward to the Pacific. It winters from 

 our southern border as far north as the District of 

 Columbia, Southern Illinois, and occasionally Iowa. 

 Although it is a bird of the plains, finding its most 

 congenial haunts in the prairies of the West, it does 

 not disdain the meadows and mowing lands of New 

 England. It nests on the ground and is so terrestrial in 

 its habits that it seldom perches on trees, preferring 

 a fence rail or a telegraph pole. When undisturbed, 

 it may be seen walking about with a peculiar dainty step, 

 stopping every few moments to look about and give 

 its tail a nervous flirt or to sound a note or two of 

 its clear whistle. 



The meadow lark is almost wholly beneficial, although 

 a few complaints have been made that it pulls sprouting 

 grain, and one farmer claims that it eats clover seed. As 

 a rule, however, it is looked upon with favor and is 

 not disturbed. 



In the 238 stomachs examined, animal food (practically 

 all insects) constituted 73 per cent, of the contents and 

 vegetable matter 27 per cent. As would naturally be 

 supposed, the insects were ground species, such as beetles, 

 bugs, grasshoppers, and caterpillars, with a few flies, 

 wasps and spiders. A number of the stomachs were 

 taken from birds that had been killed when the ground 

 was covered with snow, but still they contained a large 

 percentage of insects, showing the bird's skill in finding 

 proper food under adverse circumstances. 



