THE MEADOWLARK. 



{Sturnella magna.) 



Minstrel of melody, 



How shall I chaunt of thee, 

 Floating in meadows athrill with thy song? 



Fluting anear my feet, 



Plaintive, and wildly sweet — 

 O, could thy spirit to mortal belong ! 



Lloyd Mifflin, "To a Meadow-Lark." 



'^The Meadowlarks are general fav- 

 orites and are one of the most valuable 

 of the farmer's wild friends. They fre- 

 quent the meadows, fields, marshes and 

 pastures of eastern North America, from 

 Florida and the coast of the Gulf of 

 Mexico, northward, to the southern por- 

 tion of the British Possessions, and 

 westward, nearly to the Great Plains. In 

 the more thickly settled parts of their 

 range the Meadowlarks are shy birds, 

 while in other localities they are quite the 

 reverse and are easily approached. This 

 is especially true in the southern and 

 more western portions of their range. The 

 Meadowlarks are at home upon the 

 ground. There they obtain all their food, 

 and there they also build their nests and 

 rear their young. In their favorite re- 

 sorts they are well protected by the tall 

 grass or other herbage, from general 

 observation. They are also well pro- 

 tected by the mingled colors of the plum- 

 age of their backs and sides, which cor- 

 respond quite well with the dried vegeta- 

 tion of their habitat. 



One of their most marked characteris- 

 tics is the rich yellow plumage of the 

 throat, breast and upper portion of the 

 belly. This brilliant color, emphasized as 

 it is by the prominent black crescent of 

 the breast, is not observable when the 

 birds are walking in the fields and mea- 

 dows. 



The Meadowlark is an American 

 and, as Mr. Burroughs has said, his note 

 is one of our characteristic April sounds. 

 The clearness, sweetness and plaintive 



quality of his simple notes form a rich 

 melody which should give him a promi- 

 nent position among our song birds. His 

 is a ringing melody and full of character- 

 It quickly attracts and appeals to the 

 sympathetic mind of the true lovers of 

 Nature. Mr. Burroughs has beautifully 

 described his song: 'What a twang 

 there is about this bird, and what vigor ! 

 It smacks of the soil. It is the winged 

 embodiment of the spirit of our spring 

 meadows. What emphasis in its 'z-d-t, 

 z-d-t/ and what character in its long, 

 piercing note ! Its straight, tapering, 

 sharp beak is typical of its voice. Its 

 note goes like a shaft from a crossbow ; 

 it is a little too sharp and piercing when 

 near at hand, but, heard in the proper 

 perspective, it is eminently melodious and 

 pleasing. It is one of the major notes of 

 the fields at this season. In fact, it eas- 

 ily dominates all others. 'Spring o' the 

 year! spring o' the year!' it says, with a 

 long-drawn breath, a little plaintive, but 

 not complaining or melancholy. At times 

 it indulges in something much more intri- 

 cate and lark-like while hovering on the 

 wing in midair, but a song is bevond the 

 compass of its instrument, and the at- 

 tempt usually ends in a breakdown. A 

 clear, sweet, strong, high-keyed note, 

 uttered from some knoll or rock, or stake 

 in the fence, is its proper vocal perform- 

 ance." Mr, Ridcrwav has said that the 

 song of the INTeadowlark "is usually 

 interpreted bv the country folks as inti- 

 mating- that 'laciiicss 7C'/7/ kill you' while 

 otlicrs imagine it to say: 'f^rck — you can't 



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