MARCH 31 



has always been recognized as a common 

 bird trick, and almost uniformly it has been 

 misinterpreted. It is not a sign of coward- 

 ice at all, but at least of brotherly, if not of 

 parental, love. Later in the season, when 

 she is followed by her young, if you are 

 walking through the fields you may flush 

 a mother meadow-lark. Away she flies, 

 alternately fluttering and sailing, in low, 

 level course much like that of our bob- 

 white. But she soon reveals her identity 

 by spreading her tail, showing white feathers 

 on either side. These are her signal for her 

 young to follow her. When they fail to 

 come she often lights on a fence-rail and 

 flirts her tail, spreading and furling it re- 

 peatedly so as to catch their attention and 

 gather them to her as they scamper through 

 the grass. 



During the earlier part of this month the 

 turf is so short and curly that the meadow- 

 lark feels that it is a poor protection. So 

 he is very apt to sit in the trees, where he 

 can see from afar the coming of his foes. 

 His reedy whistle too is withheld, until later 



