MEADOWLARKS (Sturnella magna and 

 Sturnella neglecta) 



I.cnj^tli. aldjiit T0'>4 inches. 



Ranf^c : I'.reed generally in the United States, 

 srintliern Canada, and Mexicii to Cnsta Rica: 

 winter from tiie Ohio and Potomac valleys 

 and British Columbia southward. 



Habits and economic status: Oin- two mead- 

 r-wdarks, though difTcring much in song, resem- 

 lile each otlier closely in plumage and habits. 

 Grassy plains and uplands covered with a thiclc 

 growth of grass or weeds, with near-by water, 

 furnisli tlie conditions best suited to the mcad- 

 owl.ark's taste. Tlie song of the western bird 

 is loud, clear, and melodious. That of its east- 

 ern relative is feebler and loses much by com- 

 parison, Tn many localities the meadowlark is 

 classed .and slmt .as a game bird. From llie 

 farmer's standpoint tliis is a mistake, since its 

 \alue as an insect eater is far greater than .as 

 an object of pursuit by the sportsman. Both 

 the I10II weevil, tlie foe of the col ton grower, 

 and tlie alf.alfa weevil are anion.g tlic beetles it 

 Iiabitually eats. Twenty-five iier cent of the 

 diet of this bird is lieetles, li.alf of which are 

 predaccous grotmd beetles, accounted useful 

 insects, and one-hftli are destructive weevils. 

 Caterpillars form ir per cent of the food and 

 are eaten in every month in the year. Among 

 these .are iiianj' cutworms and the well-known 

 army worm. Grasshoppers are favorite food 

 and are eaten in e\er\- month and almost e\'er\' 



da_\-. The vegetalile f 1 ( _'4 per cent .d the 



whole) consists of grain and weed seeds. 



RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius 

 phceniceus) 



Length, about 9'j inches. 



Range; Breeds in Me.xieo and North Amer- 

 ica sontli of the Barren Grounds: winters in 

 southern half of United States and south to 

 Costa Rica. 



Habits and economic status: The pr.airies of 

 the upper Mississippi Valley, with their numer- 

 ous sloughs and ponds, furnish ideal nesting 

 places for redwings, and consequently this re- 

 gion has become the great breeding ground for 

 tlie species. These prairies pour fortli the vast 

 flocks th.at pl.a\' havoc witli grain fields. East 

 of the Appalachian Range, marshes on the 

 shores of lakes, rivers, and estuaries are tlie 

 only available breeding sites and, as these are 

 comparatively few and small, the species is 

 much less abundant than in the West. Red- 

 wings are eminently gregarious, living in flrick'S 

 and breeding in communities. The food of the 

 redwdng consists of ly per cent animal matter 

 and ~^ per cent vegetal)le. Insects constilutc 

 practically one-fourlli of the food. Beetles 

 (largely \vec\als, a most harmful group) 

 amriunt to 10 per cent. Grasshoppers are eaten 

 in e\ ery nifinth and amount to aliout 5 per 

 cent. Caterpillars (among them the injurious 

 army worm) are eaten at all seasons and ag- 

 gregate 6 per cent. .Vnls, wasps, bugs, flies, 

 dragonflies, and spiders also are e.aleii. The 

 xegetalilc food consists of seeds, including 

 grain, of wdiicli oats is the favorite, and some 

 small fruits. When in large flocks this bird is 

 capable of doing great harm to grain. 



tilt SLACKi;k 01" BIIUJDUM liXPUbLD 



This is a picture of the nest of Mr. and Mrs. Yellow-lireasted Chat, and the majority of 

 the eggs belong to the lady of the house; but she has been imposed upem in her absence and 

 made the victim of the indolence of her neighbor, Mrs. Cowbird, who has laid an egg in the 

 Chat nest for Mrs. Chat to incnliate with her own. ifrs. Cowbird, relieved of the respon- 

 sibility of bringing up her offspring, is probably off iiidul,gin.g in some frivolit.w This para- 

 sitic habit is a characteristic of the cowbird. The darker egg is the alien embryo. 



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