200 



ORDERS OF BIRDS— PEROHEES AND SINGERS 



RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 



and has furnished a theme for several poets, of 

 whom Bryant was the most celebrated. 



The Red-Winged Blackbird ' is a bird that 

 delights my soul. No marsh or cat-tail swamp 

 is complete without him. No spring ever can 

 be perfect without his sweet, liquid gurgle — 

 "O-ka-lee." You hear that flute-like call when 

 the sky is clear, the warm sunshine is flooding 

 field and stream, and you are glad that you are 

 alive. 



The jet-black plumage of this bird, with epau- 

 lettes of scarlet and white, make a brave show 

 among the dull green blades of the cat-tails. 

 As a rule, bird-songs translated into English do 

 not appeal to me very strongly; but the Red- 

 Wing does say "O-ka-lee" to perfection! 



The typical Red- Wing is an eastern bird, but 

 its half-dozen subspecies are so well dispersed 

 throughout the United States that almost every 

 region possesses one. 



The Yellow-Headed Blackbird 2 is a very 

 conspicuous species throughout the West, from 

 Indiana almost to the Pacific. Its entire head, 

 neck and breast are of a dull-yellow color, but 

 elsewhere it is wholly black, save a white patch 

 on the wing. In Montana it is very common in 

 summer. 



The Meadow-Lark :l is one of the most trust- 

 ful and sociable of our birds. As its name im- 

 plies, it is partial to open grass-lands, and its fa- 



1 Ag-e-lai'us phoe-ni' ci-us . Length, 9 inches. 



2 With an apology to the reader, it is stated that 

 the Latin name of this bird is Xan-tho-ceph'a-lus 

 xan-tho-ceph'a-lus : and its length is about 9 inches. 



3 Stur-nel'la mag'na. Length, about 10 inches. 



vorite hunting-grounds are the bits of waste 

 land in sloughs (called "slews" in the West), 

 that are full of low weeds. This bird does not 

 like tall grass or weeds, for it is very curious to 

 know all that is going on in the world about it. 

 It is an indifferent flyer, — slow and short, — and 

 manifests a decided preference for the haunts of 

 man. 



The Lark contributes much to the pleasures 

 of life on a farm. Its bright-yellow breast and 

 throat, with a jet-black neck-scarf, are as cheer- 

 ful as an April sunburst. The long, conical beak, 

 rather long legs and erect carriage of this bird 

 give him an air of cheerful confidence which 

 says to you, "I'm a good fellow, and you're an- 

 other!" His song is nothing to boast of, but 

 he always pipes up cheerfully, and does the best 

 he can. I always liked this bird, and count him 

 as one of the dear friends of my boyhood. To 

 me, his plumage is beautiful, especially when 

 seen on a fresh, dewy morning, when the sun is 

 newly risen, and the song-birds are greeting the 

 new day. 



According to the investigations of the Biologi- 

 cal Survey, the Meadow-Lark is one of the most 

 valuable of all birds that frequent farming re- 



MEADOW-LAEK. 



