PERCHING BIRDS 



501.1. Western Meadowlark. 

 neelecta. 



Sturnella 



Range. — North America west of the Missis- 

 sippi and from Manitoba and British Columbia 

 southward, its range overlapping that of the 

 eastern Meadowlark in the Mississippi Valley, 

 but the two varieties appear not to intermingle. 

 This variety is paler than the eastern, but the 

 greatest point of difference is in the songs, 

 they being wholly unlike, and that of the west- 

 ern bird much louder, sweeter and more varied 

 than the simple whistle of the eastern form. 

 The nesting habits of both varieties are the 

 same and the eggs indistinguishable. 



501c. Southern Meadowlark. Sturnella 

 •magna argutula. 



Range. — Florida and the Gulf coast. 



A very similar bird to the northern form 

 but slightly smaller and darker. There is no 

 difference between the eggs of the two varieties. 



Audnlion Oriole 



503. Audubon's Oriole. Icterus melanocephalu.i auduh<>)u. 



Range. — Mexico and the L,ower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. 



This large Oriole has a wholly black head, neck, fore breast, tail and 

 it is 9.5 inches in length. They arc quite abundant and 

 resident in southern Texas where they build at low eleva- ''•^ Ak' ■•L. - 



tions in trees, preferably mesquites, making the nests 61; ;','. ^- ., ~^ 

 woven grasses and hanging them from the small twigs of 

 the trees; the nests are more like those of the Orchard 

 Oriole and not long and pensile like those of the Baltimore. 

 The three to five eggs are grayish white, blotched, cloudeijf 

 spotted or streaked with brownish and purple. Size l.CfO 

 X .70. Data. — Brownsville, Texas, April 6, 1S97. 5 eggs. 

 Nest of threads from palmetto leaves, hanging from limb of mesquite, 10 feet 

 above ground in the open woods. ('oUector, Frank B. Armstrong. 





White 



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