344 



NESTS AND EOGS OF 



501. Meadowlark (From Bretam). 



501a. UEXICAIT MEADOWLABK. Sturnella magna mexicana (Scl.) Geog. 

 Dist. — Valley of the Lower Rio Grande aad Southerni Arizona, and south through 

 eastern and central Mexico to Panama. 



The general habits of this Southern race are counterparts of those of the Old 

 Field Lark of Eastern United States. A typical set of four eggs of this variety, col- 

 lected hy Mr. Frank B. Armstrong in Tamaulipas county, Mexico, on May 3, 1895, is 

 in Mr. C. W. Crandall's oological collection. He states that on. comparing them with 

 his series of the eggs of the Eastern' and Western larks he can find no appreciable dif- 

 ference from the general type. The four eggs measure 1.16x.80, 1.14x.79, 1.14x.79, 

 1.22X.80 inches, respectively. 



5016. WESTEBU' MEADOWLABE. Sturnella magna neglecta (Aud.) Geog. 

 Dist. — Western United States, from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, etc., west to the 

 Pacific coast and north to British Columbia and Manitoba south through Central and 

 Western Mexico to Guanajuato and Jalisco. 



Both of our Meadowlarks, S. malffna and S. neglecta, occur In portions of the Ml»- 

 sissippi Valley, overlapping each other in their typical styles for a distance of several 

 hundred miles, intermediate specimens being extremely rare. For this reason, 

 and on account of the great difference of its notes and other peculiarities, 8. m. 

 neglecta should doubtless be considered a distinct species. Its song, according to 

 those who have heard it. Is remarkably fine, less shrill, more plaintive and richer 

 than that of the Eastern Meadowlark." In Los Angeles county, California, Mir. 

 Shields states that the nesting season is from April 15 to the last of June. Colonel 

 Goss gives it as a common bird in Western and Middle Kansas, where it begins laying 

 about the middle of May. Nesting habits and eggs are similar to those of S. mcCffna. 

 The markings on a large series of the eggs of the Western Meadowlark before me are 

 finer than on the eggs of S. magna. The average size of ten specimens is 1.08X.84. 



* For a description of the songs of the Western Meadowlark, see Charles N. Alleu'l 

 article: Bull. Nutt. Ornlth. Club. Vol. VI, pp. 145-lBO. 



