GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITOEIES. 



687 



Sturnella neglecta, 



Aud., (western lark:) 







Xo. 



Catalogue- 

 number. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Measure- 

 ments. 



No. of nest. 



Locality. 



3 



61733 

 61732 



5 



June 5, 1872 

 Juue 6, 1872 





6 (16277) 





13 





Do. 











Sal). — Western America, from high central plains to the Pacific; east 

 to Pembina, Dakota. 



The western lark, a mere variety of our common eastern meadow 

 lark, {S. magna,) from which it is scarcely distinguishable by the casual 

 observer, is as common west of the Eocky Mountains as the latter 

 species is in our Eastern States. The song of the two birds is, however, 

 entirely different. I procured three nests of this species at Ogden ; 

 they differ essentially from those of our eastern species in being rudely 

 constructed of dry grass placed loosely in a little hole in the ground, with 

 no aim at concealment, while our meadow-lark builds a neat covered 

 nest i)erfectly concealed in a bunch of grass. The eggs closely resemble 

 those of S. magna. 



(Sub-family Qidscalince, the Crow BlaclcMrds.) 

 ScolecopJiagus cyanocephalus, Cab., (Brewer's blackbird :) 



>T Catalogue- 

 " ' number. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Measure- 

 ments. 



Locality. 



70 61731 

 121 fii Tfin 



5 

 5 

 5 



June 14, 1872 

 Juue 25, 1872 

 Juue 25,1872 

 July 14,1872 



Sept. 20, 1872 



9i X 15 



Ogden, Utah. 

 Bear River, Utah. 



123 



61710 

 62272 

 62273 





Do. 



158 



280 



9i X 15f 

 91t X lU 



Snake River, Idaho. 

 Snake River, Wyo. 



Hab. — High central plains to the Pacific, south to Mexico ; Pembiua, 

 Dakota. 



Brewer's blackbird, west of the Eocky Mountains, takes the place of 

 our common rusty blackbird, {S. ferrugineus,) which it closely resembles. 

 We met with them in abundance at nearly all points on our route, al- 

 though they were not so common in the densely-wooded regions on the 

 mountains as they were among the bushes and cottonwoods bordering 

 the streams and rivers that run through the dry, arid plains. They 

 breed about the middle of June, laying dark-colored eggs, blotched all 

 over with dark brown and chocolate. 



Family 19.— Corvid^e, the Crows. 

 (Sub-family GarruUnce, tlie Jays.) 

 Pica hudsonica, Bonap., (common magpie :) 



No. 



Catalogae- 

 nnmber. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Measure- 

 ments. 



Locality! 



146 



61780 



Ad. July 2, 1872 14^ X 22i- I Pocotello, Idaho. 



Hah. — Arctic regions of North America ; United States, from the high 

 central x^lains to the Pacific, north of California. 



