200 
ORDERS OF BIRDS— PERCHERS AND SINGERS 
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 3 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-LARK. 
