PERCHING BIRDS 
501.1. Western Meadowlark. Sturnella 
neglecta. 
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. 
Audubon Oriole 
503. Audubon’s Oriole. Icterus melanocephalus auduboni. 
Range. — Mexico and the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. 
This large Oriole has a wholly black head, neck, fore breast, tail and wings; 
it is 9.5 inches in length. They are quite abundant and 
resident in southern Texas where they build at low eleva- 
tions in trees, preferably mesquites, making the nests of 
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, clouded, 
spotted or streaked with brownish and purple. Size 1.00 
x .70. Data. — Brownsville, Texas, April 6, 1897. 5 eggs. 
Nest of threads from palmetto leaves, hanging from limb of mesquite, 10 feet 
above ground in the open woods. Collector, Frank B. Armstrong. 
White 
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