MEADOW LARK. 
141 
of the same species in New England, that when I first heard it could scarcely believe it was 
a Meadow Lark. This lay even in the North has a peculiar intonation which is quite sug¬ 
gestive of freedom, hut that given by the birds which inhabit the trackless piney woods and 
wide-spread plains of Florida is, although very melodious and pleasing, so wild, clear and 
ringing, that it is in perfect harmony with surroundings where Nature reigns supreme. 
As we advance northward through Florida, more into the haunts of civilization, we 
find that the Meadow Larks gradually learn the lesson that all birds acquire sooner or la¬ 
ter,— the fear of man. Thus I found them rather on the alert in the neighborhood of small 
settlements and near Jacksonville they were fully as shy as in Massachusetts.' This is 
largely due to the fact that as they frequent the plantations they are often hunted as game. 
They are also looked upon as nuisances for they eat rye and other grains, frequenting newly 
sown fields in large numbers for this purpose, and specimens that I shot on a plantation 
were filled with rye, though they usually subsist upon insects. Probably the cultivated 
district affords them better facilities for obtaining food, for as we proceed further north¬ 
ward into Georgia and the Carolinas they almost wholly abandon the wooded districts. In 
Pennsylvania and Massachusetts they are seldom, if ever, found in other than open fields 
which have been cultivated at some recent period, excepting on the coast where they often 
occur on the salt marshes. They never nest there, however, but build on the uplands at 
some distance from the water. 
The Meadow Larks breed in Florida during the last week of April but do not lay in 
Massachusetts until the middle of May. The nests in the latter named section are placed 
in the grass and although often open are sometimes domed, occasionally there being a cover¬ 
ed passage for some distance. When the female is sitting, the male lingers near and seated 
on some tree pours forth his loud, clear lay which is certainly one of the most thrilling and 
enlivening songs given by any of our native birds. 
By July the young may be seen in company with their parents who exhibit great solic¬ 
itude for their safety, flying about and uttering sharp cries until their offspring are induced 
to take wing when all move away to some adjacent field. The family continues in compa¬ 
ny and are frequently joined by others until quite large flocks accumulate in autumn. At 
this season they are rather peculiar in habits, as they often crouch in grass which is high 
enough to conceal them until the intruder comes very near, when they will rise suddenly 
and fly swiftly away in a straight line, giving a few sharp notes as they go. Those in the 
immediate neighborhood will not always start at the report of a gun, and will only jump 
when approached quite closely. They appear to become very much attached to certain 
localities and will always return to spend the night in chosen spots, often coming in long 
after sunset. They repose on the ground in scattering groups and start quite readily even 
during the darkest nights. 
The Larks of Massachusetts linger until late in autumn, moving southward when the 
ground becomes covered with snow, but they are apt to return occasionally during the mild¬ 
er weather, and I have taken them in every month of the year. Therefore I should judge 
that the birds which breed in any one locality seldom go far from it. South of Virginia 
they are not migratory at all, or at best only gather in large flocks. 
