Range. - North America east of the Plains and north to

Nova Scotia and Manitoba; winters from New England southward. This handsome dweller among our fields and meadows is frequently heard giving his high, pleasing, flute-like whistle with its variations; his beautiful yellow breast with its black crescent is not so frequently seen in life, for they are usually quite shy birds. They artfully conceal their nests on the ground among the tall grass of meadows, arching them over with dead grass. During May or June they lay from four to six white eggs, speckled over the whole surface with reddish brown and purplish; size 1.10 x .80.

Meadowlark.

501a. Rio Grande Meadowlark. Sturnella Magna Hoopesi

Range. - A brighter and slightly smaller variety found along the Mexican border.

White.

NEST AND EGGS OF MEADOWLARK R. H. B. Beebe.

PERCHING BIRDS.

501.1. Western Meadowlark. Sturnella Neglecta

Range. - North America west of the Mississippi 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 western 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,