Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/257

Rh The plate represents two pairs of these birds, with a nest placed in a rich cluster of the Yellow Gerardia.

Sturnus ludovicianus, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 290. Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 323. Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 50.

Meadow Lark, Aladda magna, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. iii. p. 20. pi. 19. fig. 2. American Starling or Meadow Lark, Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 147-

Sturnella ludoviciana. Crescent Starelet, Swains, and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 282.

Adult Male. Plate CXXXVI. Fig. 1. 1.

Bill rather long, almost straight, strong, conico-subulate, depressed towards the end ; upper mandible encroaching a little on the forehead, flattish on the ridge, with sharp overlapping edges, the tip rounded; lower mandible nearly straight, the back convex, the sides ascending, the edges sharp, the tip slightly rounded, and a little shorter. Nostrils oval, half-closed by an arched membrane. Head of ordinary size, depressed, neck of moderate length, body rather full, Feet of moderate length, strong; tarsus anteriorly scutellate, sharp behind; lateral toes nearly equal, hind toe stoutest, with a large claw ; claws arched, compressed, acute.

Plumage soft, rather compact. The upper eyelid margined with strong bristles. Feathers of the top of the head with strong shafts. Wings of ordinary length, broad, the second, third, and fourth primaries longest, the first longer than the fifth ; those mentioned, except the first, sinuate on the outer web ; primaries rather pointed, secondaries broad and rounded, two of the inner nearly as long as the primaries when the wing is closed. Tail short, much rounded, of twelve acute feathers.

Bill dark brown above, bluish-grey beneath and on the sides. Iris hazel. Feet flesh-coloured, tinged with blue. The upper parts are variegated with dark brown, bay, and light yellowish-brown, the latter bordering the feathers ; those of the hind parts of the back barred, as are the secondary quills and their coverts. Primary qmlls dark brown, margined the outermost with white, the rest with pale brown. The edge of the wing yellow; the smaller wing- coverts black bordered with grey. The three outer tail-feathers white, with a dash of black on the outer web near the end ; the next feather also more or less white, and barred on the outer web. On the upper part of the head are a central and two lateral stripes of brownish-yellow, separated by two broader stripes of brownish-