eathers, white; the throat, breast, under parts and edge of wing,
bright yellow. A yellow spot extends from the nostril to the eye. The
breast has a large black crescent, the points of which reach halfway
up the neck; hind toes long, its claws twice as long as the middle
one. The female is like the male, but duller in color.

Their food is various forms of insects, beetles, grasshoppers,
cutworms, larvae, sometimes varied by the seeds of grasses and weeds,
wild cherries, and berries.

The nest is built upon the ground, of dried grasses, carefully
concealed in tufts of grass. The eggs are oval, usually five in
number; they are white, dotted with reddish brown. Both sexes engage
in building the nest.

[Illustration: MEADOW LARK]

BALTIMORE ORIOLE (_Icterus galbula_)

CALLED ALSO GOLDEN ROBIN, FIREBIRD, AND HANGBIRD

Length, about eight inches; extent, twelve and one-half inches. The
head, throat, and upper part of the back are black; the lower part of
the back, the breast, and forward part of the wing are a brilliant
orange. The base of the middle tail feathers is orange, the ends
black; all the others are orange, with a black band in the middle. The
female is smaller, and colors are not so bright.

The nest is composed of various materials, such as grasses, plant
fibers, hairs, strings, which are capable of being interwoven. It is
suspended near the end of a limb. The eggs are commonly five in
number. They are whitish and variously marked with black and brown
spots and lines.

[Illustration: BALTIMORE ORIOLE]

SONG SPARROW (_Melospiza fasciata_)

Length, a little over six inches; extent, about eight and one-half
inches. General color of the upper parts brown streaked with black,
gray, and different shades of brown; no white wing bars; the crown
dull brown, with a faint grayish line in the middle; white line over
the eye; under parts whitish with numerous dark brown streaks on the
neck, breast, and sides; a conspicuous black spot in the middle of the
breast; bill, legs, and feet are brownish. The female is the same as
the male.

The nest is composed of grasses, lined with finer grass. It is built
in a low bush or on the ground. The eggs vary greatly both in size and
in markings. They are generally five in number, and are greenish or
bluish white, variously spotted with brown. These birds raise two and
sometimes three broods.

Not to know the song sparrow is to miss one of the delights of
s