86 The Ottawa Naturalist. [August 



came and tried to carry it awa^^ Why? 



Now it is safe to assume that for every bird found dead, 

 hundreds, if not thousands, are not found, showing a consequence 

 of the backwardness of the season, that may well stagger a 

 nature lover. 



Another and very curious effect of this lack of food in the 

 accustomed places was the apparent change of habit it induced 

 some species to adopt, the warblers again being the most affected. 

 If a person had begun the study of birds, or at least of warblers, 

 this spring, near here, he would have formed many an erroneous 

 opinion, and yet .would have had observed facts to base them on. 

 He would e.g. not have had any hesitancy in stating, that most 

 warblers were ground loving birds, looking for their food on the 

 grass. For this is precisely what the yellow, Blackburnian, 

 Canadian, and other warblers could be seen doing day after day 

 in May. During a walk on the 20th, I saw 10 to 1 5 yellow warblers, 

 all on the ground or on old weed stalks, etc., not far above it. 

 The same was told the writer by farmers in Renfrew County, by 

 a returned lumberman from Lake Kippewa, who said that on 

 every small spot of grass in the woods or on the farm, these little 

 "black and yellow," etc., birds, that they had "never noticed 

 before" were abundant. They were very tame, too, allowing 

 one to catch them, caused, as alreadv indicated, by their starved 

 condition. On May 4th, after that great snowstorm, four hermit 

 thrushes came out of the pines on the veranda of Mrs. Brown's 

 residence, Ottawa East, to within three or four feet of Mrs. Brown 

 and Miss Lees, who were standing in plain sight of them on the 

 inside of a window, which shows much more tameness than this 

 species usually shows. Another curious change of habit could 

 be observed in the myrtle warbler. It was almost invariably 

 to be seen in cat -tail swamps, where, however, no sign of new 

 growth was yet to be seen, darting over the water, most probably 

 after the few flies,etc.. there, in the most approved flycatcher 

 style. A beginner would have undoubtedly classed the myrtle 

 warbler as an exclusive swamp bird. Altogether, judging from 

 the number of yellow and Blackburnian, etc., warblers at the edge 

 of rivers and pools, that must be the last place where insects can 

 be found when absent everywhere else. 



Nesting was naturally also greatly affected. The delayed 

 arrival of many species would, of course, also postpone the time 

 of nesting. Even such that were here on time, or even earlier 

 than usual, like the robin and red-winged blackbird, delayed nest- 

 building in many instances, owing probably to the fact that the 

 leaves and cat-tails were so late coming out,'which would have left 

 their nests too much exposed. This must have been a con^^idera- 



