1911] The Ottawa Naturalist. 77 



maciilatus or one of its forms, Orphia frigida and Stiropleura 

 decussata, these being the only ones fully developed at this 

 time. 



I left for home on May 3rd, at the time when much life 

 was only just awakening from its long winter sleep, so could 

 only contemplate what I might have seen had I staved. 



SOME RAPTORIAL MIGRATIONS IN SOUTHERN 



ONTARIO. 



By P. A. Taverner, Geological Survey, Ottawa. 



In many ways, Point Pelee is one of the most interesting 

 bird observatories in Ontario, if not in Canada. Stretching, as 

 is does, from the lower extremity of Essex County south into 

 Lake Erie, it forms the extreme southern point of the Canadian 

 main-land and, reaching away out towards the outlying islands, 

 helps to form a natural passage-way across the lake for the north 

 and south migrations. That birds take advantage of these 

 natural stepping stones on the way, is evident to any one who 

 spends a migration season, especially a fall one, on the Point. 

 The most marked demonstration of this migrational movement 

 is shown by the great flocking of individuals that occur there 

 annually. There are certain species that we expect to occur at 

 times in great numbers and flocks of blackbirds that darken the 

 sky or pass like shadows across the sun are regular and expected 

 occurrences in the fall months ; but at Point Pelee we find gather- 

 ings of other species whose non-gregarious habits are in striking 

 variance with the phenomena we observe here. Species that 

 seem usually to drift through singly or in small gatherings of 

 unnoticeable size at times occur in numbers that are easily des- 

 ignated "flocks." Such occurrences have been observed in 

 many species of raptores and unusual flights have been noted at 

 the Point of Sharp-shin, Cooper, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and 

 Rough-legged Hawks and Acadian Owls. 



That these aggregations of individuals during migrations are 

 pure manifestations of gregariousness is an idea open to much 

 doubt. In most cases indications point to the fact that they are 

 but gatherings brought together by a community of interest and 

 are the result of congestion of a wide migration front into the 

 narrow bounds of the Point. 



How much land of the summer ranges is drained by this 

 Pelee migration route it is difficult at this writing to state, but 

 from the few illuminating glimpses we have had on the subject 

 it must be an extensive territory. Much more work, however, 

 is necessary in the country to the north before anything definite 



