1906] Migration of Birds at Ottawa. 145 



Quite a number of the birds included in this list are irrelevant 

 to the scope of this article, but are included for completeness' 

 sake, to show about when they may be looked for and what birds 

 come this way at all. Such birds that do not show anything- in this 

 connection are e. g. the redpoll, pine siskin, brown-breasted nut- 

 hatch, crow, blue jay, etc., because they may be considered per- 

 manent residents, or because they do not follow any apparent rules 

 in their coming- and going, their presence or absence. Other such 

 erratic birds are the pine grosbeak, Canada jay, evening grosbeak, 

 arctic-three-toed woodpecker, etc., which are here omitted. Others, 

 such as the ducks, rails, herons, hawks are not quoted to prove 

 much in this connection, because they are not easily observed or 

 are rare, so that they may be for days or even weeks in their chosen 

 haunts, before the ornithologist, who can not always go to such 

 difficult places, may see them. 



The effect that we would expect the severe outgoing of the 

 winter and incoming of the spring to have upon the migration of 

 birds, is that the birds would be retarded to a greater or less 

 extent. And this is what the following list shows. The first 

 commonly observed migrant in our parts is the prairie horned 

 lark. That comes at the end of February. Now, because last 

 winter up to that time was unusually mild, the coming of this little 

 bird was earliet than usual, Feb 20, or at least no later. Then 

 came the snowy and cold March, the effect of which can be seen 

 by the lateness of arrival of such birds as the purple finch, robin, 

 bronzed grackle, song sparrows, red-winged black bird, bluebird, 

 and junco, which here are the first of the real and regular migrants. 

 These were this year kept back for a time of from several days to 

 two weeks. Then came warm, May-like weather in Apri!. which 

 made the date of arrival of the species falling into this month 

 again normal, or may have even accelerated it with some, whereas 

 the somewhat raw weather of the first half of May again had the 

 contrary effect. It ma> be said, that a single, dejected-looking 

 robin was this year seen as early as March 9th in a garden along 

 the Rideau, and again on the 17th, but the real robin migration 

 did not begin before the date given. 



I must also state that much material in the line of dates has 

 been furnished to me by other members of the Ornithological sec 



