38 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis 



seen at Webster Groves on l\'liriiary L', when a sudtleii 

 warm spell indueed them to visit tiieir old haunts, not to 

 stiiy, hut simi)ly to see how matters stand. On such 

 ins])eetion tours they remain only a short time, announce 

 their presence by a few carols an<l retire to their feeding 

 grounds in tlu' creek or river bottom. It is liar<l to 

 ex])lain how they lind nourishment enougli to bridge them 

 over the snowy and icy })eriods, since their main sus- 

 tenance must be taken from the insect world, hut for 

 warm (juarters to spend the nights old woodpeckers' 

 holes serve them well, and I have myself witnessed how 

 three or four entered the same bole, certainly a good way 

 to kee]) warm. All birds accumulate a layer of fat in 

 autumn, and it may be taken for granted that this store 

 is drawn upon in times of want. 



The Missouii liiver, flowing from west to east and cut- 

 ting our state into two parts, North ^lissouri and South 

 Missouri, forms in winter the dividing line of two faunal 

 zones for many species of birds, absent or rare in North 

 Missouri, but becoming more and more regular or numer- 

 ous as we proceed from the river southward. 



As belonging to this class we may name the Migrant 

 Shrikes, ^lockingbirds, Bewicks and Winter Wrens, 

 ^feadowlarks. Doves, Prairie TTorned Larks, Rusty 

 Blackbirds, Cowbirds, (irackles, Sapsuckers, Flickers, 

 Turkey \'ultures, several kinds of S])arrows, Purjile and 

 Goldtinches, Siskins, Kinglets, Kingfishers, several kinds 

 of Hawks and Ducks, Robins and Bluebirds. 



The Hobin is no sti'angei' to our wintei- fauna. W(> 

 m<'et him in ilocks in the heavy tinibei" in Christmas tinH», 

 hear even his song and ciieei-fu! rail when we least expect 

 him. I have seen him as early as the lirst day of Feb- 

 ruary in Shaw's (larden, but ordinarily it is a month 

 later when he mounts his favorite perch at his summer 

 home for his first song within the city of St. Louis. 



At Old Orchard T have seen one once when the mercury 

 w;is l)elow zero, Imt llie intelligent bird was not freezing 



