42 The Ottawa Naturalist. [May 



Some lo or 15 days later, say when the snow has ahuost 

 entirely disappeared from the open fields, we are generally able 

 to record two of our commonest meadow-sparrows, the vesper 

 and the savanna ; and about the same time the whitebellied, or 

 tree, swallow. This latter is the second to arrive of the flycatching 

 birds, and usually appears in compact flocks, even before the ice 

 has entirely withdrawn from the ponds and rivers over which it 

 loves to sport. The three last mentioned species spend the winter 

 in a much more southerly clime than the robin, song sparrow and 

 their companions. According to Chapman (Birds of Eastern N.A.) 

 the tree swallow winters from South Carolina southward, the vesper 

 and savanna from Virginia southward ; and all three usually put in 

 their first appearance at New York city during the first 10 days 

 of April. My own note book, running back to 1889 shows first 

 appearances at Ottawa to range between the following dates : — 

 Robin, 20 March to 7 April ; song sparrow, 24 March to 7 April ; 

 tree swallow, i to 22 April ; vesper sparrow, 1 1 to 22 April ; sav- 

 anna,7to 27 April. Now, the peculiarity of the present year is this : 

 The migratory movement opened rather earlier than usual ; robin 

 song sparrow and grackle were recorded, as stated in your notes for 

 March, before the middle of that month and by the 20th all were 

 quite common. During the 3 or 4 following weeks the weather 

 was almost continuously warm and springlike, so that by 8th 

 April snow or ice could hardly be found, and winged insects 

 were quite abundant. All conditions seemed to call for the 

 second contingent of migrants ; but one looked in vain for either 

 tree swallow, savanna sparrow or vesper. 



The pioneers of the tree swallows only began to be seen on 

 13 April, those of the savannas on the i6th and the vespers not 

 until the 19th, and even yet (30 April), they cannot be said to 

 be common. 



If we search for an explanation of the long delay in the 

 arrival of these somewhat southerly species, I believe it will be 

 found in the peculiar weather conditions of the country immedi- 

 ately north of their winter home. While we in Ontario and Que- 

 bec, in common with the state of New York, have been enjoying 

 unusually mild weather through March and April, the people 



