484 BULLETIN 203, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Fall. — The northern waterthrush starts on its fall migration before 

 the end of July and passes through the Atlantic Coast States mainly 

 in August ; it has been recorded in Costa Kica as early as August 12, 

 and generally reaches its winter home in September. P. H. Gosse 

 (1847) records its arrival in Jamaica as early as August 5. 



Waterthrushes are sometimes very abundant on the fall migra- 

 tions and may be found almost anywhere, even about buildings. Tav- 

 erner and Swales (1908) write of the migration at Point Pelee, On- 

 tario : "During the height of their abundance they were the most con- 

 spicuous bird on the Point, and were seen in all kinds of places, and 

 at all times. They were in the low, damp spots in the woods, in the 

 high walnut timber, and in the red cedar thickets. They were com- 

 mon everywhere. We found them in the last outlying brush pile 

 near the end of the final sand spit, and in patches of weeds and cot- 

 ton woods along the eastern sand dune. * ♦ * j^ ^^g -^^ uncom- 

 mon sight to have four or five in the same line of vision, besides others 

 that could be heard and not seen." 



Winter. — A few waterthrushes may spend the winter in Florida, but 

 most of them pass on to the Bahamas and the West Indies, or to Cen- 

 tral America and northern South America. Savile G. Eeid (1884) 

 lists this species as "one of the commonest but most interesting of 

 autumnal visitors" in Bermuda. "It appears regularly early in Octo- 

 ber and a few remain all winter." It appears to be a regular winter 

 resident in the Bahamas. Dr. Wetmore (1916) records it as "a fairly 

 common winter visitant in the coastal region of Puerto Eico. * * * 

 These water- thrushes occur only in the mangroves of the coastal 

 region, where they are found about bays and lagoons feeding on the 

 ground, and though their sharp call notes are heard repeatedly, the 

 birds themselves are usually hidden. * * * j^^ April they were 

 singing as clearly as in the North." Dr. Barbour (1923) says that, 

 in Cuba, it is "a not uncommon winter visitor. Found about lakes, 

 ditches and river banks, and in the mangroves along the seashore." 



In El Salvador, Dickey and van Kossem (1938) record it as "fairly 

 common in fall, winter, and spring throughout the lowlands and foot- 

 hills. Dates of arrival and departure are August 31 and April 29, 

 * * * While in winter quarters water-thrushes seem always to be 

 solitary. They were usually to be observed walking daintily about 

 in wet or boggy places, such as swamp holes in the forest or at the 

 water's edge along streams and ponds." 



Dr. Skutch contributes the following notes: "All three races of 

 waterthrush occur as migrants in Central America. Griscom regards 

 the western race as the more abundant; while Carriker considered 

 typical noveboracensis as the prevalent race in Costa Rica. 



"Throughout Central America, the northern waterthrush (includ- 

 ing its western representatives, Grinnell's and McCabe's water- 



