124 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



Spring. — The redwings are among our earliest spring migrants; 

 the eastern redwing leaves its winter haunts in the southern States 

 before the end of February, reaches New England in March (rarely 

 earlier), and arrives in eastern Canada in April or earlier. In Mas- 

 sachusetts, we look for the first of these harbingers of spring about the 

 second week in March. I wrote in my notes for March 22, 1900: 

 "The first interesting sight that met our eyes, as we walked down the 

 country road, was a detached flock of some ten robins in an old 

 stubble field, the first I had seen that year; it was a welcome sight 

 and their bright red breasts seemed to reflect the warmth of coming 

 spring. A flock of about fifteen redwings, adult males, also arose 

 from the same field and circled about, wheeling with better precision 

 than the best of trained soldiers, their jet black uniforms and scarlet 

 epaulets flashing in the sunlight as they turned. All their movements 

 seemed to be governed by the same impulse, instantly obeyed, as 

 they swooped down upon a small apple tree and alighted with every 

 head pointing toward the wind. Our approach started them off 

 again toward some swampy woods, where they scattered and alighted 

 among the tops of the taller trees." 



William Brewster (1906) says: "For several weeks after their first 

 appearance in early spring Redwings are usually found in flocks 

 composed wholly of males. At this season they are seldom seen 

 about their breeding grounds excepting in the early morning and late 

 afternoon. At most other hours of the day they frequent open and 

 often elevated farming country, where they feed chiefly in grain 

 stubbles and weed-grown fields. When disturbed at their repasts 

 they fly to the nearest deciduous trees and immediately after alighting 

 burst into a medley of tumultuous song, inexpressibly wild and 

 pleasing when heard at a distance, but rather overwhelming if the 

 flock be a large one and close at hand." 



Chapman (1912) writes attractively of this early spring behavior: 

 "A swiftly moving, compact band of silent birds, passing low through 

 the brown orchard, suddenly wheels, and, alighting among the bare 

 branches, with precision of a trained choir breaks into a wild, tinkling 

 glee. It is quite possible that in the summer this rude chorus might 

 fail to attract enthusiasm, but in the spring it is as welcome and 

 inspiring a promise of the new }^ear as the peeping of frogs or the 

 blooming of the first wild flower." 



No better life history 1 of the redwing has ever been published than 

 that written by Arthur A. Allen (1914), based on an exhaustive 

 study of the bird near Ithaca, N. Y. I regret that space will not 

 permit quoting from it as fully as it deserves. His study throws new 



i The reader should also consult the valuable paper by Eobert W. Nero, "A behavior study of the red- 

 winged blackbird," Wilson Bull., vol. 68, pp. 5-37. 129-150 (1956). 



