BOBOLINK 31 



The species is rarely mentioned by observers in the West Indies, 

 but Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1874) say: 



Dr. Bryant, in his visit to the Bahamas, was eye-witness to the migrations 

 northward of these birds, as they passed through those islands. He first noted 

 them on the 6th of May, towards sunset. A number of flocks — he counted nine — 

 were flying westward. On the following day the country was filled with these 

 birds, and men and boys turned out in large numbers to shoot them. He examined 

 a quantity of them, and all were males in full plumage. Numerous flocks con- 

 tinued to arrive that day and the following, which was Sunday. On Monday, 

 among those that were shot were many females. On Tuesday but few were to 

 be seen, and on Wednesday they had entirely disappeared. 



The main flight passes farther westward, where thousands make the 

 500-mile flight directly across the Caribbean Sea to Jamaica, then 90 

 miles more to Cuba, and another oversea flight of 150 miles to Florida. 

 Jamaica is passed in April, it does not linger long hi Cuba, and reaches 

 northern Florida before the end of April. While we were cruising 

 south of the Florida Keys, on April 24, 1903, a steady stream of 

 bobolinks, water-thrushes, and other small land birds passed our boat, 

 flying northward from Cuba to Florida against strong northerly 

 winds; they seemed much exhausted; a bobolink attempted to alight 

 on our boat but missed it and fell into the water, from which we did 

 not see it rise; another alighted on the cabin and was so tired that it 

 allowed us to pick it up. Many birds must perish on these long 

 flights over open water against adverse winds, but some are probably 

 able to rise from the surface after resting there for a while. Vincent 

 E. Shainin (1940) saw this happen off the coast of Florida, during the 

 spring migration from the Bahamas. "Using my eight-power binoc- 

 ular I was amazed to see a male Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) 

 riding the swells with both its head and tail held at right angles to 

 the surface. Occasionally its back would appear above the water. 

 * * * For a few seconds it remained very still, then it began to 

 struggle vigorously for several seconds, finally leaving the water 

 directly without pattering along in coot fashion." 



Bobolinks also reach the United States by a trans-Gulf migration, 

 from Yucatan to Louisiana, another long overwater flight. George 

 H. Lowery, Jr. (MS.), reports that one came aboard his ship for a 

 few minutes and then disappeared, on May 2, 1945, while the ship 

 was 210 miles from Yucatan and 328 miles from the coast of Louisiana. 

 Audubon (1842) says: 



In Louisiana, small detached flocks of males or of females appear about the 

 middle of March and beginning of April, alighting in the meadows and grain- 

 fields, where they pick up the grubs and insects found about the roots of the 

 blades. * * * 



During their sojourn in Louisiana, in spring, their song, which is extremely 

 interesting, and emitted with a volubility bordering on the burlesque, is heard 

 from a whole party at the same time; when, as each individual is, of course, 



