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Bird - Lore 



Towhee and Oven-bird continue scarce, 

 and the Horned Lark is almost a rarity 

 as compared with earlier times. A strange 

 feature of the present summer is the almost 

 entire absence of Nighthawks hereabouts. 

 Only a single bird has been seen by the 

 writer thus far. A second-year male 

 Orchard Oriole was seen May 30, the first 

 individual of this species that has been 

 noted here for several years. Three 

 Wilson's Phalaropes were found at the 

 Long Meadow Sloughs, 10 miles south of 

 town, on June 4. They are still there and 

 are presumably breeding. This was 

 formerly an abundant nesting bird but 

 these are the first that have been seen in 

 this locality for many years. — Thomas S. 

 Roberts, University of Minnesota, Min- 

 neapolis, Minn. 



Kansas City Region. — All conditions 

 favorable to traveling birds have com- 

 bined this spring to make the migration 

 just passed a spectacular one indeed. 

 Meteorological conditions have been ideal; 

 insect food has been abnormally abundant, 

 several larval forms, notably the canker 

 worm, being present in such numbers as 

 to suggest an invasion; and vegetation has 

 been earlier and more luxuriant than for 

 many years. As a result, the bulk of the 

 migrants have been slow in passing, and 

 the straggler of a few species have tarried 

 days beyond their accustomed times of 

 departure. 



Tennessee Warblers in thousands, rep- 

 resenting unquestionably the major part 

 of the flight, were present until May 23, 

 filling the city parks and boulevards with 

 a bedlam of sharp staccato notes, and 

 stragglers were present until May 28. The 

 spring throngs of this species are normally 

 through passing by the middle of the 

 month, and the latest previous record for 

 the last seen was May 25 (19 16). The 

 attraction for these Warblers was evidently 

 the abundant supply of canker worms. 



Lincoln's Sparrows were heard in full 

 song during late April, which is not usual 

 in this region. Swarms of migrating King- 

 birds, Nighthawks, and Orchard Orioles 

 were noted on the prairie regions of the 

 county on May 2. The Kingbirds and 



Orchard Orioles more often go in numbers 

 up the Missouri River bottoms rather than 

 over the higher prairie country of this 

 immediate neighborhood. Two locally rare 

 Warblers, the Sycamore and Magnolia, 

 have been reported on several occasions, 

 the first record of the former being April 28, 

 on which date the Prothonotary was also 

 seen. On May 9, Mourning and Wilson's 

 Warblers were observed, as well as a few 

 scattered flocks of Bobolinks, which, in this 

 region, are rather rare birds. 



Cedar Waxwings have noticeably in- 

 creased in numbers during the past two 

 years, and local students are hoping to 

 find it breeding here at last. A nesting pair 

 of this species has been a desideratum of 

 long standing, since the bird is found here 

 practically throughout the year. 



The making of the annual spring horizon 

 resulted this year in breaking the record 

 that has stood since May 9, 1914, when two 

 observers noted loi species. Eight 

 observers went forth at daylight on May 4, 

 scattering in different directions, deter- 

 mined to find every species present. The 

 day was far from being ideal for field-glass 

 work, as the sky was darkly overcast and 

 showers were intermittent, but migration 

 was well under way and the birds were, 

 for the most part, in full song. While it 

 was unfortunate that several species known 

 to be present failed of record, the grand 

 total of 115 species observed was highly 

 satisfactory. Another attempt on the 

 following Sunday by six observers resulted 

 in a list of 104 species. 



The long-awaited decision of Federal 

 Judge Van Valkenberg in the matter of his 

 opinion as to the validity of the Migratory 

 Bird Law is still forthcoming. It will be 

 remembered that this is the heart of the 

 enemy's country. — Harry Harris, Kan- 

 sas City, Mo. 



Denver Region. — As the writer reviews 

 his notes covering the period now under 

 consideration, he is struck anew by the 

 fact encountered many times in past years 

 that scarcely any two similar seasons in 

 different years show identical bird-migra- 

 tion conditions. The season here has been 



