3o8 



Bird - Lore 



That a gradual change in the distribu- 

 tion of the Thrushes is taking place in 

 eastern Massachusetts, or at least in the 

 country about Lexington, is apparent to 

 those who can compare present conditions 

 with those obtaining in the early nineties. 

 Mr. Walter Fa.xon tells me that twenty- 

 five and thirty years ago. Wood Thrushes 

 bred regularly in many suitable localities 

 in Lexington, while at that period the 

 Hermit Thrush was unknown as a summer 

 bird here. For the past few years, however, 

 we have found Hermit Thrushes breeding 

 in several places in Lexington, Lincoln, 

 Bedford, and Burlington (adjoining towns), 

 indicating, it seems to us, that this species 

 has replaced the Wood Thrush which is 

 now one of our rarest birds. Two other 

 species which we have noted in increased 

 numbers in 19 19 are the Prairie Warbler 

 and the Grasshopper Sparrow^ The 

 Warblers find breeding-grounds on the 

 tracts of land recently cleared by fire or 

 gypsy moths. 



The first indication of the autumn 

 migration was on July 29, when the notes 

 of migrating birds were heard in the night. 

 — WiNSOR M. Tyler, M.D., Lexington, 

 Mass. 



New York Region. — The present 

 season the regular breeding birds have 

 been with us, certainly in their usual 

 abundance. But the writer did not meet 

 with a single Yellow-throated Vireo. It 

 was not many years ago when this Vireo 

 was a not uncommon breeding species 

 here, but it now seems almost gone. 

 Hermit Thrushes have been more in evi- 

 dence than usual on eastern Long Island, 

 their most southern sea-level nesting 

 station, where they are still (August 11) 

 singing freely. As usual, however, the 

 nesting and song season has waned 

 rapidly, and now one may go afield 

 and see very few birds. What becomes 

 of them during the period of molt 

 offers interesting problems; Crackles, for 

 instance, were almost entirely absent 

 during the month of July, the first flock 

 seen again in the beginning of August. 

 Already a few of the migrating land- 



birds arc returning, the first of these, 

 the Tree-Swallow, having been numerous 

 for a couple of weeks. But interest in 

 returning migrants at this time centers 

 about the water-birds, more particularly 

 the shore-birds. This year, at the Long 

 Island south-shore 'meadows,' I identified 

 my first returning Least Sandpiper on 

 July 5; a flock of Lesser Yellowlegs on 

 July 13; two Dowitchers with a large 

 flock of these on July 19; a Greater Yellow- 

 leg on July 20; A Ringneck Plover, two 

 Stilt Sandpipers, and the first Semipal- 

 mated Sandpipers on July 26; Black- 

 breasted Plover on August 3, and Pectoral 

 Sandpipers on August 9. Some of these 

 species are a little earlier, some a little later 

 than usual. In general, the shore-birds are 

 more than usually abundant and repre- 

 sented by a greater variety of species, but, 

 on the other hand, it is surprising that the 

 Jack Curlew has been missed to date, and 

 the Semipalmated Sandpipers were few 

 and late in coming. 



The regularity with which early south- 

 bound shore-birds return is remarkable, 

 though unlike certain of the Culls and 

 Ducks they seem never to leave non-breed- 

 ing individuals behind to spend the summer 

 here. The hypothesis which seems best 

 to explain their movements is that there 

 is a definite turning-point in their year 

 very nearly coincident with the first 

 shortening days, up to which they can suc- 

 cessfully undertake to rear a family in the 

 north, before which they are constantly 

 moving northward towards their often dis- 

 tant breeding-grounds, and at which 

 definite date all birds not involved in family 

 cares turn southward again. Once moving 

 to the south, it is remarkable how quickly 

 they cover the distances and appear in 

 comparatively low latitudes. I remember 

 a Greater Yellowleg, about a dozen Lesser 

 Yellowlegs, as many Least Sandpipers, 

 and a couple of Semipalmated Sandpipers, 

 with Black-necked Stilts in Porto Rico 

 on July 27. 



For a short period in late summer 

 Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers frequent 

 the meadows more than is generally sup- 

 posed, feeding in the same dead patches 



