366 



Bird - Lore 



bcr 20; Wliito-lliioaU-d S[)arro\v, Sci)teni- 

 ber 24; Junco, October i; Winter Wren, 

 October 4; Brown Creeper, October 3; 

 Golden-crowned Kinglet, October 8. — 

 Julian K. Potter, Camden, N. J . 



W^\SHI^■(•.T()^• Region. — August and 

 September of iqiq were very satisfactory 

 ornithological months about Washington. 

 Birds were reasonably numerous and their 

 migratory movements about normal. Fair 

 weather of moderate temperature pre- 

 vailed during most of this period, and, of 

 course, had its influence. 



The song period of a number of our sum- 

 mer residents was unusually prolonged, or, 

 rather, was revived in the autumn of this 

 year, as is indicated by the singing of the 

 Wood Thrush on August 15; of the Red- 

 start on August 27; of the Parula Warbler 

 on September 6, 7, and 27; of the Yellow- 

 throated Vireo on August 31 and Septem- 

 ber 7; of the Song Sparrow on September 

 13 and 28, and October 5; of the Migrant 

 Shrike, Blue-headed Vireo, and Indigo 

 Bunting, all on October 5. 



A remarkably late nest of the Grass- 

 hopper Sparrow is also worthy of mention, 

 though it may have been built because of 

 the loss of an earlier brood. It was found 

 by Mr. Francis Harper at Woodridge, D.C., 

 on Sept. 2, 1Q19, and contained young, 

 several days old. 



On September 6, and extending through 

 two or three following days, occurred the 

 first pronounced wave of autumn migra- 

 tion, bringing a large contingent of War- 

 blers and other birds. An additional wave 

 occurred about September 21, which is 

 usual, and many birds, such as Warblers 

 and Thrushes, then thronged the woods. 

 Later on, about the last of September, still 

 another but less-marked movement took 

 place, this bringing with it more winter 

 residents. 



As with practicalh' all seasons, however, 

 there were fluctuations in dates of ap- 

 pearance or departure of some species as 

 compared with other years. For e.xample, 

 the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker appeared on 

 September 13, while its average date is 

 October 2, and its very earliest, September 



ID, igo.v Mr. Francis Harjier rejjortcd the 

 White-throated Sparrow on September 21 

 (average date of autumn appearance, 

 October 3); the Ruby-crowned Kinglet on 

 the same date (average, October 2); and 

 the Slate-colored Junco on September 28 

 (average, October 7). A Philadelphia 

 Vireo found by Dr. A. K. Fisher at Plum- 

 mer's Island, Md., on Sept. 7, 1919, is the 

 earliest autumn date for the species, the 

 previous record being Sept. 8, 1896. 



On the other hand, several birds ex- 

 tended their summer sojourn beyond the 

 usual time, such as the Kingbird, which was 

 noted by Mr. A. Wetmore on September 14, 

 whereas its average date of departure is 

 August 31; and the Acadian Flycatcher, 

 observ'ed September 12, average date of 

 departure, September 8. 



The following five species remained later 

 than ever before, the dates in parenthesis 

 indicating their previous latest records: 

 Baltimore Oriole, noted at Woodridge, 

 D. C, by Mr. Francis Harper, Sept. 14, 

 1919 (Sept. 7, 1918); Orchard Oriole, re- 

 ported at the same place by the same ob- 

 server, Sept. 14, 1919 (Sept. 9, 191 7); 

 Western Sandpiper, two individuals shot 

 by hunters on the Anacostia River, Sept. 

 25, 1919 (Sept. •2'2, 1894); Upland Plover, 

 observed at Plummer's Island, Md., by 

 Mr. .\. Wetmore, Sept. 26, 1919 (Sept. 13, 

 1914); and the Louisiana Water-Thrush, 

 noted at Chain Bridge, D. C, by Miss 

 Marion Pellew on Sept. 30, 1919 (Sept. 

 20, 1914). 



.\ccording to Miss Pellew's observations, 

 the Martin roost on Fourth Street, in the 

 Mall, reached its maximum during the 

 first week of August. The number of birds 

 resorting there each evening was 25,000 

 or 30,000, possibly more, thus indicating 

 that the birds were fully as numerous as 

 last year. Their behavior in this location 

 was, of course, somewhat different from 

 that of last year's roost near the Red Cross 

 building, since they lacked the large num- 

 ber of near-by telegraph wires on which to 

 perch; but otherwise their actions were 

 much the same. On August 3 they changed 

 their nightly abode from the trees on one 

 side of Fourth Street to those on the other, 



