The Season 



359 



with the Robins and Cedar-birds, eating 

 the wild black cherries. 



Bluebirds are in fair numbers and seem 

 to have brought their broods through well. 

 Chipping Sparrows appear more abundant 

 than usual and in August are seen in flocks 

 of old and young, with the Bluebirds, in 

 pastures and fields or along the roadsides. 



Apparently more Herring Gulls than 

 usual have been seen on the waters of the 

 Back Bay Basin this summer. In previous 

 years one or two have drifted in to rest on 

 its quiet surface after summer storms, but 

 this season few days have passed when 

 from one to half a dozen might not be 

 seen swinging in or out again to the harbor. 

 Many of them, as was true of numbers 

 seen on the coast at Essex in late August, 

 seemed immature birds. 



The fall migration of Warblers has 

 already started at this writing (August 27) 

 in normal fashion. On the coast multi- 

 tudes of White-bellied Swallows are notice- 

 able. The continuous fair weather should 

 be favorable for their safe passage south. 

 — Glover M. Allen, Boston, Mass. 



New York Region. — After a cold spell 

 in April, the spring and summer came on 

 gradually and steadily until June. June 

 and July were cool and backward, there 

 being little hot summer weather until 

 about August i. 



Summer resident birds arrived on time 

 and were present in about their usual num- 

 bers. Every year more Laughing Gulls 

 summer in this vicinity. July 6 and 7 of 

 this year a flock of about fifty were noted 

 at Mt. Sinai, L. I. 



Waves of spring transients. Warblers, 

 etc., were notably absent. Two hypotheses 

 have been advanced in explanation: That 

 these birds are actually decreased in num- 

 ber, or that there were lacking warm waves 

 to stimulate the rapid advance of the mi- 

 grants and cold waves to hold them up in 

 this latitude. 



The most notable bird phenomenon in 

 this vicinity was the abundance and late- 

 ness of north-bound shore-birds, several 

 species lingering through June, the last of 

 this spring flight being a single King-neck 



Plover at Long Beach on July 3 (E. P. 

 Bicknell). As the Least Sandpiper had 

 returned there from the North on that 

 same date (about its usual time of arrival), 

 north- and south-bound birds actually met 

 in this latitude. It is assumed that the 

 Ring-neck of July 3 was a straggler from 

 the northward flight, as that species had 

 been present through the month of June. 

 It would be interesting to know whether 

 this individual continued northward until 

 it met members of its own species return- 

 ing, remained in this vicinity until they 

 arrived, or turned southward at this point 

 with Least Sandpipers and other birds 

 with which Ring-necks associate. The 

 late summer occurrence of young Little 

 Blue Herons on Long Island is greater 

 than that of last year (a flock of eight 

 observed at Mastic, 60 or 70 miles east, 

 August 3), but there have been fewer 

 American Egrets reported from near New 

 York. — ^JoHN T. Nichols, New York, N. V. 



Philadelphia Region. — June and July 

 averaged about normal as to weather con- 

 ditions. On June 14 a severe thunderstorm 

 occurred, accompanied by hail, yet in spite 

 of this occurrence several nests which I had 

 been watching were unharmed. A mother 

 Killdeer must have endured a severe pelt- 

 ing but apparently with no ill effect to her 

 eggs, which all hatched, or to herself. 



Purple Crackles, mostly immature birds, 

 were first noticed flocking in considerable 

 numbers June 8. 



On June 16 a small Night Heron colony 

 near the city, containing sixteen nests, was 

 visited. That they had done very well 

 was shown by the fact that twenty-eight 

 young were counted perched about near the 

 nests. Some flew away at my approach. 

 Only one dead youngster was discovered, 

 probably having fallen from the nest. 



July produced few interesting features. 

 Bank Swallows first appeared flying over 

 the marshes in conspicuous numbers 

 July 8. 



The abundance of Nighthawks flying 

 about the city this summer is worthy of 

 mention. Their harsh cries could be heard 

 in almost any part of the city from twi- 



