Notes from Field and Study 



451 



amount of clams that are consumed by a 

 flock of Gulls. While the bridge has been 

 in existence two or three winters, they 

 have found out its possibilities only this 

 year. They have been observed to drop 

 the clams from a height insufficient to 

 break them. They pounce upon the clam 

 and deliberately fly higher, evidently 

 realizing why it did not break the first 

 time. They have been known to do this 

 on the ice and on hard beaches, but I 



theless, during the past winter I had the 

 pleasure of observing them on so many 

 occasions as to warrant their stay as 

 a certainty. 



Possibly a few lines on the climatic con- 

 ditions of the winter would not be amiss. 

 The early part of the winter was mild and 

 warm. No cold weather of any amount 

 was experienced until the middle of 

 January, at which time the creeks were 

 frozen hard enough to permit skating. 



WHERE GULLS FEAST 



believe this is the first time they have 

 ever discovered the use to which a bridge 

 can be put. — R. F. Engle, Beach Haven, 

 N. J., May 12, 1915. 



The Killdeer, a Winter Resident in 

 Dorchester Co., Md., 1913-14 



During the winter of 1913-14, the 

 Killdeer was a resident in this locality. 

 Usually for a period of two months, the 

 Killdeer makes a migration occupying 

 the latter part of December, January, 

 and the greater part of February, Never- 



The remainder of January and the early 

 part of February was followed by inter- 

 mediate spells of freezing and thawing, 

 but practically devoid of snow. However, 

 on the 13th, real winter set in. First 

 came snow, turning to jrain making a 

 slush, then freezing and snowing again. 

 These conditions prevailed for five days, 

 making a veritable barrier from, the earth. 

 On the 1 8th it moderated, and we had 

 more agreeable weather until March 11. 

 On this date we had what was the deepest 

 snow of the season, six inches falling in 

 ten hours. This snow lasted until the 13th, 



