M o nthly B ull etin 7 



in New England. A few mourning doves wintered on the Massachusetts 

 coast, but their numbers grew steadily less, thinned by frost and foes, until 

 they disappeared. Some rough-legged hawks and red-shouldered hawks have 

 wintered in Southern New England. Two Hoyt's horned larks were re- 

 ported from Gloucester, Mass., early in February. A belated letter records 

 22 Bohemian waxwings near Providence, R. I., in January — the second 

 record of this species for the winter. In addition to the report of a brown 

 thrasher wintering in Worcester County, Mass., two more are noted, one in 

 Rhode Island, the other in Connecticut. One catbird is reported from Cape 

 Cod in February, and a single fox sparrow wintered near Boston. A short- 

 eared owl was reported near Squantum, Mass., March 9, and a Canada jay 

 was noted in Worcester County in February. 



A cardinal grosbeak began singing near Washington, D. C, on Feb- 

 ruary 11, and on the 15th the bluebird, chickadee and tufted titmouse gave 

 their spring song. The return of the smaller winter birds northward began 

 about the last week in February. During February the tree sparrows and 

 juncos increased locally in southern New England, and white-breasted nut- 

 hatches arrived in places where they had not been noted before since No- 

 vember or December. A flock of cowbirds in full song was seen on Long 

 Island, N. Y., February 18, and one was recorded at Mattapoisett, Mass.. 

 bn the 24th. A killdeer was seen at Block Island, R. I., February 22; 

 prairie horned larks were singing their spring songs there February 28. 

 and their flight songs in Massachusetts March 5. Tree sparrows sang in 

 Massachusetts February 20, and in Maine February 23. A female red- 

 winged blackbird was noted on Long Island, N. Y., February 24. Purple 

 finches were in full song on Cape Cod March 5. Song sparrows, swamp 

 sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, grackles and bluebirds all reached Massa- 

 chusetts in small numbers before March 1. Crows have returned from the 

 coast and river valleys to the higher lands in central Massachusetts. Fox 

 sparrows may be looked for next. 



All the wild fowl are now on their northward way. A single Kumlien's 

 gull was reported from Gloucester, Mass., in February. Iceland, glaucous, 

 ring-billed and black-backed gulls are moving up the coast. Goshawks, 

 that extended their winter movements as far south at least as Pennsylvania, 

 great horned owls and all the rapacious birds driven south by food scarcity 

 in the frozen north soon will be moving back, taking their toll of animal 

 life as they go. Six very pale owls taken in northern New England seem 

 to include in their numbers both Arctic and western horned owls. Barn 

 owls are reported on Cape Cod and in southwestern Connecticut. The 

 movement of birds from South America, Central America and the Antilles 

 has begun, and soon the flood-tide of bird life will be flowing up the Atlantic 

 seaboard toward New England. E. H. Forbush, State Ornithologist. 



