Mo nthly Bulletin 7 



Island, on March 22, and one from Athol, Mass., on the 29th. Single chip- 

 ping sparrows were noted at Lansdowne, Pa., March 9, and at Woods Hole 

 and Hudson, Mass.. respectively, on March 28 and 29. This bird wave 

 evidently reached Lewiston, Me., March 20 to 22, and Auburn, Me., March 

 23. Fox sparrows appeared at Bar Harbor on March 20, and a single 

 grackle was reported from McDonald College, Quebec, Canada, March 22. 

 A pair of yellow-bellied sapsuckers were seen at Limenburg, Vt., March 25. 

 The last snow bunting was reported from Ellsworth, Me., on March 31. The 

 first phcebes were seen at Southbridge, Mass., on March 20, and at Buckland, 

 Mass., March 22. First arrivals of this species appeared in different locali- 

 ties in Massachusetts until April 1, and it had reached Bangor, Me., on 

 April 3. 



Another bird wave entered Massachusetts April 2, bringing niunbers of 

 vesper sparrows, field sparrows, a few Savannah sparrows, and in Worcester 

 County, Mass., and the Connecticut Valley a few white-throated sparrows. 

 Pine warblers appeared from the 1st to the 4th. A few kingfishers were 

 seen moving north in Massachusetts. It is interesting to note that the first 

 one reported was seen at Huntington, in Berkshire County, on April 2, and 

 the next two at Woods Hole and Lynn April 3; also that vesper sparrows 

 reached Worcester County, Mass., April 2, but did not appear on Block 

 Island, R. I., until April 4. During the week a wave of juncos, fox spar- 

 rows, robins, song sparrows and bluebirds was reported from points in 

 Maine, with most of the birds in full song. 



All this time homed larks, which wintered on the Atlantic slope, were 

 moving north, and prairie horned larks, which breed here, were coming in. 

 On February 14 the latter had reached Worcester County, Mass. On March 

 12 they were at Bangor, Me., and on April 5 their actions on Block Island 

 indicated that they were nesting, though no nests were found. These very 

 early breeders should be looked for now in open upland fields and pasture- 

 throughout New England. Probably they are less rare than the common 

 belief would indicate. The males are now singing their flight songs. Many 

 bluebirds, robins and song sparrows are mated. On April 9 the first Caro- 

 lina wren was reported from the shores of Buzzards Bay. 



A few rather remarkable occurrences have been noted in regard to 

 migration. On February 4 two tree sparrows came aboard the steamship 

 City of Rome off the Virginia coast, some fifty miles from land. On Feb- 

 ruary 5 a flicker and a myrtle warbler alighted on the ship about forty miles 

 east of Wilmington, N. C. Apparently all were blown out to sea by the 

 strong northwest gale that prevailed during those two days. 



Birds often are driven off shore during their migrations, and probably 

 sometimes, when caught in a cyclonic storm, are carried to sea and landed 

 on shore again far to the northward, having been carried by the wind round 

 a segment of the revolving storm. Possibly some such wind movement may 

 have been responsible for the following recent occurrences: A bird, believed 

 to be a yellow-billed cuckoo, was reported from Chelmsford, Mass.. March 

 25. It was perched upon a treetop giving its usual call. A freshly-killed 

 scarlet tanager was brought in by a cat at Athol, Mass., April 4. The 

 stomach contained remains of decayed apples and barberries, and skins of 

 berries believed to be those of the deadly nightshade. Several reports of 

 the occurrence of this species in April have been received in past years, but 

 not recorded, as no specimen was actually taken. A warbling vireo is re- 



