Taverner and Swales — On Point Pelee Birds. 115 



20G. *Siali(i s/f/7/s.— Bluebird. 



May 13-14, 1905, the Bluebird, though common on the main-land, 

 was not seen on the Point at all. May 21, the following year, but 

 few were noted. March 9-10, 1907, however, they were already pres- 

 ent in considerable numbers, though they had not as yet put in an 

 appearance at Detroit, from whence we came. May 31, 1907, we 

 saw but one on the Point. In early fall our experience has invaria- 

 bly been the same — Bluebirds scarce, rare, or absent on the Point 

 proper, while common on the adjoining main-land. October 29, 

 1905, however, they were there in numbers amply sufficient to make 

 up for deficiencies at other times. The,y were spread all over the 

 end of the Point, and in along the eastern shore, as far as the cot- 

 ton-wood trees extended. Here numbers were feeding on the bare 

 sand with the Prairie Horned Larks. It was in the waste clear- 

 ings beyond Gardner's place, however, that the greatest numbers 

 were found. Here they were in flocks almost as dense as black- 

 birds. When flushed from the ground they generally flew to some of 

 the numei'ous clumps of bushes growing here and there in the open 

 and, when they lit and were viewed from a little distance, they 

 were in sufficient numbers to give to the whole bush a decidedly 

 blueish cast. We are informed by several witnesses that the win- 

 ter of 1906-7 they wintered on the Point in some numbers and 

 through the winter of 1907-8, Gardner wrote us several times of the 

 presence of about six individuals in the neighborhood of his place. 

 We have never known the species to winter with us about Detroit. 



Supplementary List. 



Species added to list since publication of the foregoing 

 pages. 



207. *Vria lomvia. — Briinnich's Murre. 



The occurrence of this species upon the Great Lakes constitute 

 almost as great a problem as that of the great migratory irruption 

 of the Sand Grouse in Europe. Normally of a purely Arctic habitat,- 

 its most southern breeding ground being Cape Wolstenholme, at 

 the entrance to Hudson Bay, it has at irregular intervals in the late 

 fall appeared on our inland lakes in great numbers. The first 

 record flight occurred in the winter of 1893-4. Since then the last 

 of November and flrst of December has seen greater or less numbers 

 of them nearly every year on the lower lakes. The interesting part 

 of it is that of all that so reach us none seem to survive more than 

 a week or so. Once out of their northern waters they all seem to 

 starve to death and are picked up on the shores in all stages of 

 emaciation. We have various records of the species on the Detroit 

 River from the great flight of 1896, and undoubtedly at that time 



