200 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 65. 



height of the warbler migration. This year, however, there 

 were practically no warblers present until the 17tb, when they 

 rushed through in almost a day, hardly pausing en route long 

 enough to feed. The consequence was that many common 

 species were barely noted and others passed through entirely 

 unobserved. This was in striking contrast with the spring 

 previous, which was also a much delayed season, with the dif- 

 ference that the cold weather lasted longer and caught many 

 species which were here with us, preventing them from de- 

 parting and giving us extraordinary opportunities for observing 

 them. One thing I noticed both years. Cold days, after the 

 arrival of the more delicate species, most of the warblers were 

 found feeding on the ground, and in the open fields bordering 

 on their usual woodland haunts. Most likely the caterpillars, 

 worms, and flies forming the staple articles of their food sup- 

 ply, were numbed with the cold, and had lost their hold upon 

 the branches of the trees, and had fallen to the ground. 



The summer was neither very hot nor very cool, but it was 

 very dry. June and July received but half their normal pre- 

 cipitation. The first half of August received its share of rain, 

 but beginning the 19th, the longest dry spell set in that has 

 been known in this section since the establishment of the me- 

 terological records, thirty-eight years ago. From then on no 

 rain fell until September 28, when a little over half an inch 

 fell, just sufficient to lay the dust for a day or so. During 

 October we had a total of 1.49 inches instead of 2.36, which 

 was our due. The effect was interesting if not pleasant. Many 

 crops ripened before they were well filled out, and trees and 

 shrubs went into their winter hibernation some weeks earlier 

 than usual. The maples and other brilliantly colored fall 

 leaves simply turned yellow and fell to the ground with little 

 if any display of color, and the last of September the woods 

 had assumed almost the appearance of late October. Certain 

 insect life was profoundly affected ; notably the genus Cato- 

 cala, the Underwing Moths. It was supposed that they were 

 unable to work their way up through the baked ground and 

 issue from their chrysalid state. Through the first of August, 

 while we had rain, they were unusualh- abundant for that 



