20 Bitllrti)i No. 2j. 



mark was reached on the nth. A reaction to 51° on the morning of the 

 14th was followed by moderate weather until the 27th, when zero tem- 

 perature prevailed for a week. After a slight respite of three or four 

 days, the severest weather of the season overspread the whole country, 

 the temperature ranging from zero to 20° below for ten days, beginning 

 February the 8th, at Oberlin. A marked warm wave during the third 

 week of February was followed by moderate winter weather until the 

 close of the month. 



The snow-storm of the latter part of November was the only consider- 

 able snow until March, and that was gone by the middle of December. 

 At no time, except early in December, was there snow enough on the 

 ground to cause the birds any serious inconvenience. 



Four excursions into the surrounding country were made in each of the 

 thr^e months. In December these were : on the 3d and 17th, half day 

 walks into the woods and fields about Oberlin; and on the 22d and 27th, 

 all day tramps across country to Lake Erie and home in the evening t'ia 

 the electric lines. These netted thirty-two species for December. An 

 account of the work of the 22d may be found in Bulletin No. 24, page 

 4, by Mr. W. L. Dawson. The other trips were made by the writer 

 alone. In January the four trips -3d, 14th, 21st and 30th — were in 

 company with Mr. Dawson, that of the 3d being a who'e day tramp to 

 Chance Creek and back. Only twenty-one species were recorded during 

 this month, with but one species which was not seen in December. In 

 February three half day and one all day tramps resulted in a record of 

 twenty-six species. These were on the 4th, ^^vith Mr. Dawson; nth, all 

 day across country to Lake Erie, alone, with below zero temperature; 

 20th, half day, with Mr. Dawson; 25th, half day. alone. There were 

 nine new records for the year 1899, this month, including Robin, Blue- 

 bird, Meadowlark and Broad-winged Hawk, which were undoubted 

 migrants on the 20th. It may not seem fair to reckon the February 

 migrants in with the strictly winter birds ; but it must be understood 

 that these and others as well, would have been recorded in Novembr>r 

 after the winter actually began, if the record had begun then. It has 

 been found that the calendar winter is a fair average both as to weather 

 and birds. 



In the following list of the birds ol)served during the past winter 

 months, the letter C indicates that the species was common in some place 

 at some time during the winter, and the letters T. C that it was tolerably 

 common. The others were uncommon, rare or casual. 



