118 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 71. 



season seems to have retarded first arrivals, from two to six 

 days beyond the average time. A south wind and bright sun- 

 shine on ]\Iay 1-i l^rought a strong influx of birds, nineteen 

 species being seen on that day for the first time this year. It 

 was upon activities connected with nesting that the variant 

 weather appears to have had the greatest influence. Prairie 

 Chickens were heard booming on March 24, and White- 

 rumped Shrikes were courting on the following day. Nests 

 of the latter species were found, one containing one egg on 

 May 2, and another with four eggs on the next day. A 

 Screech Owl on our place laid her first egg on March 27, and 

 her last egg was hatched in the afternoon of April 29. Five 

 eggs of a Crow hatched between the mornings of April 30 

 and May 2. A Meadowlark's nest found early in the last 

 week of April containing four eggs had the first one hatched 

 on May 6. Three Flickers went to roost in our barn on the 

 evening of INIarch 31, which was fifteen days earlier than any 

 previous record, and the first Flicker's egg was laid there on 

 May 5, ten days in advance of the average date. The male 

 Brown Thrasher, that is a summer resident of this place, ar- 

 rived on April 29, but his mate did not join him here until 

 May 6, unless she escaped the close watchfulness of three peo- 

 ple. The pair began nest-building early the next morning and 

 the first egg was deposited on May 13. This is the most ex- 

 peditious settlement to nesting ever observed here. 



Far less fortunate has been the early nesting of some other 

 birds. A Song Sparrow's nest, containing five eggs, found 

 on April 19, was deserted and filled with snow four days later. 

 The snow storms and freezing weather of this period caused 

 a Bluebird to desert her nest in which the first egg was laid 

 on April 14 ; and a few Robins' nests were found with broken 

 eggs in them. 



Kotiojial, loiva. 



