Sherman — Xotks From Mississippi X'alley 157 



the first Cardinal to visit that place. This is corroborated 

 by otlier old time residents. The village of McGregor is sit- 

 uated on the ])anks of the Mississippi River, six miles north 

 of the s])ot where I found the pair in April, 1908. 



There are (ither instances of the northern advance of this 

 species in this locality. In Wisconsin, almost due east from 

 .McCiregor. lie the villages of lUue River and Boscobel on the 

 banks of the Wisconsin River. In the former place a pair 

 of Cardinals sjient last winter, (the first of the species ever 

 seen in that region, ) and in the latter place about the middle 

 of March a male Cardinal was seen by my informant, who 

 has known the species in the south. All of these places are 

 north of latitude 43 degrees and their winter temperature is 

 considerably colder than that of Boston in whose neighborhood 

 the advent of the Cardinal has awakened much interest. 



A Wrt Acre. — May .") was a day of unusual interest. At 

 11 :00 a. m. the temperature was 82 degrees in the shade, and 

 there lay in sight the remnant of a snow-bank, the last of our 

 A Fay-day snow storm. Migrating birds came in large num- 

 bers. Just beyond the edge of our back lots lies a wet meadow, 

 scarcely- an acre in extent. Here on that day, partly screened 

 liy a fence, one could see at one time two Wilson I'halaropes, 

 four Least Sandpipers, one (Ireater Yellow-legs, twenty-two 

 Yellow-legs, tliree Killdeers, and one Golden Plover, all dis- 

 tant less than ten rods, while a little outside of this limit was 

 a flock of Blackbirds numbering upwards of a hundred ; they 

 were mostly Red-wings with a few Rusty Blackbirds and 

 lironzed Crackles. Near the Blackbirds were seen a Savan- 

 na Sparrow and a Prairie Long-billed Marsh Wren. Follow- 

 ing day brought to this small area, the Rails, Virginia and 

 Sora, Solitary Sandpipers and a Florida Gallinule. The 

 ( lallinule was cripi)led in one foot, a like misfortune had be- 

 fallen a Yellows-legs that remained here several days as did 

 the ( iallinule. The Wilson I'halaropes ai:)peared to be mates, 

 aufl one of them had an injured leg. They were in the neigh- 

 borhood six days. Their Hglit plumage was so conspicuous 



