A New Year Horizon. 113 



have always contended that these tangles would prove retreats 

 for birds not found regularly so far north in winter, and here 

 is corroboration. The weather had been unusually mild, with- 

 out snow to speak of, up to Thanksgiving day, but on that day 

 about two inches of snow fell, with a cold wave, and ever 

 since the ground has been covered with from two to four 

 inches of snow. On several nights the temperature fell below 

 IC, but the thrush seemed to be as robust and contented as could 

 well be. Robins were also seen during the day, and one flock 

 of Pine Grosbeaks. The occurrence of southern species win- 

 tering with northern species seems remarkable. The study of 

 the winter birds, during this winter, promises to be worthy of 

 unusual interest. 



BLACK SKIMMER AT WOODS HOLE, MASS. 



LYNDS JONES. 



The rarity of the Black Skimmer anywhere along the Massa- 

 chusetts coast makes any occurrence worthy of note. Messrs. 

 Howe and Allen, in their "Birds of Massachusetts" give the 

 only Woods Hole record as follows : (page 28) "Falmouth, 

 Woods Holl, a young bird taken August 19, 1879, by John F. 

 Carlton, and now in the collection of the Boston Society of 

 Natural History." I have a record of a bird in full plumage, 

 July 16, 1903, for the Woepecket Islands. The bird appeared 

 soon after my arrival at 8 :30 A. M., and remained near the 

 islands, circling around them several times, and approaching 

 me within a few yards twice. It was so pestered by the terns 

 that it finally flew down Buzzards Bay and disappeared ocean - 

 ward. 



A NEW YEAR HORIZON. 



The editor again calls for New Year Horizons from all lo- 

 calities. We made a good beginning last year, but let us do 

 far better this time. The offer to send free of cost a year's 



