THE ORNITHOLOGICAL YEAR. 13 



The commoner permanent residents of the middle Eastern States 

 are the following : 



Bob- white. Hairy Woodpecker, 



Ruffed Grouse, Flicker, 



Red-shouldered Hawk, Blue Jay, 



Red-tailed Hawk, Crow, 



Sharp-shinned Hawk, Meadowlark, 



Barred Owl, American Goldfinch, 



Long-eared Owl, Purple Finch, 



Screech Owl, Song Sparrow, 



Great Horned Owl, White-breasted Nuthatch, 



Downy Woodpecker, Chickadee, 



and occasionally the Waxwing, Bluebird, and Robin pass the winter. 

 To these should be added the following more or less common winter 

 visitant land-birds : 



Saw-whet Owl, Tree Sparrow, 



Horned Lark, J unco, 



Snowflake, Northern Shrike, 



Lapland Longspur, Winter Wren, 



Redpoll, Golden-crowned Kinglet, 



American Crossbill, Brown Creeper. 

 White-throated Sparrow, 



Let us now begin with the opening of the spring migration and briefly 

 review the ornithological year. In the vicinity of New York city the 

 first birds arrive from the south late in February or early in March. 

 There is much variation in the coming of these early birds. Later, 

 when the weather is more settled, migrants arrive within a few days 

 of a given date. In April most of our winter visitants leave for the 

 north. The current of migration grows steadily stronger until about 

 May 12, when high-water mark is reached. Then it rapidly subsides 

 and the spring migration is practicallyover by June 1. The winter 

 visitants have gone, the great army of transients has passed us, and 

 our bird population is now composed of permanent residents with the 

 addition of about ninety summer residents. 



Nesting-time has arrived, and birds which for nearly a year have 

 been free to go and come as inclination directed, now have homes 

 where, day after day, they may be found in tireless attendance upon 

 the nest and its treasures. Courtship, the construction of a dwelling, 

 the task of incubation, and care of the young, all tend to stimulate the 

 characteristic traits of the bird, and at no other time can its habits 

 be studied to better advantage. 



But resident birds begin building long before the migration is con- 



