68 NEW YORK STATIC Ml'SEUM 



The sequence of species is nearly the same each season. The Bkic- 

 l)ird, Robin, Song sparrow and Redwing are among the earhest arrivals. 

 Late in March, or early in April, the Phoebe, Kingfisher, Purple finch and 

 A^csper sparrow; by the third week in April, the Martin, Barn swallow 

 and Spotted sandpiper are probably here. Early in May comes the great 

 wave bringing the Oriole, Bobolink, Catbird, Kingbird and all the warblers, 

 flycatchers and vireos, the latest among which will probably be the Wood 

 l^ewee and the Mourning and Black-poll warblers. The males of each species 

 usually precede the females by several days, as is noticeable in the case 

 of the Oriole, Sapsucker, Bobolink and Red-winged blackbird. Some have 

 supposed that the first individuals of each species to arrive are those which 

 are destined to travel farthest north. This may be true in the case of some 

 species, but in most cases the first to arrive are the individuals whose home 

 is at the station, while the last of all to arrive are those going farthest 

 north. In the vicinit}- of Rochester it is a common thing to see robins, 

 Blue jays and Red-tailed hawks migrating along the shores of Lake Ontario, 

 evidently en route for the far north at a time when individuals of the same 

 species at Rochester have nests and eggs and sometimes \-oung. 



During migration birds follow, to some extent, the seashore, lake shore 

 and river valleys, as natural highways of travel. The principal routes across 

 New York State are along the coast, and uji the Hudson -Champlain valley, 

 and along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Lesser ones enter 

 the State up the Delaware, Susquehanna and Alleghanv valleys. 

 These routes are based chiefly on three classes of observations. The 

 most obvious of these is the direction taken by da>- migrants which are 

 seen to pass in considerable numbers over the countr\' in the courses indi- 

 cated. The writer has frequently seen dozens of hawks, hundreds of 

 ■swallows, and thousands of blackbirds during the spring migration passing 

 along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in the course of a single hour, 

 all traveling toward the east. Ducks and blackbirds are especially prone to 

 follow the river courses and their movements point out the passage from 

 one valley to the next. Great caution must be used, however, not to confuse 



