Widmann — A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 265 



The immense stretches of wild rice in the swamps of the south- 

 east offer a safe place for roosts at this time of the year and flocks 

 of many thousands have been seen to assemble there. They 

 are great rovers, leave the roosts at daybreak and do not return 

 before evening, spreading during the day over a large territory 

 in search of food. 



*766. SiALiA siALis (Linn.). Bluebird. 



Sylvia sialis. Ampelis sialis. Sialia wilsonii. 



Geog. Dist.— Eastern United States and southern Canada, 

 north to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, 

 Ontario and Manitoba; west to base of Rocky Mountains. 

 Breeds throughout its range and winters chiefly in the Southern 

 States, though in small numbers from southern New England, 

 Indiana and central Missouri southward. 



In Missouri a common summer resident in all parts of the state 

 from March till October and a fairly common winter resident 

 in the southeast, where it occurs in small troops, which seek 

 the woods for shelter and the fields and clearings for food. Small 

 parties also winter from St. Louis southward, retiring to the 

 bottoms, where they spend the nights in woodpecker holes, 

 often several together in one hole, visiting their summer haunts 

 only in warm weather for a short time on spring-like mornings, 

 but may thus be seen and heard even at Christmas and New 

 Year's time. In mild winters a few have been found wintering 

 in New Haven, Fayette, Glasgow, Warrensburg and even at 

 Laclede in Linn Co. (January 19, 1889, Ong). Migration begins 

 usually between February 15 and 25 and the first reach even the 

 most northern counties in the last days of February or in the 

 first week of March. The transit of parties of north-bound Blue- 

 birds continues until the latter part of March. Our own Blue- 

 birds have by this time taken up their old quarters, finished 

 nests being found as early as March 20, where, if not disturbed, 

 they remain until the last brood is ready to go, about the first 

 of August, when all retire to favorite feeding grounds. Three 

 broods are sometimes made, the first leaving the nest about May 

 12, the second June 24, the third August 1. Migration from the 

 north reaches us about the first of October and in the second 

 and third week of the month Bluebirds are present in flocks of 

 different size, sometimes as many as three hundred together 

 apparently ready to depart for more southern climes. The bulk 



