/SSJ.] Merriam. Preliminary Report On Bird Migration. CO 



especial movement in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin. 

 During these days there are records of 'first' all over Northern 

 Illinois and Southern Wisconsin to latitude 43° 16', with a stray 

 one at latitude 44 22' in Wisconsin ; and the State of Minnesota 

 shows records up to latitude 43 43', with an extra advance along 

 the Mississippi River to latitude 44 32'. May 12 should have 

 found them at latitude 46 , and we are furnished the record of 

 its appearance at latitude 45 25' and 46 33' in Minnesota, so 

 that although there are slight variations in speed, as would be 

 expected, the species shows quite a remarkable uniformity in its 

 rate of migration throughout this long distance. There is, how- 

 ever, no trace of the increase of speed from the south northward 

 which was noticed last year ; the highest rate being in the middle 

 districts the first week in May. In the prairie region the records 

 are somewhat late, the birds reaching latitude 39 12' in Kansas 

 April 30, latitude 40 53' in Nebraska May 9, and latitude 44 21 t 

 in Dakota May 22. Farther west, and almost at the extreme 

 limit of its western dispersion, it was observed at Gainesville, 

 Texas, and Ellis, Kansas. 



The full record at St. Louis is : April 26, first, three males at 

 stand, calling. April 2S, bulk of males arrive (the bulk of the 

 species averages in all the notes about four davs behind the first). 

 May 3, first female (the average for females is about seven davs 

 behind the first, and as the arrivals of bulk may be separated 

 into two series, one of about two or three davs in the rear, and 

 the other of seven or eight, it is evident that the first series indi- 

 cates the arrival of the bulk of the males, while the second indi- 

 cates the increase of the species as a whole, caused by the arrival 

 of the females). May 5, bulk of females arrives, and many tran- 

 sients, making this day the height of the season (as has already 

 been stated, this day and the next are the davs of movement for 

 this species, and that, too, apparently over an immense country, 

 stretching from latitude 34 to latitude 44°). May 10, first male 

 of last year; May 11, species very much excited, and tran- 

 sient birds of last year present. May 31, set found of six incu- 

 bated eggs. 



[East of the Mississippi Valley this species was reported from 

 Jessamine County, Kentucky, April iS ; Camden, Ind., April 24; 

 College Hill, O., April 27; Columbus, O., April 2S ; Peters- 

 burg, Mich., April 30; Cleveland, O., and Battle Creek, Mich., 



