DO Merriam, Preliminary Report on Bird Migration. [January 



May i ; New Lexington. Pa., April 28; Brooklyn, Pa., May 6; 

 Long Island City, and Sing Sing, N. Y., May 2 ; Lockport, N. 

 Y., May 4; Painted Post, N. Y., May 5; Locust Grove, and 

 Auburn, N. Y. , May 6 ; Watertown, N. Y., May 1 1 ; Lake George, 

 and Hammondville, N. Y., May 13; London, Ont, May S; 

 Hamilton, Ont., May 9 ; Ottawa and Listowel, Ont., May 13 ; 

 Portland, Conn., May 2 ; East Hartford, Conn., May 4; Holy- 

 oke, Mass., May 6; Greenfield, Mass., and Hanover, N. H., 

 May 15; Thetford, Vt., May 10; Waterboro, Fryeburg, and 

 Brewer, Me., May 16; Moosehead Lake, Me., and Montreal, 

 Canada, May 24. The Baltimore Oriole is rather a late comer, 

 usually waiting for settled weather before venturing northward. 

 Hence its progress, being subject to comparatively few interrup- 

 tions, is much more regular than in those species which migrate 

 earlier.— C. H. M.] 



Bird Migration at Sombrero Key, Florida. By C. 

 Hart Merriam, M. D. 



The southernmost station in the United States from which the 

 Committee has received returns is Sombrero Key, one of the 

 Florida Reefs, in latitude 24 37'. The lighthouse stands on iron 

 piles, over a sunken reef, and bears a fixed white light of the first 

 order, which is one hundred and forty-four feet above sea-level, 

 and is visible eighteen miles in clear weather. The keeper, Mr. 

 M. E. Spencer, has taken great pains to supply the Committee 

 with reliable data, and has sent several packages of heads and 

 wings for identification. His report, owing both to the absolute 

 trustworthiness of the data it contains (examples of every species 

 mentioned having been seen by the Chairman), and to the 

 geographical position of the station, may fairly be regarded as 

 the most valuable of the lighthouse returns thus far received. 

 It is given in full below. 



Mr. Spencer states that more birds are killed by striking the 

 iron framework and cylinder of the tower than by striking the 

 lantern, and that the numbers killed must be far greater than 

 found, because they seldom strike except on dark, stormy nights, 

 when the wind naturally carries the greater number into the 

 surrounding water, there being no land on the reef. He also 

 says that many birds are seen fluttering for a few minutes in the 

 rays of the light and then fly away, without striking. 



