VO 'i906^ in l Beyer, Allison, Kopman, Birds of Louisiana. 7 



abundantly; while the Barn Swallow is supposed to winter along 

 the coast in small numbers. Other species present very rarely in 

 winter but apparently not by accident, will be considered in this 

 connection in the systematic annotation. 



The coast winter is usually sufficiently mild to attract a large 

 number of the Limicolre. Of the nearly forty species of this order 

 so far recorded from Louisiana, fully half are represented by win- 

 tering individuals. Some of these individuals belong to resident 

 species, as the Willet, the Killdeer, and the Wilson's Plover, while 

 others represent species for the most part transient, such as the 

 Dowitcher and the ' Semipalmated Plover. 



The effect of winter on the Herodiones is much more pronounced 

 than in the case of the Limicolse. The reason is apparent; the 

 congeniality of their summer habitat is affected not only by the 

 mere fact of lower temperatures, but also by the practical defolia- 

 tion of these abodes; for most vegetation is truly dormant, for a 

 short period, in even the Louisiana coast winter. Consequently, 

 a large part of the marsh and swamp habitats of the herons is 

 rendered unfit for their resort; and as their feeding grounds lie 

 among such places rather than on the beaches and mudflats, as 

 in the case of a majority of the Limicolse, their numbers in winter 

 are greatly reduced. In fact, the Louisiana, Little Blue, Snowy, 

 and Green Herons, the Reddish Egret, and apparently the Yellow- 

 crowned Night Heron, are entirely absent in winter, while the 

 numbers of all other species, except the American Bittern, essen- 

 tially a winter visitor, are much diminished. 



There appears to be no time in the Louisiana winter when all 

 individuals of the several species of ducks occurring regularly in 

 the State have been driven from the coast. Even the more south- 

 ern wintering species, such as the Pintail, and even the Blue- 

 winged Teal and others that pass far into the tropics, are usually 

 represented in southern Louisiana to a considerable extent through- 

 out the winter. 



As for the other extreme of winter bird life in southern Lou- 

 isiana, that of species driven south by occasional blizzards reaching 

 to the Gulf Coast, it is not particularly striking. Such species as 

 the Scoters, the Long-tailed Duck, and the Snow Bunting have 

 been brought this far south on several occasions; but with the 



