474 Cooks, Winter Birds of Oklahoma. [qS^ 



widened as the stream enlarged until it became a bottomland of 

 tall fine hardwood timber. Such a bottomland existed six miles 

 south of Caddo along the Blue River and many of the observations 

 here recorded were made in this timbered area. It had never been 

 lumbered and the few enormous black walnut logs that had been 

 marketed — logs so large that twelve yoke of oxen were required 

 to haul a single log — had made no impression on the tract as a 

 whole. In fact the conditions, so far as land birds were concerned, 

 were the same as though the country had never been settled — 

 making it all the more desirable that bird notes made at that time 

 should be published for comparison with conditions as they exist 

 today. 



The writer reached Caddo August 27, 1883 and left there April 8, 

 1884. Although bird observations were a side issue, yet close 

 watch was kept of the ever shifting bird population, several hun- 

 dred birds were collected for purposes of identification, while a bird 

 diary extending over more than eighty foolscap pages serves as the 

 basis for the following notes. 



Migrating birds were present during the first week of September; 

 Barn Swallows and Nighthawks passed each evening and September 

 10, Tree and Cliff Swallows with Cowbirds were common in 

 migration. Other duties prevented a visit to the heavy timber of 

 the bottomland during the whole of the fall and the notes to the end 

 of November pertain to a strictly prairie country, but it seems prob- 

 able that September 14-21 was the height of the fall migration of 

 warblers. September 15, first rain, ending a dry spell that had 

 lasted since the middle of June; September 21, first ducks of the 

 season — a flock of Mallards. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Swallows, 

 and Nighthawks continued to drift by the last ten days of Septem- 

 ber and disappeared early in October. INIeanwhile Cowbirds and 

 Mourning Doves had gradually increased until by October 10, the 

 former were in flocks of 100-150 birds, and the latter were at least 

 five times their September numbers. On this last date the first 

 flock of Canada Geese appeared and flocks of Flickers began to 

 pass in migration. October 15, first large flock of Meadowlarks, 

 about 150, drifting southeast; October 26, first flock of Horned 

 Larks; November 3, first flock of Robins. 



By November 6 the Brewer's Blackbirds and Purple Crackles 



