482 Cooke, Winter Birds of Oklahoma. [oct. 



height of fall migration was September 20-22, the flocks seeming to start 

 for their night's journey, just before dark. The morning of October 6 a 

 flock was seen which had arrived during the previous night; they were very 

 restless, were not feeding, left during the day, and were the last seen. The 

 next spring they appeared at Caddo, April 11. 



46. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Though of course the King- 

 bird must nest in that general region, none were seen until September 10 

 and then only three birds. Two more were seen the next day and four on 

 September 14. This completes the record for the whole fall. 



47. Sayornis phoebe. PuoiBE. — A rare migrant and still rarer 

 winter resident. None were seen until three birds in migration October 18, 

 paused for a few minutes in town and then hurried on southward. No 

 more were seen in town but a few spent the winter in the heavy timber 

 whence they appeared March 8, March 15, and again March 25. 



48. Otocoris alpestris praticola. Prairie Horned Lark. — The 

 appearance of a large flock October 26, marked the arrival of this species in 

 its winter quarters. They soon became common and remained in fairly 

 constant numbers until the real winter of January when they doubled their 

 former numbers. When the earth was covered February 13 with a half 

 inch of flne frozen sleet, the Horned Larks seemed to' be having a hard time 

 to get a living. The air was full of swiftly flying flocks that ahghting only 

 to start again before the last straggler had fairly touched the ground. ' A 

 decided decrease was noticeable February 18 and two days later not a bird 

 was visible in the fields where they have been common all winter. Others 

 in less numbers soon came to take their places and about March 8 the 

 flocks broke up and the few remaining birds were seen in pairs. 



49. Cyanocitta cristata cristata. Blue Jay.— None were seen 

 until on October 18, a flock of 18 passed over flying south; seen again 

 October 25. No more were noted until the timber along the Blue River 

 was visited November 29; there they were found abundant, in fact they 

 were everywhere and kept up a constant shower of acorns faUing on the 

 dry leaves. At least 150 seen in a three mile walk. At one time when 

 passing through a grove of trees which had no acorns not a Jay was visible. 

 Some of the heavier woods near the smaller streams were visited December 

 25, and no Blue Jays were seen. The part of the woods where they were 

 most abundant on November 29, was visited again January 12, and less 

 than a dozen were seen and scarcely a sound heard. The same conditions 

 were found on a subsequent visit February 23, and much the same when 

 another similar stretch of bottomland was visited March 25. 



50. Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos. Crow. — In early 

 September, the Crows were scattered singly over the country and probably 

 represented the birds that had spent the summer in the vicinity. By 

 September 22, they began to show a decided increase, and then remained 

 constant in numbers for the next month; after that, they decreased until 

 during the coldest part of the winter only a few were seen. 



51. Molothrus ater ater. Cowbird. — Already common by Septem- 



