B IRocfcg 



birds during the entire day, but heard two or 

 three others. Those I saw were meadow-larks, 

 bluebirds, robins, chewinks, a cardinal, a pe- 

 wee, many king-birds, vesper- and field-sparrows. 

 All, save the king-birds, were in full song, and this 

 was a surprise, considering the lateness of the sea- 

 son. The meadow-larks were livelier, clearer- 

 voiced, and more melodious, I thought, than any 

 I had ever heard before. Doubtless the clear air 

 had somewhat to do with this. These birds have 

 forsaken the home meadows of late. Why, it is 

 not easy to determine, for the region has not 

 changed, except that weeds are more abundant. 

 It is all pasture-land now, and not cropped for hay. 

 Would this bring such a change about ? For 

 larks that were once so abundant are now quite 

 scarce, and strictly, or nearly so, birds of the up- 

 land fields. Slight are the variations in condition 

 that result in the coming or going of our birds. 

 The usual midsummer drought sends many a spe- 

 cies from one locality to another, for abundant 

 moisture is a prime necessity. Without it, the 

 food supply is largely cut off, and so away go the 

 birds. The summer of 1894 showed this ; areas of 

 many acres in extent were positively birdless, that 

 but for the drought would be crowded from May 

 to October with more than a dozen species. Dur- 

 ing the whole of August of that year I had to 

 content myself with crows and chimney-swifts, 

 and only in the few damp spots in the upland 



