Where Town and Country Meet 



tial or irregular migrants in various local 

 ities. Here in Massachusetts, for instance, 

 we are growing more and more uncertain, 

 owing to the relaxing severity of our win 

 ters, whether to class certain familiar birds, 

 like robins and yellow-hammers and blue- 

 jays, among the migrants, or not. Cer 

 tainly, an increasing number of such birds 

 now remain with us for the greater part, if 

 not the whole, of every winter ; and we are 

 at a loss to know whether the robin red 

 breast that we see on the 1st of March is 

 the leader of the migratory vanguard, or 

 only a bird neighbor who has remained with 

 us, silent and secluded, all winter. 



However, there is no doubt that the great 

 majority of individuals, as well as of spe 

 cies, among the songsters are still migra 

 tory ; and the main body of this great army 

 does not return to us in the spring until 

 early in May. The first and second weeks 

 in May are the great "home weeks" for the 

 birds. Then it is that the welcome tide of 

 song and bright plumage comes surging 

 back over our North Atlantic States in one 

 mighty wave. It would seem, in some local 

 ities, as if the whole company of birds had 

 58 



