2G8 THE NATURALIST OF THE ST. CROIX 



catch most of the young birds as they swim about with 

 the old ones. A few years ago most every flock of ducks 

 or grebes would have from seven to twelve young ; novv^ 

 we hardly ever see more than from one to four : while 

 many species of waders have left us entirely. ' ' Mr. Board- 

 man adds ; "I am sorry Henshaw was sent to so poor 

 a field ; he is such a good collector I should like to have 

 him in a good place. As for Turner I think a person 

 going to Alaska should have something good in the 

 waj' of specimens to interest him." 



On September 9, 1879, Mr. Boardman writes of a 

 strange migration of southern birds at Milltown that he 

 has never known to visit there before. Among them were 

 Black Skimmers a large flock ; Rhjmchops Nigra and 

 Laughing Gulls. Mr. Ridgway writes September 17, 

 1879: "The remarkable influx of southern birds to 

 your New England shores is easy to understand. In 

 the latter part of July and earlj^ part of August Henshaw 

 and I visited Cobb's Island on the eastern shore of 

 Virginia, where all these birds were breeding, and the 

 cannonade we kept up there for ov^er a week no doubt 

 sent 3'ou the birds you rejoice over. So j-ou should 

 thank us for them. Brewster is down there now, and he 

 reports birds of the kind j^ou have with j'ou as extremely 

 scarce." 



Writing to Mr. Ridgway June 12, 1881, Mr. Board- 

 man says : "I have had nothing verj' rare collected for 

 me here the past winter except an Ivory Gull, which 

 was not in very good plumage ; and a Black-necked 

 Stilt, this spring. The}- very seldom come so far north ; 

 I never got but one before. I hope 5'ou had a good time 

 out in Illinois and collected a lot of good things. Last 



