100 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the wind changed to the south with rising temperature. On 

 that morning hundreds of Bank Swallows, Tree Swallows and 

 at least one Barn Swallow came up from the sea going north 

 over Block Island toward the mainland. There was a great 

 flight of Sapsuckers during the month. 



November, 1921. 



Weather changes were frequent during the first half of 

 November, but in southern New England and southern New 

 York the weather was generally mild. There were some cold 

 nights and stormy days in northern Maine, and in parts of the 

 Provinces cold waves and snowstorms were reported. Appar- 

 ently winter began early in the North. There was a cold night 

 on November 6, and a great southward movement of birds of 

 the northern regions occurred that week. 



Extreme Cold in the North. — The St. John River in New 

 Brunswick was reported closed to navigation on November 15, 

 one of the earliest dates on record. Deep snow had fallen in 

 many regions. The latter half of the month was somewhat 

 unsettled in southern New England, with some stormy weather 

 during the last week. The 19th and 20th, however, were very 

 warm Indian summer days, when buds began to develop, and a 

 few days later some small green pears just beginning to grow 

 were plucked from a tree in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. 



A Destructive Ice Storm. — On the 24th in some places, and 

 on the 25th in others, a storm of rain with intermittent gales 

 began which continued until the night of the 30th. In north- 

 ern New England this storm came principally in the form of 

 hail or snow; in southern New England it was rain, snow, 

 hail and sleet. The freezing rain coated heavily with ice the 

 trees in a wide belt from southern and central New England 

 to central New York. The ice storm, together with the wind, 

 ruined a large number of trees throughout much of this region, 

 covered everything with ice so that the birds could get no food, 

 and drove many of them southward. This was the greatest 

 ice storm on record in recent times. It broke down poles and 

 wires; stopped and delayed trains; put trolley and electric 

 light companies out of business for a time; and weighted down 

 with ice many migrating birds. 



