THE BIRDS OF WAYNE COUNTY. 249 



numerous apple orchards and grass fields leave nothing to be desired by 

 those birds which are accustomed to make such places their summer 

 abodes. The forest areas consist often of heavy timber, many of the trees 

 being from thiee to five feet in basal diameter, but from some of the 

 woodland the larger trees have been removed, leaving only the smaller 

 growth. The underbrush in these upland woods is rarely dense, and is 

 often practically wanting. The trees are almost exclusively deciduous, 

 the only conifers of consequence being the hemlock (Tsuga Catiadensis), 

 which occurs in a few localities on high banks along streams; and the red 

 cedar (Juniperus Virginiana}, scattered individuals of which are found in 

 some parts of the County. The characteristic deciduous trees are : white 

 oak (Quercus alba), red oak (Quercus rubra*), black oak (Quercus velutina), 

 pin oak (Quercus palustris), shell-bark hickory (Hicoria ovata), pig-nut 

 hickory (Hicoria glabra), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), beech (Fagus 

 atropunicea), basswood (Tilia Americana), chestnut (Castanea dentata), tulip 

 tree (Liriodendrcn Tulipifera), with an occasional cucumber tree (Magnolia 

 acuminata.) 



With respect to climate this region presents few peculiarities. The 

 temperature ranges from 20 degrees below to 99 degrees above zero Fahren- 

 heit, though both these extremes are exceptional. Heavy frosts are not 

 generally prevailent before October, and the severe cold weather usually 

 occurs during the latter part of December and in January. The influence 

 of winter, however, often extends far into the spring, and frosts in May 

 are not infrequent. The fall of gnow is not heavy; the greatest rainfall, 

 as a rule, occurring in the spring months. This is usually succeeded 

 either in the summer or early fall by a season of drought, which is some- 

 times of considerable duration. Severe thunder-showers are not uncom- 

 mon, being most frequent during June and the first part of July. The 

 average annual precipitation at Wposter, for the seven years previous to 

 1894, was 40.11 inches; the average annual temperature for the same 

 period being 49.3 degrees Fahrenheit. 



Faunally considered this locality is almost purely Carolinian, with a 

 very slight infusion of forms of somewhat more northern affinities as 

 Habia ludoviciana, Piranga erythromelas and Parus alricapillus, which are 

 all common during the breeding season. With these occur such charac- 

 teristic Carolinian species as Empidonax virescens, Icterus spurius, Spizeila 

 pusilla, Cardinaliscardinalis, Stelgidopteryxserripennis, Helminthophila pinus, 

 Seiurus motacilla, Icteria virens and Thryothorus ludovicianus. 



During both seasons of migration, but more particularly in the spring, 

 species, as well as to a less extent individuals, are remarkably numerous, 

 following in their movements what appears to be a natural highway along 

 the courses of the streams, which it will be noticed form the headwaters 



