Scott on Birds of Western Missouri. 139 



only does not keep pace relatively with its development in other 

 respects, but appears to become even slightly shorter. Thus aver- 

 age specimens of j^allasi have the tarsi as long as the larger individ- 

 uals of auduboni, while a few of palkisi exceed in length of tarsus 

 any of auduboni. No cause for this appears to suggest itself 



Nor is it easy to understand why a mountain environment, in 

 the case of auduboni, should have resulted in what seems to be 

 a natural enough change, namely, increase of size, while the very 

 reverse is true oi nanus, which is as esseiitially a bird of the moun- 

 tains as its ally. 



It has been remarked before as an apparent exception to a general 

 rule that specimens of auduboni from Mexico, towards the southern 

 limits of its distribution, are no smaller than those from the Northern 

 Rocky Mountains. All the specimens from Mexico that I have 

 been able to find in the Smithsonian collection were taken in winter, 

 and hence it has occurred to me they may not represent the resi- 

 dent type, but may be migrants from more northern localities, and 

 hence not eligible iu a comparison of this kind. A few summer 

 specimens would, of course, settle all doubt. 



NOTES ON BIRDS OBSERVED DURING THE SPRING 

 MIGRATION IN WESTERN MISSOURI. 



BY W. E. D. SCOTT. 



Warrensburg, the point at which the following observations 

 were made, is about sixty miles southeast of Kansas City in Johnson 

 County. The surrounding country is rolling prairie, well watered 

 by several streams. Along these streams the timber is abundant, 

 and frequently forms on either bank forests of considerable extent. 

 The fauna and flora of the region are both Carolinian in their main 

 features, but the change in temperature from severe cold to extreme 

 heat is greater than in New Jersey, being from about — 20° 

 Fahrenheit in winter to +100° in the summei'. The winters, with 

 exceptions of the severe cold snaps which last only one day or more, 

 are much milder than at the point indicated on the Atlantic coast, 

 and the snow-fall is very slight. 



The spring of 1874, when the observations that follow were made. 



