Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley. 31 



hundred, with a few white-crowns, in a patch of thick brush. May 4 About 

 same number, but more scattered, and in several new places. May 5 

 Height of the season ; everywhere, in quite large flocks and small parties. 

 Two hundred and fifty were seen in a five-mile walk ; not very many white- 

 crowns among them. May 6 Bulk departed. Only about one-tenth of 

 yesterday's birds remain. By the 7th many more had left. In the three 

 places where they had been most common only one bird was found, but a 

 flock of eighteen or twenty was seen in a new place. May 12 Two were 

 seen, and on the 14th the last one. 



Tree Sparrow (8. Montana). St. Louis. Winter visitant. These hold second 

 place in numerical strength of Winter birds. During January and February 

 they rather increased, but during the week ending with February 24 they 

 somewhat diminished, probably by the withdrawal of the reinforcement 

 which came the first of the month. In sunny places ttiey begin to be musical 

 about this date. On March 2 they were in very large flocks, especially in the 

 lowlands on the Illinois side of the river ; greatly outnumbering there the snow- 

 birds, which are the more numerous on this side. March 11. Have thinned 

 out considerably. March 14. Were found in several places, but not nu- 

 merous. March 17. Still with us, but few in numbers. April 7. Last one 

 seen. Jefferson. A few are Winter visitants, but much the larger portion are 

 transients. On March 24, first saw a flock of fifteen, which remained for 

 nearly a month. On April 4 the bulk of the species were here, and on the 

 12th was the height of the season ; about one hundred and fifty seen. Only 

 two days later (the 14th) but four birds were found in a long walk. April 

 21. One flock of ten or twelve was found in a thicket; none at the brush 

 piles, where I have found them all the Spring. These were the last I saw. 



Chipping Sparrow (S. dornestica). St. Louis. Summer sojourner. First 

 seen on April 4. Bulk of the species here on April 9, and by the 15th they 

 had commenced building. Jefferson. Summer sojourner. On April 11 first 

 saw six single males. April 12. A few more came. Transients left about 

 April 16, but another wave came on May 3, which made them again numerous. 



Clay-colored Sparrow (S.pallida). Seen neither at St. Louis for Jefferson. 



Field Sparrow (8. pusilla). St. Louis Summer sojourner. On March 13 

 first saw one male, in song, at the same place at which I found the first bird 

 last year, twelve days earlier, on March 1. March 16. Several old acquaint- 

 ances have returned, and are sitting on the same trees as in former years. 

 They are full of praise, if song means praise. March 17. A few more the 

 bulk of the species. March 30. The height of the migration. Jefferson. Sum- 

 mer sojourner. First seen by me on April 25, but they probably came some 

 time before. May 10. Seen for the second time; seems to be quite uncom- 

 mon about here. 



Black Snowbird (/. hyemalis). St. Louis Winter visitant. Met with every- 

 where ; it is the most numerous of our Winter birds. They increased during 

 January and the first part of February, and then in the latter part of the same 

 month the new arrivals seemed to leave us again. March 11 Are decidedly 

 less numerous, and what is more important, they are much less conspicuous 

 than during the last month. They keep silent, and on the ground, even 

 daring the warm hours, and on disturbing them I was surprised at the large 

 proportion of light-colored individuals among them. Judging from this and 



