10 Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley, 



rusty blackbirds, etc. The most conspicuous birds of the present time are 

 the yellow-rumps, Peabodys, thrashers, towhees, chippies, cow-birds, grackles, 

 redwings, and meadow-larks. Crows, robins, phcebes, blue birds, shrikes, 

 field-sparrows, and Carolina wrens have nests or are building ; also redbirds 

 and king-fishers. Even chippies and towhees have commenced. 



April 17. Sunday was a cool day, with a strong west wind, but clear, and 

 the wind subsiding in the evening. The night was clear and cool, and Mon- 

 day opened with a light southwest wind, clear, with mercury at 48 dgs. It 

 was a fine, perfect day, not too warm, but it brought only two new species 

 the house-wren and the golden-crowned thrush. 



Last night was a beautiful night, almost perfectly calm, at least in the 

 early morning, smoke going straight up, and not a cloud visible. It was so 

 calm and clear that in deep places a light hoar frost was found, although my 

 thermometer was not below 48 dgs. 



It was a birds' night, and I found quite a number of old friends in the 

 woods this morning; no migrants, but Summers sojourners, at their breeding 

 places, on the same trees as last year ; all old males in high plumage and in 

 fine song. 



April 18. Fair weather continued ; night was warm, hazy, with light 

 south wind. To-day there is a brisk southwest wind, and threatening indi- 

 cations. 



April 19. After a very dark night, and a light rain from 5 to 7 a. m., after 

 which it was cloudy, the afternoon was clear and fine, with cool northwest 

 wind. 



April 20. A clear, cool night, and most beautiful day. Clear and cool, 

 with a brisk southwest wind (had shifted during night). No change in ornis. 

 Much the same birds as on the 18th and 19th, with additional individuals of 

 the same species. 



April. The twenty-first opened cloudy, with strong cool (55 dgs.) north- 

 cast wind, turning at noon to southeast with a light rain ; the afternoon 

 being warm (70 dgs.) and in the evening, as well as twice during the night 

 there were thunder storms, with heavy rains, but wind continues in the south- 

 east, with prospect of jnore rain to-day. 



Birds are moving, and the next few days will reveal a number of new 

 species, and a large increase of such as are now represented by the advance 

 guard only. 



April 29. A cold period, preceded by a series of thunder storms set in dur- 

 ing the twenty-third, and put a check to the movements of birds. In fact, 

 the cold night of the twenty-third chilled all our birds so much that the 

 bright sun of the twenty-fourth could not induce them to their usual song, 

 and everything seemed deserted. The thrasher and chippies, so noisy before, 

 had nothing to say, and even the ubiquitous blackbirds were non est. 



The next day was better, but still cool in the morning, and it took several 

 hours to warm the birds up enough to give a song from time to time. During 

 the twenty-sixth the wind changed slowly from north to south, but the next 

 morning found it back again to north. It is cloudy, and there is not the 

 change in our ornis that I expected. 



Yesterday the wind was southwest to northwest, with dark clouds, and 

 falling temperature. To-day is clear and bright, but cold, with strong north 



