No. 123.] DIVISION OF ORNITHOLOGY. 67 



October, 1922. 



The warm weather and southerly winds of the last days of 

 September seemed to delay migration somewhat. October in 

 southern New England was mainly bright and clear with no 

 long storms. The first fifteen days were principally mild or 

 warm. The latter half of the month was cool or cold and 

 w^ndy, with some northerly or northwesterly gales. On the 

 night of October 19 a snowstorm occurred over a large part 

 of Maine. On several nights small ponds in northern New 

 England and some in southern New England were skimmed 

 with ice, thawing again in the sunlight of succeeding days. 

 During the mild weather of the first half of the month there was 

 much bird song, late strawberries ripened in the sun, and here 

 and there a fruit tree began to put forth a few leaves and 

 blossoms. 



Many Cormorants, Kittiwakes and Horned Grebes appeared 

 during the month off the Massachusetts coast. Brants and 

 Geese were rather slow in coming. They appeared in small 

 numbers compared with those of 1921, and few young of either 

 species were seen or taken. This led to the belief that the 

 breeding season in the north was disastrous. Northerly gales 

 during the last part of the month sent along some ducks, 

 among them great flights of the three species of Scoters. A 

 few Barred Owls and Horned Owls appeared from the north. 

 About October 1 a large flight of White-throated Sparrows 

 was reported from western Massachusetts and eastern Middle- 

 sex County, and many Juncos invaded Berkshire County. 



Tremendous Flocks of Crows. — On October 3 tremendous 

 flocks of Crows were seen going south, and about this time 

 large flights of land birds appeared passing through eastern 

 Maine. Many sparrows of various kinds appeared. Two 

 Three-toed Woodpeckers were reported from western New York. 

 Great flights of land birds passed through eastern Maine in 

 the fine weather following October 2. They left that region 

 on the 5th before a storm which threatened on that day and 

 burst on Massachusetts on the 7th and 8th, with a terrific 

 downpour of rain accompanied by thunder and hghtning. 

 During this storm great numbers of birds appeared in Massa- 

 chusetts. There were hundreds of Cedar Waxwings, Myrtle, 

 Parula and BlackpoU Warblers, Kinglets, Creepers and Tree 



