50 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-No. 4 



1 



shows the reason for tliis. Although the warm 

 wave was felt for several liundrcd miles north of 

 St. Louis, yet its power was not sufficient to pro- 

 duce any marked thaw or breaking up of the 

 streams. Indeed even in tlie latitude of St. Louis, 

 DO marked effect was noticed except in the low- 

 lands. Stations in the vicinity of St. Louis and 

 only thirty or forty miles farther north, felt no in- 

 fluence from it, and tlie same is true if we go far 

 enough west. In Kansas there was no movement 

 of birds. At Manhattan, 39i2, though in the 

 same latitude as St. Louis, there was no migra- 

 tion; the Signal Service reports show that the 

 nights were cold and Winter reigned until a 

 month later. An apparently accidental move- 

 ment is reported from Unadilla, Neb. , 4063, where 

 Geese arrived January 31st, and Ducks February 

 2d, l)ut there is a possibility that tliese came from 

 the north, as on January 11th, both Ducks and 

 Geese were reported from Vermillion, Dak., 4266, 

 where they had never before been seen in Winter. 

 A single Robin and some Bluebirds arc reported 

 from Carlinville, 111., 39W, with the statement 

 that no more were seen for two weeks. 



Tlie second wave began at St. Louis the night of 

 February 18th, and was cut short on the 19th by a 

 fierce snow storm from the northwest. It brought 

 the hosts of the Frinffillidae, but appeal's to have 

 been local. There is no report from other sta- 

 tions of any record whatever on these dates. To 

 be sure, we have a few records as follows, of ap- 

 parently irregular occurrences: a single Bluebird 

 at Newton, la., 41-'2, none afterwards for three 

 weeks; a few Canada Gee.se at Osceola, 111., 41i<', 

 on February 20th, and a few Ducks and Geese at 

 Linwood, Neb., 412-, between February 20th and 

 25th. The weather reports sliow that this warm 

 atmospheric wave was felt even beyond latitude 

 41°, but such cold weather had preceded it that it 

 could not break the bands of Winter and produce 

 a condition of affairs that should invite the birds 

 to farther migration. A third wave was felt at 

 St. Louis on Februarj' 25th and 26th, but it was 

 of too short duration to effect much of anything. 

 Up to March 1st, Winter reigned supreme over all 

 the land north of latitude 40°, and from Feliruaiy 

 27th to March 9th, its icy fingers again closed 

 around St. Louis, driving all the Ducks south on 

 March 2d, and bringing on a ".second Winter." 



The next period has in the record been marked 

 " Indeterminate." It is neither a standstill nor a 

 period of great movement. It extends from 

 March 9th, when the second Winter was ended 

 by a .south wind, to March 16th. During this 

 time there was a continual, though slight, north- 

 ward movement at St. Louis, and much iiKnc- 



ment in the region just north of it. and what was 

 of more importance, there was a general advance 

 of the line of open water inviting a forward 

 march, and preparing the waj' for the immense 

 movements of the following week. At St. Louis 

 the arrivals were as follows; March 9th, the first 

 Ducks i-eturn and pass north, followed two days 

 later by large flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds. 

 Purple Grackles, Rusty Grackles, and the first 

 individuals of Killdeer, Meadow Lark and Gohl- 

 en-.shafted Flicker. On March 12th came the 

 first Wilson's Snipe, and on the 16th the first 

 Brown Cranes. 



There was then little change in the species pres- 

 ent at St. Louis, Iiut a great increase in the num- 

 ber of individuals. This increase was less ap- 

 parent at St. Louis than at more northern points. 

 The hosts of birds sent south by the inclement 

 weather, did not, on their return, halt at their 

 former resting places, but pushed rapidly for- 

 ward and spread over many miles of new coun- 

 try. The onward movement dates from about 

 March 12th, aud during the remainder of tlie "in- 

 determinate" period, that is to March lOtli, Ducks. 

 Geese, Robins, Bluebirds, Blacktiirds, Meadow 

 Larks, and Killdeer were found over all of north- 

 ern Illinois and the southern edge of Wisconsin, 

 all of Iowa and eastern Nebraska, while a few 

 .scouts keeping close to the Mississippi River, fol- 

 lowed it nearly to St. Paul. The general disper- 

 sion of the birds can be seen from the fact that 

 seventy-two records were .sent in of the arrival in 

 this section of the first four .species mentioned, 

 namely, Ducks. Geese, Robins and Bluebirds. 



The fourth wave occurred on March 17th. At 

 St. Louis, there was the first rain of the .season 

 after a warm night, 56°, with a light south wind. 

 Winter ended and Spring began with a sudden 

 start of vegetation and an awakening of insect 

 life. Many birds arrived during the night and 

 others were moving all the morning. The bulk 

 arrived of the Robin, Flicker, Meadow Lark, 

 Bluebird, Chewink, Purple Grackle, Rusty 

 Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, 

 and Blue-winged Teal. There was an increase 

 of Wilson's Snipe, White-crowned, White- 

 throated and Field Sparrows. The first arrivals 

 appeared of the Pho?be, Pectoral Sandpiper, Cow- 

 bird, Field Plover, and the Little Yellow Rail, 

 while the bulk of the Tree Sparrows departed. 

 The movement in this wave being principally an 

 increase of those species which liad already come 

 in the preceding waves, and few of the stations 

 reporting anything but the first arrivals, it is 

 liractically impossible to work up this wave from 

 the notes in hand. There seem to be intimations 



