ORNITHOLOGIST 



OOLOGIST. 



J1.5I) per 

 Annum. 



FRANK B. WEBSTER, Publisher. 

 Established, March, 1875. 



Single Copy 

 15 Cents. 



VOL. X. 



PAWTUCKET, R. I., SEPTEMBER, 1885. 



No. g- 



Mississippi Valley Migration. 



SPJUXG OF 1SS3. 

 ISY PKOF. W. W. COOKE, MOORIIEAD, MINK. 



A large part of Ihe notes conlributcd by the ob- 

 servers during the Spring migration of 1883 has 

 never been publi&hed; and it seems best that .some 

 iif them, at least the notes on the more eonnnon 

 spoeies, should be put on permanent record, that 

 they may be compared with the rapidly accuniu- 

 hiliug material of the following years. During 

 1883 there w-cre published in the O. and O. Vol. 

 VIII. the notes contributed on the Robin, Ducks, 

 Geese, Blackbirds. Purple Martin, Brown Thrush, 

 .Junco, all of the thirlytive species of Warblers, 

 Olive-backed Thrush, C.itbird, Ruby-crowned 

 and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creeper, 

 IIou.sc Wren, Red-eyed Vireo, White-bellied 

 Swallow, Scarlet Tanager and the Harris', White- 

 crowned, Wliite-throated and Tree Sparrows. It 

 is now proposed to give some more of the notes, 

 but in a different manner from that in whicli they 

 were presented in 1883. Then I undertook to 

 scrutinize the notes and eliminate those which did 

 not seem correct; now I shall give them ju.st as 

 they were sent in by the observers, merely ar- 

 ranging them in the latitude of the stations. 

 When a note has seemed to be certainly a mistake, 

 I have put an interrogation point after it and for 

 all notes in brackets I am responsible, but as to 

 the correctness of the other notes I cannot certify, 

 with the exception of coiu'se of those from .Jeffer- 

 son. Wis. The full list of the observers for 1883 

 was printed in the " Specimen Issue" for .January 

 1884, a copy of which probably is in the hands of 

 Ihe readers of the O. and O., but for the benefit 

 of the few who maj' not have it, a list of the sta- 

 tions liunisliing the following notes is here given, 

 with Ihe latitude and name of the ob.scrver. 



Wa.Kahachie, Tex., latitude 32-23, Dr. S. W. Flort-r. 



Canton, Miss., 32-43, T. S. Ward. 



Oxford, Miss., 34-15, Prof. R. B. Fultnn. 



Duck River, Tenn., about 35-45, J. B. Cathcy. 



Fayetteville, Ark., 36-02, Prof. F. L. Harvey. 



Anna, 111., 3T-30, C. W. Butler. 



St. Louis, Mo., 38—40, O. Widmann. 

 Manhattan, Kans., 39-12, Prof. D. E. Lantz and Dr. C. P 

 Blachly. 

 Glasgow, Mo., 39-14, Prof. T. B. Sniitli. 

 Jacksonville, III., 89-43, J. E. Ilofman. 

 Liter, IlL, 39-40, Dr. S. GrifHn. 



Ellsworth, III., D. Arrowsmith. 



Orifrgsville, III., 39-43, T. W. Parker. 

 Osceola, 111., 41-10, Dr. E. O. Boardman. 

 Grand View, la., 41-15, W. A. Lester. 

 Des Moines, la., 41-36, U. S. Grant. 

 C'oralville. la., 41-40, Mrs. V. S. Williams. 

 Polo, IlL, 41-58, H. A. Kline. 

 Racine, Wis., 42-45, Dr. P. R. Hoy. 

 Jefferson, Wis., 43., W. W. Cooke. 

 Waukon, la., 43-15, E. M. Hancock. 

 Mitchell, la., 43-19, J. W. Liudluy. 

 Hastings, Minn., 44-45, Rev. Ci. B. Pralt. 

 Pine Bend, Minn., 44-47, R. Linton. 

 Elk River, Minn., 45-25, V. Bailey. 

 Argusville, Dak., 4G-55, S. M. Edwards. 



AVooD Tnnusii, (Ilylucicldtt muxtdiiui.) St. 

 Louis, Mo. The first seen was on April 19, 

 when two were found at old stands singing a few 

 strains, when it began to rain. April 33, two 

 were in full song. April 39, they were still quiet 

 and scarce. May 1, tliey are exercising evei-y 

 morning now. and by the 16th had become con- 

 spicuous and diligent songsters. Manhattan. 

 Kans,, First, May 1: Liter, 111. First April 5; 

 Grand View, la.. First, April 38, three seen; 

 .lefferson. Wis., First one was seen on May 10, 

 and by the 13th there had been a decided increase 

 and many were heard and six or eight seen; the 

 bulk of the birds has not yet arrived. May 17. 

 marked the height of the migration, and by the 

 31st, they had settled down to Summer numbers. 

 Mitchell, la.. First, May 9; Hastings, Minn , 

 First, May 6, three singing. 



Bluedird, (&V(to siitlis,) Duck River, Tenn., 

 resident, an average of sixty-three per mile on 

 March 5; Anna, 111. Winter resident, is .some- 

 times absent for a week or so but is likely to be 

 met with any week during the Winter and in far 

 greater numbers than in the Summer months. 

 When the ground is soft, large numbers of them 

 may be found in meadows, picking around the 

 roots of grass as if searching for hidden insects; 



Copyright, 1S85, by Frank B. Webster and Eaton Cliff. 



