V 



\0\j^ 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



A N D — 



OOLOGIST. 



$1.50 per 

 Annum. 



FRANK B. WEBSTER, Publishee. 



Established, March, 1875. 



Single (Jo|iy 

 15 Cents. 



VOL. X. 



PA\VTUCKET, R. I., DECEMBER, 1885. 



No. 12. 



Mississippi Valley Migration. 



BY PUOF. W. W. COOKE, BUliLINOTON, VT. 



Since the last number of the O. ami (). aji- 

 peared, the American Ornithologists' Union has 

 held its annual meeting, and mapped out the 

 work for next season, The work on migration 

 will 1)0 continued next Spring, and the commit- 

 tee are so well pleased with the notes collected 

 this year that little if any change will be made in 

 the plans, instructions or schedules. There is 

 still room for and need of many more observers, 

 and all who are willing to aid, should send in 

 their names to the Superintendents of their re- 

 spective districts. Before Spring migration com- 

 mences, schedules will be sent to each observer, 

 and it is specially to be desired that the observers 

 in the south, make full notes Ihrougiiout the 

 entire Winter season. 



The report of Migration in the Mississippi 

 Valley during the Spring of 1884, is now passing 

 through the press and will be distributed during 

 the Winter. 



sriilXG OF laSi.—Concliidcd. 



CowiiiUD, (Molothrus ater). Canton, Miss. 

 Summer resident. Fayetteville, Ark. I think it 

 is here a transient, as I have never seen any in 

 Summer. Saw a single bird February 20th, and 

 a small flock February !i7th. Are now, March 

 1st, moving north. Anna, 111. According to 

 Uidgway, resident. St. Louis, Mo. First, seen 

 on April 5tb, and the height of the season was on 

 the 12th. Manhattan, Kans. First, April M, 

 one seen. By April 29th, both males and.females 

 were in full Summer numbers. Liter, 111. Feb- 

 ruaiy 27th, first, both male and female. Grand 

 View, la. Saw some in Winter, but they may 

 have been female Redwings. Jefferson, Wis. 

 On April 21st, first saw one flock of about forty 

 males and females. The bulk of the species ar- 

 rived f)n April 38th, and on May 13th it was the 

 height of the season ; about five hundred seen. 

 May 19th. Just about in Summer numbers. 



Common Crow, (Corvus frugivorm). Duck 



River, Tenn. Winter resident. On March 5tli, 

 in countless numbers. Fayetteville, Ark. Resi- 

 dent in large flocks. Anna, 111. Resident, spend- 

 ing the Winter in the bottom lands, and especially 

 in the vicinity of swampy lakes. While I was 

 camping out last Winter, every morning long 

 straggling flocks would go over camp, that would 

 take an hour to pass. They were feeding largely 

 on pecau nuts. St. Louis, Mo. Resident. 

 Roosting by thousands in Winter among the 

 Willows opposite St. Louis. On March 14th, 

 only a few were seen in the lowlands, where they 

 had been very numerous two weeks before. Man- 

 hattan, Kans. A very common Winter resident, 

 but never seen in such numbers as congregate 

 about St. Louis. March 31st. Six nests with 

 full sets. April 7th. Five more nests to-day. 

 April 14th. Four or flve nests, one with seven 

 eggs. Liter, III., February 2Gth. First, and on 

 March 8th, fifteen seen in a flock. Osceola, 111. 

 Building nests April 9lh. Racine, Wis. First, 

 March 1st. Jefferson, Wis. Winter sojourner. 

 About half a dozen wintered with us and were 

 seen every few days. A few more passed through 

 in early Spring, but no larger flock than a dozen 

 was seen at any time. Two full sets were found 

 AiH-il 7th. [There seems to be a tract of country 

 in the vicinity of Ripon and Green Lake, Wis., 

 which is shunned by this species. Though but 

 si.xty miles north of Jefferson, and the same char- 

 acter of country, less than a dozen Crows were 

 seen there in as many years' residence and col- 

 lecting. None were ever known to Winter. 

 There was one time when for five years not a 

 Crow was seen.] Waukon, la. First, one Feb- 

 ruary 35th. Not common here at any time of 

 year. Mitchell, la. Seen every week during the 

 Winter. Hastings, Minn. First, two seen March 

 4th. Pine Bend, Minn. First, March Kith. Elk 

 River, Minn. First, March 3d. Argusville, Dak 

 First, April IGth. 



Blue J.\y, (Cydiiocitta cristnia). Duck River, 

 Tenn. A hundred and twenty seen on April 1st, 

 in a five mile walk. Anna, 111. Resident. One 



Copyright, 1885, by Fkane B. Webster and Eaton Cliff. 



