July, 1883.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



51 



courses. (88) 2-25 first seen and were both 

 male and female. The bulk came 3-3. (39) 

 a few were seen here every month this 

 winter. (40) 2-27 first seen. 3-1 saw 

 about 100. 4-1 only fifteen in four miles. 

 4-7 surroimded with blackbirds. Thou- 

 sands of them in flocks settled all over the 

 edges of the timber. (43) some all winter. 

 Let me insert here an experience I had 

 with Blackl)irds, April G, 1878, within a few 

 miles of Avhere (43) lives. I had occasion 

 to be down on what is known as " Musca- 

 tine Island." rather early in the morning. 

 At a little before four o'clock the Black 

 birds began to fly from a large forest on 

 the west of the railroad track, across a wide 

 marsh to the woods and marshes on the 

 east. They were in flocks, but so close to- 

 gether that there appeared to be no break 

 in the line of a mile in length, which ex- 

 tended from woods to woods. This line 

 remained unbroken and remarkably con- 

 stant in size for six hours, when about ten 

 o'clock gaps began to appear and soon the 

 flight ceased. Now taking the moderate 

 estimate that 2,000 were in sight all the 

 time, and that their speed was twenty -five 

 miles per hour, we have the enormous sum 

 total of 300,000 birds that were then liv- 

 ing in that single marsh. Exactly five 

 years later (43) finds the same state of af- 

 faiis. He says "4-6, can't say how many 

 are here now, as they have been roosting 

 by thousands in the timber on Muscatine 

 Island for a mouth or more. They com- 

 mence passing over our village about day- 

 break, and seldom all pass before nine or 

 ten o'clock. About five in the afternoon 

 they commence their return flight, and are 

 often until late at night in getting in." (44) 

 4-3 large flocks. (47) 3-12 first. (52) 3-17 

 first, nine liirds seen. 3-23 first flock. No 

 more flocks seen until 4-4, when in the 

 evening about 250 birds went north. Even 

 by 4-9 very few seemed to have passed 

 north, and a walk of half a dozen miles 

 would not have revealed as many flocks. 

 4-12 for the first time common. No large 



flocks, but a good many scattered single 

 ones and small parties, all singing and all 

 males. 4-21 first females. 4-28 height of 

 season. (56) 4-11 first. (57) 4-14 first one. 

 (60) 4-5 first one seen and only one. 4-7 

 only four seen in three miles. 



Since last month's notes were written a 

 large number of additional notes have 

 come to hand, and to make the record 

 more complete the following items are ad- 

 ded in regard to the movements of the 

 Robins ; At (16) almost all had left by 3-1. 

 No. (35) says that although the Eobins 

 winter here in far greater numbers than 

 breed here, yet they will sometimes disap- 

 pear for a week or two at a time. They 

 confine themselves mostly to the bottom 

 lands where their favorite winter food, 

 wild grapes, is to be found in abimdance 

 throughout the whiter. In the hills they 

 are occasionally found eating sumac ber 

 ries. Sometimes days wei'e passed in the 

 woods without seeing a single specimen, 

 while again thousands would be met with 

 in a single flock. From 2-20 to 2-28 im- 

 mense flocks came from the south and re- 

 mained here until the latter part of March, 

 when they began to move on. No. (30) 

 heard distinctly at 9.30 p. m., 4-3, the voices 

 of wandering Robins flying over the city, 

 and wherever he went on 4.4 there were 

 Robins. He gives 4-4 as " height of the 

 season," i. e. as numerous as they ever will 

 be for the " transient visitors," which are 

 those that merely pass through to nest fur- 

 ther north. Robins must be quite numer- 

 ous at all times at (21) for he found fifty 

 in five miles on 4-7, after the transient had 

 all left. The record of (37) is that after 

 the first one 2-25, they increased very slowly 

 and during the cold snap of 3-4 almost dis • 

 appeared, came back again 3-8 to 3-10 and 

 on 3.18 were not arriving fast, only eight 

 to ten seen in two miles. April 9th was 

 the height of the season. Through north- 

 ern Iowa the bulk seemed to move 4-7 to 

 4-9. No. (45) first was seen 3-13, very 

 scarce for next two weeks ; on 4-1 only two 



