336 Cooke on Harris's FincR. [October 



Feb. iS. A few are around, but whether the rest have gone 

 south or north I do not know. Not many black heads seen yet, 

 though many show Wack feathers on the crown. 



Feb. 23. A few seen in the timber, but more common on the 

 borders of the woods. 



Feb. 26. The scarcity of querula during the early part of this 

 month was probably due to their moving southward ; they are 

 now back again and are spread all over the small thickets. 



March 5. Is spreading; saw a large party feeding on the 

 ground in a barn-yard on the prairie. 



March 10. Last night was perfect for migration — moderate 

 south wind, perfectly clear, and moonlight. This morning shows 

 a decided decrease in J. hyemalis^ S. montana, and Z. querula. 

 Indeed, I think the bulk of these species departed last night. , 



March 11. Almost the whole have gone, only a few seen. 



March 13. Large arrivals from the south. 



March 15. About the most numerous of any time this spring. 



March 19. Still seen in small parties. 



March 25. A single bird, the last seen. 



Passing now to study its movements at other points, we find 

 that in 1877, Mr. Brown speaks of the last one leaving Boerne, 

 about the first of April. This year the northward movement 



commenced about the first of March, and the bulk left Gainesville, 

 Tex., on March 12 ; three days later the transients were at their 

 height at Caddo ; those which spent the winter at Caddo left 

 March 10. The bulk arrived at Pierce City, Mo., March 17, and 

 the next day at Manhattan, Kans. At Alda, Neb., they were seen 

 March 23, and then comes more than a month during which there 

 was no advance. They appeared at Vermillion, Dak., on May 3, 

 and just two weeks later, at Augusville, Dak. They had pre- 

 viously occurred May 10, at Frazer City, Minn. The bulk is 

 seldom moi^e than four or five days behind the van. Some very 

 late migrants were noted this spring ; one was seen at Gainesville, 

 Tex., May 5, and another at Mahattan, Kans., May 20. 



The area of greatest abundance is the country for seventy-five 

 to one hundred miles on each side of a due north and south line 

 connecting Pembina, Dak., with San Antonio, Tex. Its normal 

 winter home is from Central Kansas southward, but it is not 

 uncommon for a few to brave part or the whole of the winter in 



