48 AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



Song Season of Our Birds in 1912. 



BY BROTHER ALPHONSUS, C. S. C, 



Some species are in full song on the day of their arrival. 

 When that date is later than usual, the song season is just so 

 much shorter; for most birds cease singing at the close of the 

 nesting season, which occurs ar regular tim.es each spring. The 

 following species begin to sing on the day they arrive: Meadow- 

 lark, Song Sparrow, Vesper vSparrow, Field Sparrow, Towhee, 

 Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow 

 Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed 

 Vireo, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 

 Bobolink, Wood Pewee, Redstart, Maryland Yellowthroat, Purple 

 Martin, Wood Thrush, Cardinal, Fox Sparrow. 



Birds whose song usually begins after some days of residence 

 are: Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Scarlet Tanager, Goldfinch, Indigo 

 Bird, House Wren, Hermit Thrush, Mourning Dove and White- 

 throated Sparrow. 



The species whose song ends in August or September are 

 those that sing all summer. These are: Robin, Song Sparrow, 

 Vesper Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Cardinal, Towhee, House Wren, 

 Yellow Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bird, 

 Purple Martin, Goldfinch, Wood Pewee. 



The writer was unable to obtain the date of the closing of 

 the song season of the Wood Thrush and the Rose-breasted Gros- 

 beak. This was due to the fact that these species were seen only 

 a few times in spring. On the other hand, the date — July i8 — 

 given as the beginning of the song of the Maryland Yellowthroat 

 must be two months later than the usual time the bird arrives 

 and commences to sing. In 1910 the actual date of arrival was 

 May II. 



The bird whose song season was the longest was the Song 

 Sparrow. Other species whose time of singing approached in 

 length to that of the Song Sparrow were: Robin, Cardinal, Vesper 

 Sparrow and Field Sparrow. 



Those species whose song lasted but a few days were migrants 

 going farther north and remaining here a very short time. Such 

 were the Purple Finch and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. 



