170 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 
more successful, I have not hesitated to take their date for such 
a common species as the correct one. 
The Red-winged Blackbird’s rather late arrival, on March 
24, is approached only by one later date—April 2, 1912. The 
element of locality must always be considered in determining the 
date of migrants for this species. Swampy lakes attract these 
blackbirds, and bodies of water whose shores are but slightly 
marshy may not entice the earliest of the Red-wings. Such are 
the lakes at Notre Dame, Indiana. 
March 25, 1914, is the earliest record I have made for the 
Sapsucker, March 26, 1910 being the nearest to that date. All 
the others occurred in April, most of them after the roth of the 
month. Like the Bluebird, the Sapsucker shows regularity in the 
respective sets for March and April, and disparity between them. 
The Kingfisher made one of its best records this year, arriving 
on the 27th—s5 days later than the earliest date. Looking over 
my records for this species in six years, I find that four of them 
are in March and tWo in April. When the winters are not severe, 
the Kingfisher always arrives in March. 
Accumulating records of the Mourning Dove show that 
this species seldom arrives after March. So far there are five 
records for that month, and but one for April—the 3rd. The 
Dove was first found this spring on March 30—the latest date for 
that month. 
The Phoebe also made its latest record March this year, 
arriving on the last day of the month. Three of the other dates 
are in March, and two in April—on the 2nd and 3rd. These records 
make the Phoebe a close competitor with the Mourning Dove. 
Like the Phoebe, the Cowbird was one of the latest of the 
March migrants this year. But unlike that species, this black- 
bird has its records for six years distributed equally in March and 
April. In the latter month, the dates all fall within the first week, 
but in March they cover nearly half of the month—the earliest 
being on the 16th. 
The number of April migrants in 1914 equalled those of the 
same month in 1913, these two years having the highest records 
in six years. Although both in 1913 and 1914 the springs followed 
mild winters, yet the migrants exceeded those of April 1912 by 
only five species. That year the winter was one of the coldest in 
thirty years, 
