34 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 



beak, near the nostril's apertures, icicles had formed from the con- 

 gelation of the breath consequent on the intensity of the cold. 



These wanderers seemed to have been attempting to escape 

 from the rigor of northern regions, and we soon after heard that one 

 or two individuals of the species were seen a day or two before the 

 above narrated occurrence to alight in a limited area of open water, 

 just in the rear of the water-wheel of one of our local grist mills. 

 The squads of web-footed migrants were moving in a direction from 

 northwest to southeast. On one or two of these wayward wanderers 

 alighting near, attempts were made to feed and restore and refresh 

 them, but with little success, as they died in a few days, probably 

 from inaccessibility to appropriate food. 



A week or ten days ago a small flock of similar aquatic birds of 

 passage were noticed flying overhead past our homestead and taking 

 a southeasterly course. There were seven or eight in number, and 

 they seemed as large as geese, but in their flight had more resem- 

 blance to loons. Their migration was just preceding the advent of 

 the late spell of arctic weather, which it was conjectured had com- 

 pelled the bird movement to more genial latitudes. 



A few of the February larks have lately been noticed about 

 here, about bare spots in the fields and also on well-travelled high- 

 ways. This species usually appear here after a few days' thaw, 

 about the first week of February, yet the weather has been almost 

 abnormally cold since the 28th or 29th of January, and last night, 

 February nth, there was a rather bright display of Aurora Borealis 

 from 7 to 10 o'clock, and fainter through the night. 



