MIGRATIONS OF BIRDS OF PRE\. ' , 309 



The next scene takes us westward along the Freshwater System to Evanston, 

 Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. At that place the shore projects out 

 into the lake for some distance, terminating in Gross Point. Here are heavily 

 wooded groves of oaks and a natural rendezvous for all kinds of birds. Last fall 

 there were heavy fogs. Late in October, I noticed the presence of many hawks 

 in the vicinity. They followed the pigeons there and began accumulating. They 

 were so shy that I only secured a half dozen, among which were a pair of duck 

 hawks. One afternoon the fog cleared away, the sun dried the trees and the 

 earth, and made all nature beautiful. About three o'clock that afternoon, I was 

 attracted by the screams of many hawks. They began wheeling over Gross Point, 

 circling around, and gradually passed upward untill not less than 500 formed in 

 the ring. It was a clear day, and my vision was unobstructed. When they had 

 attained a great elevation, there was a sudden halt, and then began a rapid flight 

 to the southwest, evidently toward the Mississippi by way of some river route. 



The above furnishes satisfactory evidence of migration of hawks in flocks, 

 and the method of the same. A number of instances have been furnished by the 

 patrons of the American Field substantiating the data presented. 



Northern hawks migrate south in the winter and southern species come north 

 in the summer. The Swallow-Tail Kite migrates north — well into this State in 

 chase of grasshoppers. Near Cairo I have watched several of them for hours, 

 descending from their lofty gyrations to chase the insect and after obtaining a full 

 craw return to the clouds as if to digest their booty. The Mississippi Kite also 

 makes summer journeys northward. 



The instances above related seem to demand some explanation. I therefore 

 present the following table of migrating birds ^ of prey and quasi migrants, as a 

 basis of discussion : 



REAL MIGRANTS. 



Pigeon hawk, Aisalon columbarius . 

 Sparrow hawk, Tinnunculus sparverius. 

 Ofsprey, Pandion hallicetus carolinensis. 

 Cooper hawk, Accipiter cooperi. 

 Sharp shinned hawk, Accipiter fuscus. 

 Red-tailed hawk, Buteo borealis. 

 Western red-tail, Buteo calurus. 

 Red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus. 

 Broad-wing hawk, Buteo Fennsylvanicus. 



QUASI migrants. 



Great gray owl, Ulula cinerea. 

 Snowy owl, Nyctea scandica. 

 Hawk owl, Surivia funerea. 

 American Goshawk, Aster atricapillus. 



1 The nomenclature adopted is after Prof. Robert Ridgway in his new catalogue of North American 

 Birds, published by the National Museum at Washington. 

 VI— 20 



