38 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 9-No. 4 



the first having come Feb. 25. Killdeer, 

 (0. vociferus,) are abundant; the ranks of 

 Winter residents being already recruited 

 by large reinforcements from the south. 

 We look in vain for Geese and Brant ; 

 they, with most of the Ducks, are far on 

 their northward journey. 



When we take our next step, though we 

 move but a short distance, we are met by 

 the cold breath of Winter. If we call at 

 Corinth, Miss., 34 55 , our only information 

 will be, " Everything solid ; two inches of 

 snow and not a bird stirring." His nearest 

 neighbor, Water Valley, Miss., 34 38 , deigns 

 the short rejoinder, " Purple Martin came 

 March 1," while if we return to Gaines- 

 ville, Texas, 33 36 , we fare no better ; " only 

 one arrival, the Phoebe, (S: fuscus,) on 

 Feb. 27." Let us again move northward 

 to Caddo, Indian Territory, 35 06 . Here 

 we may discern, in the dry grass, great 

 numbers of LeConte's Sparrows, (C. Le- 

 oontei,) lately arrived, Savanna Sparrows, 

 {P. s. savanna,) by the score, and possibly 

 a shy Yellow-winged Sparrow, {C. passeri- 

 nus.) Or, if we approach a swampy thicket 

 we may catch a glimpse of a Lincoln's 

 Finch, (M. JAncolni.) The elm boughs 

 hang full of blossoms, and several species 

 of wild flowers are in bloom, but no grass 

 appears, and on March 2 the flowers were 

 buried in snow. 



Once more we move northward and sud- 

 denly find ourselves in a region of much 

 activity among the birds. We have reached 

 St. Louis, Mo., 38 40 , and find that many 

 "firsts" have been observed. The hosts 

 of Fringillidse, which winter all over the 

 country we have passed, are sending out 

 their scouts to observe the land and report 

 on the feasibility of a forward movement. 

 The Goldfinch, (A. tristis,) White-throated 

 Sparrow, (Z. albicollis,) Field Sparrow, (S. 

 pusilla,) Song Sparrow, {31. fasciata,) 

 Swamp Sparrow, (M. ]?alustris,) Fox Spar- 

 row, (P. iliaca,) and Towhee Bunting, (P. 

 erythr ophthalmitis,) have each sent out a 

 few individuals, but we can imagine their 



reports were not very favorable, as the gen- 

 eral advance has not yet been made. In 

 addition, much movement has taken place 

 among the water birds. The first Canada 

 Geese appeared Jan. 22 ; Mallards and Pin- 

 tails, (D. acuta,) came soon after on the 

 last day of the month ; by Feb. 22 they 

 had become quite numerous all around St. 

 Louis, and they had been joined by the 

 Green-winged Teal, Little Blackhead, (F. 

 offinis,) and the Ruddy Duck, (E. rubida.) 

 On Feb. 25, the Kingfisher came and the 

 same day the first flock of Snow Geese. 



This movement of water birds seems to 

 have been more pronounced along the Miss. 

 River than anywhere else in our territory. 

 Passing west to Manhattan, Kan., 39 12 , we 

 find a totally different state of affairs. 

 Though but a short distance farther north 

 than St. Louis, near water, and in a good 

 country for water fowl, a long tramp, taken 

 by an excellent observer on March 1, failed 

 to reveal a Duck or a Goose. No White- 

 throated nor White-crowned Sparrows were 

 seen, but in their place a few Harris Spar- 

 rows, (Z. querula.) The presence of Ore- 

 gon Suowbirds, (</". oregonus,) Red-shafted 

 Flickers, ( G. a. mexicanus,) and Western 

 Meadow Larks, (S. neglecta,) also show 

 the western position of the station. Of 

 the Finches, mentioned as appearing at St. 

 Louis, only the Goldfinch and Song Spar- 

 row have been seen at Manhattan. Cer 

 tainly the difference in latitude will not 

 account for this great difference in the ar- 

 rival of the birds. 



Upon again moving northward, we find 

 migration is behind us. The waves of mi- 

 gration which reached St. Louis, could 

 have passed but a short distance farther up 

 the river. Many reports have been received 

 from more northern points in Illinois, Mis- 

 souri and Iowa, but not one makes men- 

 tion of any water birds. Almost directly 

 west of St. Louis, at Glasgow, Mo., 39 u , a 

 Robin was seen Feb. 2, and a flock of 

 Geese Feb. 1, but no further migration for 

 a month. East of St. Louis, at Odin, 111., 



