ORNITHOLOGIST 



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VOL. IX. 



PAWTUCKET, R. I., SEPTEMBER, li 



No. 9. 



Migration in the Mississippi Valley. 



American Robin, {Merula migrator ia). 

 Judging from the notes, this is the com- 

 monest and best known bird in the district, 

 there being half as many more notes on 

 this than on any other species. We should 

 therefore be able to determine its move- 

 ments with great accuracy. We find that 

 it did not reach its winter quarters until 

 after January 1st. All through December 

 it was found' in abundance throughout 

 southern Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, but 

 the extreme cold of the first week in Janu- 

 ary drove it farther south into its real 

 winter house. During the larger part of 

 the month of January the bulk of the 

 Robius, and probably even ninety-five to 

 ninety-seven per cent, were south of the 

 parallel of 37°. This is south of the 

 usual limit, the northern boundary for or- 

 dinary winters being 39". We must not 

 think that no Robin ever spends the winter 

 north-of these places. The fact has been 

 repeatedly demonstrated that nature has 

 bestowed on them a strong constitution, so 

 that given plenty of food, they can stand 

 almost any degree of cold. Every year re- 

 ports come in of Robins found wintering 

 far north, and last season was no exception. 

 One was seen on New Tear's day in north- 

 western Indiana ; at Vermillion, Dak., 42 56 

 on January 11, and finally at Hastings, 

 Minn., 44 43 , five hundred miles from his 

 brethren "one was seen December 28 with 

 a flock of Pine Grosbeaks, P. enucleator, 

 apparently at home, and bound to spend 

 the winter. It was seen repeatedly and 



actually did put it through till spring with 

 the same flock of Grosbeaks." 



The distribution of the Robin in its 

 winter home depends entirely on the food 

 supply ; where food is plenty, there are the 

 Robins, though people a few miles away 

 may not see one all winter. At Manhattan, 

 Kan., 39 12 . there is an abundance of berries, 

 and last winter as in previous years, large 

 flocks of five hundred or more, were con 

 stantly seen, while other stations, but a 

 short distance away, report no Robins from 

 December until February ; Manhattan is 

 also the most northern station at which 

 flocks of Robins remained during the 

 winter. So far as can be learned few 

 Robins winter in Indian Territory, nor does 

 Northern Texas fare much better, but from 

 southwestern Texas comes the report that 

 the Canon of the Neuces River for three 

 hundred miles is the winter home of count 

 less myriads. From all the Southern 

 States comes the report that one station 

 finds them abundant and another rare. 



The most curious and interesting feature 

 of their doings last winter, was their crowd- 

 ing together in immense numbers at a 

 " Robin Roost " near Harrisburg, N. C. 

 From an account in the Charlotte (N. C.) 

 Observer we gather that the roost was in a 

 great canebreak, extending for a mile or 

 more on each side of a small creek. 

 Thither, between five o'clock in the after 

 noon and dark, went great flocks of Robins, 

 until the whole canebrake was alive with 

 them. Every night for several weeks in 

 January and February, parties of men and 

 boys, armed with short sticks, killed hun- 



Copyright, 1S84, by Frank B. Webster and Eaton CLirr. 



