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Bird - Lore 



The Evening Grosbeak has been reported 

 repeatedly from Douglaston, Long Island 

 (G. C. Fisher), last seen April 9 and likely 

 still around. The attraction here seems to 

 be the fruit of the hackberry. 



More than in the New Jersey direction, 

 late February and the very first of March 

 usually find an increase of scattered Robins 

 on Long Island. We have been at times in 

 doubt as to whether these birds are arrivals 

 from the South or have been driven in from 

 southern New England where, at that date, 

 the Robin is generally present in consider- 

 able flocks. This year these early Robins 

 were less than usually noticeable on the 

 Island, an indication that they are southern 

 birds, as late winter birds from the North 

 of all species were more than usually 

 represented. 



The spring was late in putting in an 

 appearance with its first migrants from 

 the South. The entire absence, during the 

 very end of winter, of Song Sparrows at 

 Garden City, Long Island, made it pos- 

 sible to determine when the first individuals 

 returned, March 12. Fox Sparrow and 

 Grackle were present here for the first time 

 on March 14, the Grackles being about 

 two weeks later than their usual arrival — 

 the end of February. The first unquestioned 

 increase in Meadowlarks came on the 21st 

 and they became common on the 24th. 

 The Flicker put in an appearance on the 

 28th, and Chipping Sparrows only on 

 April 7 this year, although they had been 

 reported from the New York Region a few 

 days previous. Up the Hudson, vicinity 

 of Rhinebeck and Poughkeepsie, data com- 

 piled by M. S. Crosby shows the earliest 

 arrivals to have been delayed: Fox Spar- 

 row, March 14; Grackle and Song Spar- 

 row, March 15; Robin, March 23. The 

 next lot of birds were, however, as early 

 as one could expect them: Phoebe, March 

 23; Flicker and Cowbird, March 26; Chip- 

 ping Sparrow and Tree Swallow, April 3; 

 Barn Swallow, April 11; Louisiana Water- 

 thrush, April 12; etc. 



Reports from New Jersey indicate re- 

 tarded migration, though by April i spring 

 arrivals were about 'on time'; and a better 

 showing than usual of the less-abundant 



Ducks. At Englewood, Rough-legged 

 Hawk, March 21, Golden-eye Duck and 

 Tree Sparrow, April 11, are late dates ob- 

 tained by L. Griscom, who also reports the 

 Hooded Merganser, Baldpate, Blue- winged 

 Teal, and Ruddy Duck from there. C. H. 

 Rogers and W. DeW. Miller found the 

 Baldpate, Green-winged Teal, and Pintail 

 at South River, April 4. 



A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was noted in 

 Prospect Park on April 7 by R. Friedmann, 

 and the record corroborated by a number 

 of Brooklyn observers who found it there 

 again April 12 and 14. The occurrence of 

 this species north of its regular range at 

 so early a date is doubtless correlated with 

 the fact that, like other southern species, 

 its regular spring migration comes early. — 

 J. T. Nichols, Neiv York City. 



Philadelphia Region. — With the ex- 

 ception of a number of springlike days 

 the first week in March, Jack Frost 

 held this region in his grip until about 

 March 15. The bulk of the early migrants 

 arrived from ten days to two weeks late, 

 the earlier adventurers meeting with 

 wintry conditions. Almost immediately 

 after the melting of the ice in the Delaware 

 River — about mid-March — numbers of 

 Mergansers, Scaups, Black Ducks, and 

 Pintails appeared, and rapidly increased 

 until the peak of their abundance was 

 reached about April 10. On this date about 

 eight hundred Ducks were observed on the 

 river, a mixed flock of the species men- 

 tioned above. An interesting feature of 

 late February was an apparent influx of 

 Evening Grosbeaks, these birds being re- 

 ported more common at this time than any 

 other portion of the winter. Miss Anna P. 

 Deeter writes that she and Miss Florence 

 Hergesheimer saw a flock of twelve birds 

 of this species near Reading, Pa., on 

 February 29, two of which were 'fuU- 

 plumaged males.' In the same letter she 

 mentions seeing a Hermit Thrush (March 

 8) at Reading which had doubtless win- 

 tered there. 



A Ruffed Grouse seen at New Lisbon, 

 N. J., March 21, is interesting, as this bird 

 at the present time is none too common in 



