224 



Bird - Lore 



For the last five summers the writer has 

 spent considerable time in Kingston, R. I. 

 Up till the past summer, Warbling Vireos 

 have been common in the village streets 

 from the middle of May to the middle of 

 September. Between 1914 and 1918 there 

 seemed to be no marked decrease in their 

 numbers. In 1919, however, there was a 

 marked change. Not a single Warbling 

 Vireo was noted, even during the spring 

 migration. The absence was so marked 

 that a careful watch was kept for the bird 

 all summer and fall, with no result. 



The spraying of the shade trees will not 

 explain the absence of the bird in this case. 

 No spraying has been done during the 

 time mentioned. 



The other birds mentioned by Dr. Tyler 

 as decreasing — the Yellow-throated and 

 Red-eyed Vireos, the Wood Pewee, and 

 the Yellow Warbler — are all common in 

 the village. The Yellow-throated Vireo 

 was unusually abundant during the migra- 

 tion, and three or four pairs remained all 

 summer. On the other hand, the Baltimore 

 Oriole, which seems to have suffered little 

 in the Boston region, is decreasing in 

 southern Rhode Island. Two or three 

 years ago the falling leaves seemed to 

 reveal an Oriole's nest in almost every tree. 

 This summer (1919) only one or two pairs 

 were seen. — Edward H. Perkins, Lon- 

 don, Canada. 



THE SEASON 



XX. April 15 to June 15, 1920 



Boston Region. — The weather con- 

 ditions during the period covered by this 

 report have been remarkable in that there 

 were no hot days late in April to stimulate 

 the growth of the vegetation, and because 

 cold weather prevailed during the greater 

 part of May, the temperature falling nearly 

 to 40 degrees each night until the middle 

 of the month (May 5, 32 degrees). Con- 

 sequently, the season, which had been but 

 a little behind the average on April 15, was 

 retarded until in mid-May it was three 

 weeks late, the oak trees at this time being 

 practically bare. During the summer 

 weather which followed, however, the trees, 

 supplied with abundant moisture, acquired 

 full foliage in an incredibly short time. 



In the first half of May there was no 

 conspicuous, widespread movement of 

 birds through eastern Massachusetts. 

 Mr. E. H. Forbush informs me that 

 apparently many more birds were seen 

 in the Connecticut valley this year than 

 were seen along the coast region." Here, 

 near the seacoast, during the period of cold 

 weather, with backward vegetation, strag- 

 glers arrived daily; in a few individuals, 

 representing many species, the impulse to 

 move northward overcame the deterrents 



to migration. Among these stragglers the 

 Black-throated Blue Warbler was notice- 

 able, traveling in advance of its average 

 time of migration. Very few White- 

 throated Sparrows were seen during the 

 spring, and Cedarbirds were late. 



The first big flight of Warblers arrived 

 on May 17, the first day of summer 

 weather. The Tennessee Warbler came 

 with this flight and was well represented 

 in the region for the following ten days. 

 The Orioles, arriving on May 9, a week 

 before the apple blossoms opened, hunted 

 for food on the ground, and were seen fre- 

 quenting sweet-fern. Throughout the 

 month of May, Purple Finches were 

 abundant, sometimes gathered in flocks of 

 twenty or more under hop hornbeams, and 

 feeding on the white ash seeds which had 

 fallen during the winter. Between May 15 

 and 21 the Pine Siskins passed through on 

 their return from the south where they had 

 been driven in February; they frequented 

 birch trees. 



The delayed spring migration extended 

 well into June; few Cuckoos arrived before 

 June I, and migrating Nighthawks were 

 seen on June 10 and 14. — Winsor M. 

 Tyler, M.D., Lexington, Mass. 



