The Season 



305 



about Washington deserves mention here. 

 Bachman's Sparrow was observed at 

 Kensington, Md., by Mr. Raymond W. 

 Moore on May 2. This is a species which 

 seems but recently to have reached the 

 District of Columbia, for no observers 

 reported Jt until within the past few years, 

 and it is still very rare. The Caspian Tern 

 was seen at Plummer Island on May 5, 

 by Mr. A. Wetmore, which is its second 

 known local spring occurrence. 



Another interesting manifestation of 

 bird-life during this spring, to which the 

 good weather has doubtless contributed, 

 is the rather unusual song activity, par- 

 ticularly of certain species. This has been 

 especially noticeable in the Olive-backed 

 Thrush, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the 

 Kentucky Warbler, and many of the other 

 Warblers. Even on the warmest days their 

 singing has continued throughout a much 

 greater portion of the afternoon than is 

 commonly the case. This has aided much 

 in making daily observations, and is 

 doubtless partly responsible for the excel- 

 lent records of numbers of species and 

 individualsjnoted that many observers 

 have made during the 19 18 migration 

 season in the vicinity of Washington. — 

 H.-^RRY C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C. 



Minneapolis, Minn., Region. — -The 

 unusually mild weather and the early 

 spring awakening of March and the first 

 half of April was checked by a cold spell 

 that lasted from April 16 to May i. Heavy 

 frosts and freezing temperatures prevailed 

 throughout the state, and on the 23d the 

 thermometer registered 15 degrees at 

 Duluth, with snowfall along the Canadian 

 boundary. This put a check on both 

 vegetation and bird arrivals. Then fol- 

 lowed a week of very warm weather. 

 May 6 being the hottest May Sunday on 

 record in Minneapolis — 86 degrees at noon. 

 Following this came another interval of 

 chilly weather, terminating May 13 with 

 heavy frost and ice at Minneapolis and 

 28 degrees up at Lake Superior. From this 

 time on continuous warm weather pre- 

 vailed. 



After the comparative drought of March 



and April more than the usual amount of 

 rain fell in May, which, with the hot days 

 that ushered in and completed the month, 

 caused the waiting vegetation fairly to 

 spring forward and burst into a rapid 

 luxuriance that quickly more than made 

 up for the delay caused by the frosty 

 weather. So, by early June, vegetation 

 was some days ahead of the normal sched- 

 ule, and by mid-June, white water lilies, 

 tiger lilies, and linden trees were in bloom 

 nearly two weeks ahead of time. 



The following are the dates of blooming 

 of a few of the common flowers at Min- 

 neapolis: April 27, marsh marigold and 

 wood anemone; May 2, greater bellwort 

 and rue anemone, May 5, nodding tril- 

 lium; May 6, first plum and crab apple 

 trees; May 12, puccoon (hoary and long- 

 flowered), spiderwort, three flowered 

 geums, ginger root; May 16, showy orchis; 

 June 6, great-blossomed pentstemon and 

 pale larkspur. 



In regard to the birds, it seems to be 

 the general consensus of opinion of obser- 

 vers in the vicinity of Minneapolis that 

 there has been something seriously amiss 

 with the customary spring movement this 

 year. Day after day the usual waves of 

 migrants filling the tree-tops and thickets 

 were waited and watched for, but as the 

 season waned, it became all too plainly 

 apparent that the pitiful representation 

 of species ordinarily abundant was all 

 that we were to see. In only a few instances 

 were there anything like the normal 

 numbers. All the various species were no 

 doubt present but in many cases so spar- 

 ingly and so widely scattered that they 

 easily eluded observation, and it was only 

 by comparing notes with several observers 

 that their presence was made known. 

 The always abundant Warblers, like the 

 Myrtle, Palm, Tennessee, Nashville, Black 

 and White, BlackpoU, and Maryland 

 Yellow-throat were far below the usual 

 number. Others less common, like the 

 Canadian, Blackburnian, Black-throated 

 Green, Magnolia, Cape May, Wilson's 

 Blackcap, etc., were represented by only 

 one or two individuals, or not at all, after 

 much watching in favorite haunts. The 



