The Season 



103 



the town. This is not a very unusuul oc- 

 currence in the southern half of the state. — 

 Thomas S. Roberts, Director Zoological 

 Museum, University of Minnesota, Min- 

 neapolis, Minn. 



Kansas City Region. — A most inter- 

 esting local Christmas Census including 41 

 species was made this year by seven ob- 

 ser\-ersbut was compiled too late for inclusion 

 in the February' number of Bird-Lore. 

 Among the species of unusual occurrence at 

 this season were 10 Mergansers, 26 Mallards, 

 I Wilson's Snipe, 50 Doves (feeding on soy 

 beans!), i Belted Kingfisher, 3 Yellow- 

 bellied Sapsuckers, 2 Red-headed Wood- 

 peckers, and 15 Red-breasted Nuthatches. 

 A few common winter species were not listed, 

 and only one small troop of Harris's Sparrows 

 and a single Fox Sparrow were noted. 

 Meadowlarks and Towhees, often missing 

 from Christmas lists in the Kansas City area, 

 were rather common, and Blue Jays were 

 abundant. Owing to the scarcity of poison 

 ivy frmt this winter, no MjTtle Warblers 

 have been found, and but 4 Robins had been 

 seen up to February 5. The Mergansers 

 listed have spent the entire winter in a 

 stretch of the Missouri River in sight of 

 William Andrews' cabin. Two large Gulls 

 and several Pintails were also under obser- 

 vation from this station during the holiday 

 season. 



Wintering Hawks of three species became 

 common on the prairies and uplands of the 

 county about the time of the severe cold of 

 mid- January. Short-eared Owls also became 

 numerous at this time, at least 50 being seen 

 daily during late January and early February 

 in the southern outskirts of the city, espe- 

 cially on the high ground between Waldo and 

 , Swope Park. Competition has been keen, as 

 the birds include back yards and school 

 groimds in tbeir hunting ranges, and may be 

 seen sailing about dining all the hours of 

 daylight in quest of their rodent prey. 



A flock of 10 or 12 Meadowlarks weathered 

 the January storms and could be heard 

 singing their ventriloquous songs any day 

 in the neighborhood of 63d Street and Womall 

 Road. At least one covey of Bob-whites has 

 wintered safely in the Coimtry Club District, 



and another in the Forest Hill region. These 

 birds are protected at all seasons chiefly by 

 a wholesome public sentiment. Their nests 

 are found during the breeding-season in 

 most unusual places in the southern pre- 

 cincts of the residence district of Kansas 

 City, and the species seems actually on the 

 increase in this fast-growing community. 



A few Golden-crowned Kinglets have 

 wintered in the Fairmount Park neighbor- 

 hood where a small flock of Bronzed Crackles 

 have also been seen at intervals during 

 January and February. 



Bluebirds, Robins, and Purple Finches 

 were noted in the Dodson and Indian Creek 

 region on February 5, and on February 9 

 and TO dozens of Western Meadowlarks were 

 heard piping on the Waldo prairies. A few 

 of the eastern form were mixed in with the 

 western birds but were not so confident in 

 their song. 



It is good to be able to offer authentic 

 data on the southern extent of the Magpie 

 invasion in the Missom^i valley. These birds 

 have reached the southwestern comer of 

 Nebraska and have crossed over into Mis- 

 souri. Charles E. Dankers, of Coming, Mo., 

 writes that 50 individuals of this species 

 have been under observation all winter in 

 his corner of Holt Coimty, and it is hoped 

 that observers further down the river may 

 yet record Magpies in Missouri. — ^Harry 

 Harjeiis, Kansas City, Mo. 



Portland, (Oregon) Region. — The win- 

 ter season in the Portland region has been 

 marked by long-continued cold weather of 

 unusual severity, and this has had a marked 

 effect on the abundance of birds. Just before 

 Thanksgi\ing, the Columbia Gorge district, 

 including the eastern edge of the city of 

 Portland, was ice-bound by a severe ice- 

 storm which turned to rain in other parts of 

 the region. All the trees of the Columbia 

 River bottoms were twisted and torn by the 

 weight of the ice and most of the larger trees 

 were stripped of their branches. This dis- 

 trict was visited on Christmas day and again 

 on January 8. Gairdner's Woodpeckers, 

 Oregon Juncos, Willow Goldfinches, Ore- 

 gon Chickadees, Western Golden-crowned 

 Kinglets, Seattle Wrens, Rusty Song Spar- 



