iS8 



Bird - Lore 



April 2 (Miss Morse), April 8, two young just 

 hatched (Mrs. Cook), and April 14 a nest 

 with four young about four days old on the 

 Ft. Snelling prairie (Roberts). The last nest 

 passed safely through the blizzard of April 

 10. In previous articles I have remarked 

 upon the scarcity of this bird as a breeding 

 species in this vicinity in recent years but 

 this spring marks apparently a return of the 

 bird in fair numbers as all observers report 

 its continued presence. 



Geese and many Ducks entered the south- 

 ern counties in early March, the former 

 reaching Roseau near the Canadian Line 

 April 2 (Fryklund). Omitting mention of 

 'strays,' Robins appeared in the southern 

 part of the state in the second week in March 

 — March 13 at Fairmount and Montevideo, 

 March 14 at Ivanhoe, March 15 at Minne- 

 apolis — reaching the middle of the state by 

 the last of the month — March 27 at Detroit 

 and Fergus Falls — and the northern counties 

 in early April — April 5 at Roseau, April 6 at 

 Duluth. The arrival dates for the Bluebird, 

 Song Sparrow, Meadowlark, Phoebe, Kill- 

 deer, and Marsh Hawk were very nearly the 

 same, the Phcebe a few days later than the 

 others. Herring Gulls from the south ap- 

 peared in the gorge of the Mississippi below 

 St. Anthony Falls on March 14. Great Blue 

 Herons were at their nesting-place on Lake 

 Minnetonka March 25 while the ice was still 

 firm in the lake (Commons). The first Ruby- 

 crowned Kinglets were reported on the Uni- 

 versity campus March 27 (Miss Sewell). 



The following record is for Minneapolis and 

 vicinity: 



April 2. Hermit Thrush (Mrs. Keyes) ; 

 Fox Sparrow (Mrs. Mclntire); a Saw-whet 

 Owl, very tame. Buds of the red-berried 

 elder opening in sheltered places. 



April 4. A flight of Red-tailed Hawks. 

 The Saw-whet Owl seen yesterday was today 

 perched in the same place, eating, piece-meal, 

 a Song Sparrow. 



April 5. First Martin. First soft maples 

 in bloom (Huff). 



April 6. Rusty Blackbirds migrating in 

 flocks. 



April 8. White-throated Sparrow (Mrs. 

 Keyes). A Grinnell's Water-Thrush seen by 

 the writer was many days ahead of any pre- 



vious record for this species. A pair of Spar- 

 row Hawks examining a possible nesting-hole 

 (Commons). 



April Q. Skunk cabbage in bloom in Min- 

 nehaha Glen and some plants almost through 

 blooming (Huff). 



April lo. A flock of fifty White Pelicans 

 alighted and spent most of the day in a 

 medium-sized lake within the city limits 

 (Lake Nokomis), an interesting and unique 

 occurrence that attracted much attention. 

 A Red-bellied Sapsucker at St. Paul (Thomp- 

 son). 



April II. First pasque flowers in bloom. 

 A flock of twenty-five Bohemian Waxwings 

 (Mrs. Wicks). 



April 12. A Migrant Shrike. Large flocks 

 of Purple Finches; they are very common this 

 spring but were almost entirely absent last 

 spring. 



April 14. Double -crested Cormorants; 

 many Ring-necked Ducks in pairs; Coots in 

 large numbers; a pair of Sapsuckers. There 

 is very little evidence of vegetation starting 

 in the woods. — Thomas S. Roberts, Zoo- 

 logical Museum, University of Minnesota, 

 Minneapolis, Minn. 



Kansas City Region. — A review of local 

 notes for the past winter shows some unusual 

 records. Persistent and entirely authentic 

 reports from five points in this vicinity 

 establish the fact that three species of shore- 

 birds braved the rigors of a rather severe 

 winter to remain here throughout the entire 

 season. These birds were the Kihdeer, 

 Wilson's Snipe, and Greater Yellow-legs. 

 This is unprecedented in the case of the Kill- 

 deer and Greater Yellow-legs, so far as is 

 known to local observers. William Andrews 

 remembers Wilson's Snipe wintering here in 

 previous years, and there are older records 

 extant. 



The Mergansers, Doves, and Kingfisher 

 referred to in the last letter, remained all 

 winter, and a correspondent a hundred 

 miles up the Missouri River writes that a 

 few Mallards, Pintails, and Golden-eye 

 wintered in his region. 



A nest of the Great Horned Owl was found 

 near Lawrence on February 18 by Mr. Jean 

 Linsdale. The two eggs were deposited on 



