The Season 



283 



place. It is a very unusual occurrence to 

 find them nesting in this region. 



Although there has as yet been no distinct 

 indication of any migration besides the 

 usual flocking together, that of two Black 

 Ducks seen on August 3 is rather suspicious. 

 As there were no signs of their nesting, and 

 as they were not found at any time previous 

 during the summer months, they must have 

 been mere wanderers from another realm, 

 their nesting region perhaps which lies 

 farther north. It is a month at least too 

 early for them to be in migration. — S. 

 Charles Kendeigh, President of Cardinal 

 Ornithological Club, Chicago, Ills. 



Minneapolis (Minnesota) Region. — 

 The last half of June was marked by change- 

 able weather alternating from cool, pleasant 

 days to very hot ones, an unusual maximum 

 of 99.1° being reached on the afternoon of 

 the 22d. 



July was reported by the local United 

 States weather observer as "the coolest July 

 in seven years and the driest in six years." 

 The average temperature was 70° compared 

 with 77.4° last year, and a normal average of 

 72.2°. The total precipitation was only 1.76 

 inches, compared with 3.16 inches last year 

 and a general normal of 2.05 inches. The 

 month closed with one or two very hot days 

 — 91° on the 30th. The hot spell thus begun 

 continued with only a brief intermission 

 (from the 4th to the 8th) until the middle of 

 August. Midday temperatures of over 80° 

 prevailed, reaching 92° on the 3d. Several 

 severe electric storms, accompanied by heavy 

 rain and hail, occurred. 



There has been this year an unusually 

 abundant crop of fruits of almost all kinds, 

 both cultivated and wild, due perhaps to the 

 cool weather of July. Vegetation has grown 

 rank and tall and flowering plants have 

 blossomed profusely. 



Jime 75. A brood of young Tree Swallows 

 just leaving the nest. 



June 16. While watching a Song Sparrow's 

 nest in which one of the two eggs that it con- 

 tained was just hatching, a common garter 

 snake, 30 inches long, suddenly appeared, 

 seized and made off with the young bird in 

 spite of a vigorous attack by one of the 



parents. When pursued the snake quickly 

 swallowed the tiny nestling. On being killed 

 and dissected a second young Song Sparrow 

 was found in the stomach, presumably an- 

 other of the same family which accounted for 

 the smallness of the brood. The snake had 

 a hole under a large stump close by, toward 

 which it was retreating when overtaken and 

 killed. The nest with the remaining egg was 

 deserted. Another large snake of the same 

 species killed close by contained the feet and 

 wing feathers of what was apparently a well- 

 grown nestling Blackbird, the rest of the bird 

 having been fully digested. Both of these 

 snakes were females and contained from 

 twenty-six to twenty-eight small young in- 

 closed in the egg-sacs. The garter snake is 

 very abundant hereabouts and it seems prob- 

 able that it takes during the nesting season a 

 heavy toll from ground and low-nesting 

 birds. 



July I. White Water-lilies coming into 

 bloom. 



July II. Many young Clay-colored and 

 Field Sparrows of first brood are on the wing. 

 The Field Sparrow has always been uncom- 

 mon or entirely absent in the immediate 

 vicinity of Minneapolis but only 15 miles 

 northeast in a sandy, oak-open country in 

 Ramsey County it occurs regularly in con- 

 siderable numbers. It is an abundant bird in 

 southeastern Minnesota as far north as Lake 

 City. North of this it is unevenly distributed 

 as far as Isanti and Sherburne counties. 

 Records farther north probably refer to the 

 Clay-colored Sparrow. 



Nestling Vesper Sparrows of the second 

 brood two-thirds grown. 



The sandy hillsides are thickly covered 

 with dense masses of the Jersey tea, the 

 fluffy white carpet variegated with innumer- 

 able golden blossoms of the coreopsis (C. 

 palmata). 



July 18. A Cedar Waxwing's nest with 

 young just hatched. A Clay-colored Spar- 

 row's nest with young one-half grown. 



July 23. A family of Crested Flycatchers 

 flying about among the trees, the young being 

 fed by the parents. The first Black Tern 

 showing traces of molt about the head. 



July 25. A brood of nestling Kingbirds 

 about one-half grown. The Cedar Waxwings 



