10 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



the present average in the case of the two Orioles to six days 

 later in the case of the Chimney Swift. The average of the 

 whole 21 species is within one day of the present average day 

 of arrival. 



So far then as the report of this single season of 1791 is con- 

 cerned, it indicates that birds have not changed, during the last 

 100 years, their times of spring arrival. 



Two of Barton's birds have not been used in the above calcu- 

 lation. One of these, the Red-headed Woodpecker, winters 

 sparingly at the present time in favorable localities near Phila- 

 delphia, while the other, the Towhee, is apparently much more 

 common near Philadelphia now than in Barton's time and 

 arrives much earlier than the date noted by Barton. 



Barton's "Fragments " contains records of the dates of flower- 

 ing of many of the common trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. 

 It is to be hoped that some Pennsylvania botanist who has 

 dates of the vernal advance of vegetation in these later days will 

 make a comparison of plant growth similar to that outlined 

 above for the birds. 



Some of Barton's remarks and observations are interesting 

 from the standpoint of modern ornithology. He mentions the 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Purple Martin and Nighthawk as 

 species known locally in Pennsylvania, but not as common near 

 Philadelphia. Now all three of them are common there and all 

 have been known to nest near that city. He failed to discrim- 

 inate between the Marsh Wren and the Winter Wren, called 

 them the same bird, and said they remained the whole year. 

 He says of the Chat : ' ' This is a bird of very singular form, 

 manners and language." The coming of the Phoebe seems to 

 give a "confident assurance to the farmer that he may very soon 

 begin to open the ground and plant." The Pennsylvania 

 Indians regarded the arrival of the Whip-poor-will as a sign of 

 planting time, while their white neighbors commonly remarked 

 that when the Whip-poor-will arrives it is time to go barefooted. 



Barton devotes four pages to expressing his belief that birds 

 do not hibernate, and he gives the interesting fact that previous 

 to the cold winter of 1783-4, the Mockingbird was not rare in 

 winter near Philadelphia. The Swallow-tailed Kite which he 



