The Season 



185 



more on March 16; and the regular summer 

 song of the Chewink by Mr. E. A. Preble 

 on March 23. 



Owing probably to a decrease of aero- 

 plane and hydroplane activity along the 

 Potomac River, the large flocks of Ducks 

 have again moved up the river to Wash- 

 ington. Most of these birds certainly iden- 

 tified prove to be Mallards, Black Ducks, 

 Greater Scaups, and Lesser Scaups. On 

 March 25 there was a long flock of some 

 3,000 individuals lying quietly on the other 

 side of the river towards Alexandria. On 

 this date the American Merganser was 

 fairly common on other parts of the river. 



Such erratic bird movements as have 

 been in evidence during February and 

 March of this year apparently indicate 

 that the weather plays an important part 

 in some bird migrations; and the subject 

 still presents an inviting field for investiga- 

 tion. — Harry C. Oberholser, Biological 

 Survey, Washington, D. C. 



Oberlin Region. — The first clear mi- 

 gration wave began on February 19, when 

 the first group of Robins appeared. On the 

 2ist there was a marked increase in the 

 number of Crows, Song Sparrows, and 

 Northern Flickers; on the 2Sth the first 

 Bluebirds, and on the 28th the first flock 

 of Bronzed Crackles. There was no further 

 movement until March 2, when the first 

 Migrant Shrike was seen; then on the 

 3d the first Mourning Doves, the 4th the 

 first Killdeers, these making up the second 

 distinct wave. Then came the usual mid- 

 March filtering in of Red-winged Black- 

 birds on the loth, Meadowlarks on the 

 12th, Towhee on the 13th, Cowbird on the 

 15th, Lesser Scaup Duck and Bufiiehead 

 on the 17th, Rusty Blackbird on the 20th, 

 Phoebe and Shoveller on the 26th, and 

 Vesper Sparrow on the 29th. Fox Sparrow 

 came on April 2d, Creat Blue Heron and 

 Belted Kingfisher on the 3d, Field Sparrow 

 on the 5th, Hermit Thrush on the 6th, and 

 Turkey Vulture, Wilson's Snipe, Chipping 

 Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Yellow-bellied 

 Sapsucker, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, 

 Upland Plover, Louisiana Water-Thrush, 

 and Savannah Sparrow on the 7th. Ruby- 



crowned Kinglet and Woodcock came on 

 the 8th and should be added to this distinct 

 wave. Brown Thrasher and Ruddy Duck 

 on the loth, Mallard, Coot, Barn Swallow, 

 and Osprey on the 12th, and Spotted 

 Sandpiper on the 13th belonged to this 

 movement, but were a little delayed. 



A study of the records reveals the fact 

 that practically ajl of the March records 

 are late except that of the Ducks. Eight 

 species which normally arrive in March did 

 not come this year until April, but five 

 mid- April species were a week early. Thus 

 far there have been no arrivals on the 

 median date of arrival for the species. — 

 Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio. 



Minneapolis Region. — The third week 

 of February continued the prevailingly mild 

 weather of the past winter, but on the 

 24th of that month the thermometer fell 

 to — -7 degrees, and the cold continued with 

 an intermission of only one day — March 3 

 — to the second week of March. February 

 was the coldest month of the winter, though 

 slightly above the average of other years. 

 The mean was -I-16 degrees, the highest 

 temperature -(-37 degrees, and the lowest, 

 — 13 degrees on the 27th. Five or six inches 

 of snow fell on the last days of the month. 

 March, after the subzero weather on the 

 ist and sth, was a mild month with, for 

 the most part, pleasant and spring-like 

 days, the ground freezing hard for the last 

 time on the 26th and 27th. The first 

 thunder and lightning storm of the season 

 occurred on the 29th, with a temperature 

 of 76 degrees above zero in the sun at 

 3 P.M. The first half of April continued 

 mild, but on the 14th it became colder, 

 and a heavy, wet snow fell continuously 

 for nearly forty-eight hours. The ice went 

 out of the Mississippi River above the 

 Falls on March 22, the channel below hav- 

 ing been clear for some time before. About 

 this time a space of a hundred feet or so 

 was open around the larger lakes in the 

 vicinity, and on April 5, the ice broke and 

 soon disappeared, several days earlier 

 than usual. 



Following the mild winter, spring activi- 

 ties began somewhat earlier than usual, 



