364 



Bird - Lore 



watch an even more unusual nesting-place. 

 Early in June we noticed a female Hermit 

 placing nesting material on a beam sup- 

 porting the roof of the piazza of the cot- 

 tage occupied by Miss Florence DeMeritte. 

 The same site was used formerly by a 

 family of Phoebes. After building here for 

 several days, she changed her mind and 

 began to build a few feet farther along the 

 beam. All the while Miss DeMeritte and 

 her sister used to sing or whistle to the 

 bird, who did not seem to know the mean- 

 ing of fear. Before the second nest was 



finished, the bird seemed to change her 

 mind once more, and deserting her former 

 nesting-sites, she began to build a third 

 nest in the gutter which ran along the 

 eaves of the house. There, over twenty 

 feet above the ground, she raised her 

 family, not fearing the people who 

 watched her at her work. 



Of course, I realize that the Hermit does 

 not always build upon the ground, but 

 such a record is unusual and perhaps 

 unique. — Albert E. Lownes, Providence, 

 R. I. 



THE SEASON 

 XVI. August 15 to October 15, 1919 



Boston Region. — The autumn migra- 

 tion began early. During the last few days 

 of August there was an unusually notice- 

 able appearance of Myrtle Warblers, a rare 

 bird at this time of year. The first Black- 

 poll Warbler was reported on September i, 

 promptly on its scheduled date. Septem- 

 ber was rainy, and during the whole month, 

 after the Barn Swallows and Kingbirds left 

 on September 6, birds were very scarce. A 

 prominent migration of Accipiter Hawks 

 passed southward in the first half of the 

 month, but during the thirty days follow- 

 ing September 10, there were almost no 

 birds in this country region, no more than 

 in the dead of a poor bird-winter. 



This period in the autumn, sometimes 

 continuing for two or three weeks, when 

 there appears to be a dead calm in the 

 flight of migrants, and often preceded and 

 followed by a time of great activity, may 

 be termed the 'September doldrums.' This 

 year the doldrums were well marked and 

 protracted. They did not terminate until 

 October 12, when Myrtle Warblers in full 

 numbers, accompanied by many Ruby- 

 crowned Kinglets and fewer Yellow Palm 

 and Palm Warblers, made a sudden and 

 general appearance. Yellow-bellied Sap- 

 suckers were present, also, with this flight, 

 in numbers above normal. 



This review of the past two months sug- 

 gests a query as to the explanation of the 



double migration of the Myrtle Warbler. 

 In the interval between early September 

 and mid-October there were none here, or 

 practically none — a few came early, many 

 came late. The same division, although 

 less marked, may sometimes be noted in 

 the case of the Blackpoll, when a few birds 

 appear in August, two weeks before their 

 steady southward march begins in Sep- 

 tember. — WiNSOR M. Tyler, M.D., Lex- 

 ington, Mass. 



New York Region. — These two 

 months, which cover most of the southward 

 migration hereabouts, were marked by 

 plentiful rain, an unusual prevalence of 

 wind from various points in the east, and 

 scarcity of sharp northwest clear-offs. The 

 most diverse wave of transients probably 

 went through between September i o and 1 5 . 

 The first few days in October, Blackpoll 

 Warblers, in the greenish, yellowish plum- 

 age of fall and young birds, were very 

 numerous, till on the fifth they were as 

 ubiquitous in the trees as those leaves just 

 beginning to let go one by one and eddy 

 downward here and there, and their chips 

 and squeaks sounded on every hand. In 

 the succeeding week their numbers fell ofi^ 

 rapidly; each bright morning brought quan- 

 tities of the more hardy Myrtle Warbler, 

 and Robins for the most part disappeared. 

 A few days later than the Myrtle Warblers 



