44 The Wilson Bulletin. 



settle down to solid winter conditions. The warm days 

 during the last week came too late to influence the birds. 

 It is worthy of record, however, that their food was so abund- 

 ant that the Red-headed Woodpeckers remained in consider- 

 able numbers. 



January, 1899, was in no wise unusual. Warm during 

 the first week, cold during the second, warm during the 

 third and closing cold, with more or less snow during the 

 month, tells its story of any lack of influence upon the 

 birds. With February it was very different. The first and 

 second weeks were severe in the extreme. At Oberlin the 

 temperature was scarcely above zero any morning during 

 the first fifteen days. Following the cold came genuine 

 spring weather, bringing Robins and Bluebirds on the 20th, 

 and thus closing the winter. 



A snow storm on December 4th to 6th ushered in the 

 winter of 1899-1900. Another snow storm from the 13th to 

 16th, and a period of snow from the 26th to the 30th com- 

 pleted the winter records of this month. The remainder of 

 the month was unusually mild. There was nothing unusual 

 among the birds. January, 1900, was a continuation of 

 December, until the last four days brought a cold wave 

 and snow, the storm extending well into the first week of 

 February. There were no bird movements. February was 

 a month of sharp contrasts, ranging from 67 on the 9th to 

 4 below on the 27th, with two well marked cold waves: 

 one in the third week and one in the fourth. There was no 

 movement of the birds northward until March 7th. 



The winter of 1900— I began with snow in the north on 

 November 12th to 15th, driving some birds southward at 

 that time, but winter weather did not prevail in this region 

 until December 13th, which was the culmination of the first 

 real cold wave. The month presented no marked features. 



January, 1901, opened with a crusted snow covering the 

 ground, causing the absence of the carnivorous birds, except 

 the owls. Mourning Doves were forced south by this com- 

 plete blanket upon their food supply. For the rest of the 



