﻿56 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Wood 
  ducks 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  waterfowl 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  

   muscles 
  studded 
  with 
  the 
  cysts 
  of 
  threadworms 
  or 
  tapeworms. 
  While 
  para- 
  

   sites 
  may 
  not 
  kill 
  fullgrown 
  birds 
  directly 
  they 
  often 
  diminish 
  their 
  

   vitality 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  they 
  fall 
  an 
  easy 
  prey 
  to 
  carnivorous 
  

   animals 
  or 
  unfavorable 
  weather 
  conditions. 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  the 
  dangers 
  which 
  befall 
  the 
  feathered 
  tribe, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  

   doubtless 
  true 
  that 
  unfavorable 
  conditions 
  of 
  weather, 
  whether 
  of 
  wind 
  

   or 
  flood 
  or 
  snow 
  or 
  drought, 
  destroy 
  more 
  birds 
  directly 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   agencies 
  already 
  mentioned. 
  During 
  migration 
  time 
  they 
  are 
  subject 
  

   to 
  the 
  greatest 
  mortality 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  driven 
  to 
  sea 
  by 
  storms 
  and 
  perish 
  

   in 
  the 
  waves. 
  At 
  times 
  of 
  fog 
  or 
  heavy 
  rain 
  or 
  tempest, 
  they 
  fly 
  against 
  

   lighthouses, 
  wires 
  and 
  other 
  objects. 
  They 
  even 
  pitch 
  headlong 
  into 
  lakes 
  

   and 
  rivers 
  as 
  they 
  descend 
  toward 
  the 
  earth 
  during 
  fogs 
  and 
  storms, 
  failing 
  

   to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  as 
  they 
  approach 
  it, 
  and 
  their 
  water- 
  

   soaked 
  plumage 
  renders 
  them 
  unable 
  to 
  rise 
  again. 
  Mr 
  William 
  Brewster 
  

   has 
  observed 
  such 
  catastrophes 
  on 
  the 
  lakes 
  of 
  Maine, 
  and 
  several 
  accounts 
  

   have 
  come 
  to 
  my 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  wholesale 
  destruction 
  of 
  small 
  birds 
  in 
  

   Oneida 
  lake 
  and 
  other 
  bodies 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  our 
  own 
  State. 
  Dr 
  T. 
  S. 
  Roberts 
  

   has 
  given 
  an 
  authentic 
  account' 
  of 
  the 
  tremendous 
  catastrophe 
  which 
  

   befell 
  the 
  migrating 
  longspurs 
  in 
  Minnesota 
  during 
  March 
  1905, 
  when 
  

   millions 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  were 
  killed 
  by 
  flying 
  against 
  trees, 
  buildings, 
  and 
  

   the 
  ice 
  of 
  lakes 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  see 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  heavy 
  snow- 
  

   storm 
  which 
  overtook 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  flight. 
  

  

  During 
  long-continued 
  rainy 
  weather 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  heavy 
  rainstorms 
  

   there 
  is 
  high 
  mortality 
  among 
  young 
  birds 
  and 
  sometimes 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  

   themselves 
  are 
  killed. 
  Martins 
  and 
  swallows 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  dead 
  about 
  

   the 
  barns 
  and 
  boxes 
  which 
  they 
  inhabit 
  after 
  a 
  continued 
  cold 
  rain 
  in 
  April 
  

   or 
  May. 
  Five 
  hummingbirds 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  me 
  on 
  the 
  31st 
  of 
  May 
  

   1 
  88 
  1, 
  having 
  been 
  killed 
  the 
  previous 
  day 
  by 
  a 
  snowstorm 
  which 
  whitened 
  

   the 
  ground 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  of 
  the 
  morning. 
  These 
  of 
  course 
  were 
  an 
  insig- 
  

   nificant 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  which 
  were 
  thus 
  killed 
  in 
  that 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  'Auk, 
  24: 
  369-77. 
  

  

  