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ally resident in southern Illinois and southern Kansas, but the extreme 
cold of the 1st of January, 1884, froze all ponds, lakes, and rivers, compel- 
ling them to move further south. In southern Missouri, consequently, 
they were unusually abundant during the winter of 1883-1884, and at 
Caddo, Ind. Ter., a few stayed through the winter, but the great majority 
moved much further south. Like the Robin and other hardy species, 
they remain far north when the conditions are favorable. Given food 
and open water no degree of cold seems to affect them. Some habitu- 
ally remain on the Illinois river in northern Illinois; seven were seen 
January 11, at Vermillion, Dak., where they were never before seen in 
winter; and several spent the winter, enduring a temperature of more 
than 35° below zero, at Lake Pepin, Miun., and in a small open 
creek near the same place; while they have been often known to winter 
around the warm springs in Wyoming. At Moss Point, Miss., only a 
few miles from the Gulf, the first Mallards arrived November 15, 1883, 
and the bulk from December 1 to December 15. They were present by 
thousands during their short “ winter,” and the bulk left the coast about 
the middle of January. All were gone February 1, at which date the 
bulk had hardly passed north of the Gulf States, so that during the lat- 
ter part of January and the first half of February the great mass of 
the Mallards was gathered between parallels 33° and 37°. In south- 
ern Louisiana the movements of Ducks in general began somewhat later, 
but they were fairly under way by February. Probably few Mallards 
were included in this flight, which was principally composed of the coast 
Ducks rather than the river Ducks. Before this, in the latter part of 
January, and the first few days of February, the warm wave had caused 
great movements among the river Ducks. They returned to southern 
Illinois, and to those parts of southern Missouri up to Saint Louis, from 
which they had been driven early in January. The limit of this move- 
ment was at Odin, II. (lat. 38° 39’), and, on the Mississippi river, at 
Alton, IIL. (lat. 38° 55’), In the West the wave was scarcely felt north 
. of Caddo, Ind. Ter., and not at all in the northern part of the Territory, 
where the moisture which fell in copious rains in the southern portion 
was precipitated as snow and sleet. Then followed a month of con- 
stant swaying to and fro, the flight advancing one day to be driven 
back the next by fierce northern blasts. During the entire month prac- 
tically no headway was made. A few stragglers managed to force their 
way northward for a short distance, reaching Danville, Ill.; Ferry, lowa; 
Fayette, Mo.; Unadilla and Linwood, Nebr.; but the bulk made little 
movement, scarcely passing beyond the Gulf States; and the struggle 
was temporarily terminated about the Ist of March by a “second 
winter,” which recongealed the open water and sent the Ducks back to 
winter quarters. At Waverly, Miss., the course of events, according 
to Major Young, was as follows: 
In both years, 1883 and 1884, Ducks went north at the same time, and under the 
same conditions. There was a big overflow of the Tombigbee river in February, 
