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reported to be more abundant in winter than in summer, but there 
seems to be a gap during the winter between this State and Mexico. 
It appears to shun the whole State of Texas, passing on to Mexico. 
Mr. Nehrling did not find it in southeastern Texas, and distinctly says 
that it “arrives in the spring from its more southern winter home.” 
Mr. N. ©. Brown did not find it at Boerne, Tex.; Mr. Lloyd says that 
only a few stragglers are seen at San Angelo in winter; Mr. Henry re- 
cords it as a rare winter bird at Mason, and even so far south as Eagle 
Pass Mr, Negley gives it as arriving in the spring from the south. The 
case is not without paralle], for much the same thing occurs with the 
Pheebe (Sayornis phebe) and the Turkey Buzzard (Cathartes aura). At 
Caddo, Ind. Ter., two hundred miles south of its ordinary wintering 
place on the Mississippi, none were seen after November 12. 
In the spring of 1884 the first warm wave brought the Crow Black- 
birds back to Saint Louis February 2, and to one or two other places; 
but winter returned and no real movement took place until after the 
warm weather came again. At Saint Louis the general thaw began 
March 10, and March 11 the real migration began. March 12 several 
flocks arrived at Alton, Ill.; thousands passed over Hillsborough, IIL; 
many were seen at Carlinville, Ill., and the first arrived next day at 
Mount Carmel, Mo., and at Gainesville, Tex. By March 18 the species 
had advanced to a little beyond latitude 42° in southern Wisconsin and 
in Iowa, with no irregular notes beyond these points, while in the west 
they had not been seen north of latitude 35°. During the next week 
(to March 25) great progress was made, and the van was brought fairly 
up to latitude 44945’ in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but in the west it 
reached latitude 44° only. In Indian Territory, Kansas, and Nebraska 
most of the movement took place March 20 and March 21; but in Min- 
nesota and Wisconsin the Purple Grackles helped to swell the ranks of 
the multitudes of birds that were migrating on March 23 and March 24. 
This species was reported at Minneapolis and Elk River, Minn., March 
28 and March 29, and the bulk about April 1. Thus in the Mississippi 
River region it had extended well up toward our northern border before 
the storms of early April set in, and since it reached Oak Point, Mani- 
toba, April 10, it may be supposed that some representatives of the 
species were north of the storm center, which was in central Dakota, 
and hence were not delayed in their northward journey. In the west 
the case was different. A single individual had reached Vermillion, 
Dak., April 1, but it was far ahead of its fellows, which had been 
caught and stopped by the snow-storms which continued from about 
March 20 to April 10. Then they moved again, and from April 16 to 
April 18 were seen as far north as Argusville, Dak. At Larimore, 
Dak., out on the prairie, they were not seen until May 4, and far west, 
at Ellis, Kaus., they did not come until April 19. 
From the aunly date of the appearance of this species at Oak Point, 
Manitoba, and from several other early dates—early as compared with 
