THE TWIN ISLANDS. 177 



true of the common "devil diver" or dabchick until 

 recently, but of late years they are " irregularly " resi- 

 dent ; but this may not be the " eel crow " of Dr. Bar- 

 ton, and all the other representatives of this family come 

 to us in autumn and are winter residents ; being more 

 or less abundant, as the winter proves mild or severe ; 

 for while not scared by ice, they nevertheless delight in 

 open water and an abundance of fish. 



That the author we have quoted was acquainted with 

 the winter birds of this neighborhood would appear 

 from the following, and it would seem that the birds 

 mentioned have really altered their habits to a certain 

 extent. Dr. Barton writes : " How much the move- 

 ments of birds from one country to another depend 

 upon the state of the seasons, will appear from different 

 parts of this little work, particularly from the Third 

 Section. Here we find that during our mild winters 

 several of those species of birds which, in general, are 

 undoubtedly migratory, continue the winter through 

 in the neighborhood of Philadelphia. Such, which I 

 have denominated the Occasional or Accidental Resident 

 Birds, are the Ardea herodias, or great heron ; Columba 

 Carolinensis, or turtle-dove ; the Frijigilla melodia, and 

 several others : I doubt not many more than I have 

 mentioned." Of these three species, the former only is 

 " occasionally " resident ; the others are strictly so. Dr. 

 Barton continues, as follows : " The Columba migratoria, 

 passenger pigeon, commonly returns from the northward 

 late in the fall, and continues with us a few days or 

 weeks, feeding in our fields upon the seed of the buck- 

 wheat, or in the woods upon acorns. But if the season 

 8* 



