104 NORTH AMERICAN WARBLERS. 



Usually but few eastern water-thrushes remain in winter in any part 

 of the United States. Moreover, their dates of migration are so late 

 as to indicate a journey from a far southern land. In addition to the 

 difficulty of separating the eastern and western forms, there is the 

 added trouble that a large number of southern observers do not dis- 

 criminate with certainty between these forms and S. motacilla. As a 

 result there is a small residuum of available notes. There is no series 

 of unquestionable records south of Raleigh, N. C, where the average 

 date of arrival for six years is April 25, with extremes of April 20, 

 1889, and April 29, 1891. From this we may infer that the birds 

 reach the latitude of southern Florida by the first week in April. The 

 Raleigh birds are certainlv the eastern form, and those observed at St. 

 Louis as surely the western; yet the five 3'ears' average of the dates 

 of first appearance at St. Louis is April 27. This indicates that 

 althoughthe western form is in advance, the difference is so slight that 

 from a mixed lot of data it would not be safe to assign early dates to 

 the western form and late to the eastern. To the northward average 

 records of arrival are: Washington, April 30; Philadelphia, May 6; 

 central Connecticut, May 4; Boston, May 8; southern Maine, May 10; 

 central New Brunswick, May 14. West of the AUeghenies, Waterloo, 

 Ind., is reached April 26; Listowel, Ontario, April 28; the Parry 

 Sound district of Ontario, May 5, and Ottawa, Ontario, May 12. 



Although the southern breeding range of the water-thrush is in the 

 Canadian life zone, some individuals are very late in leaving their win- 

 ter quarters. The species has been taken at Minca, Colombia, ! larch 

 17, 1879; Concepcion, Colombia, March 17, 1899; San Jos^, Costa 

 Rica, May 21, 1889; southeastern Nicaragua, May 5, 1892; Yucatan, 

 April 22, 1901; San Andres Tuxtla, Vera Cruz (1,600 to 3,000 feet). 

 May 11-13, 1894; Las Vigas, Vera Ctuz (8,000 feet), April 26, 1897; 

 Cay Lobos lighthouse, May 2 and 17, 1900; Cay Sal, Bahamas, May 

 14-19, 1891; Tortugas, May 2, 1890; Raleigh, N. C, May 28, 1887, 

 May 23, 1891. 



This species and S. onotacilla have struck the Florida lighthouses 

 on many nights, sometimes in enormous numbers, but they can not be 

 distinguished in the records. 



Fall 'migration. — The water-thrush is the earliest fall migrant of the 

 warblers whose southern breeding range is in the Canadian life zone, 

 and which do not breed in the southern Allegheny Mountains. It has 

 been noted as early as July 15 at Worcester, Mass., and by the last of 

 the month at Ossining, N. Y., and Washington, D. C; also in late 

 July and early August at Raleigh, N. C. The first to strike Fire 

 Island light. Long Island, in 1892 was noted August 14. Early fall 

 migrants arrived at Raleigh August 17, 1885, August 17, 1887, August 

 2, 1888, July 29, 1892, August 7, 1894, August 6, 1898, and August 



