REPORT 



ON THE IMMIGRATIONS OF SUMMER RESIDENTS IN 

 THE SPRING OF 1908. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



The Fourth Annual Report deals with the spring immigration 

 of birds into this country in 1908 and with the chief move- 

 ments observed during the autumn of 1907. Following 

 our usual custom, we have restricted our remarks to the 

 facts noted during that period and have not attempted in any 

 way to generalize or to compare one year with another. 



The early part of April 1908 was comparatively fine and 

 dry, but the temperature was slightly below the normal. 

 About the 19th the weather broke and became wet and 

 stormy : on the 21th and 25th snow fell and it was except 

 tionally cold for the time of year. Soon after the beginning 

 of May the weather improved and continued fairly fine 

 during the remainder of the month. 



The arrival of our earlier migrants was somewhat later 

 than usual, ami although stragglers of the various species 

 arrived about their ordinary time, the main bulk of the birds 

 had not appeared on the 19th of April. On the 20th, however, 

 the immigration commenced in earnest, and on the 26th birds 

 began to pour in, the greatest numbers arriving on the 29th, 

 when no less than twenty-five out of the thirty-four specially 

 recorded species arrived in considerable numbers. During 

 the following ten days the immigration continued and culmi- 

 nated on the 9th of May in another great influx, including 

 nineteen different species. After that date the migration 

 began to wane, only three species being recorded on the 12th, 

 and a fortnight later it ceased altogether. It will thus be 



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