8 Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley. 



over the surface of which a variety of water beetles perambulated. In short, 

 there was life everywhere, where a few hours before the death of Winter had 

 reigned. It seemed to me to be the awakening of Spring, and the scene was per- 

 fected when the spirited "honk" of great numbers of departing geese was 

 heard overhead. 



This week, March 4 to March 11, was remarkable for its scarcity of birds. 

 No birds have arrived, although we have had two south -wind periods, but of 

 too short duration. On the fourth the wind shifted rapidly from southwest 

 to west, then to northwest, north, northeast, and on the fifth with a light rain 

 to southeast, and during the night to southwest, the temperature going up all 

 the time from 30 dgs. to 50 dgs., only to sink down again to 30 dgs. during the 

 sixth, with the wind from the northwest increasing in strength. 



March 7, clear, cold, temperature from 19 to 31 dgs. Wind northwest, north 

 and northeast. 



March 8, clear, bright, but cool wind from the southeast and south. Tem- 

 perature from 22 to 44 dgs. 



March 9, after a clear, cool night (34 dgs.), we had a clear day with a good 

 breeze from the south, with a maximum temperature of 64 dgs. until the 

 wind changed suddenly to northwest at 5 p. m. 



March 10 and 11 we had high winds from the west and northwest, with a 

 partly clear sky, and temperature near freezing. 



I had expected many species, which generally arrive during the first ten 

 days of March, but after having been through field and woods all day long on 

 the eighth and ninth, I was certain that not a single chippy nor field 

 sparrow, towhee bunting, American goldfinch, purple grackle, etc., had come. 



Just now, we have even less land birds here than in January and February. 

 The bluebirds, robins, meadow larks, and red-winged blackbirds, are the only 

 ones which have arrived and spread, while many Winter visitants have left. 

 The Lapland longspurs and the redpoll linnets have not been seen again; the 

 purple finches have almost all gone. The gold finches have not yet returned. 

 The tree sparrows have thinned out, and the enow birds are decidedly less 

 numerous. 



The eleventh and twelfth brought no change, the weather was cold and 

 windy. The thirteenth was foggy, but two light thunderstorms in the afternoon 

 cleared the atmosphere. On the thirteenth I met the first field sparow, a 

 male, in song, at the same place where I found the first bird last year, on the 

 first of March (twelve days earlier). The fourteenth was expected to bring 

 many changes, as it was the day after the first shower, followed by a warm 

 night with southwest wind. The day opened brilliantly; a clear sky, soft, 

 pure air, 51 dgs., and a light southwest wind. But it was the old story over 

 again, wind and mercury went up too high, and a fierce thunderstorm came 

 up and down went the mercury again to 31 dgs. on the following day, 

 which remained cold with a strong northwest wind. 



The sixteenth was a fine day, cold at first, but gradually growing milder and 

 very pleasant, with a brisk southwest wind. Birds were active till 1 p. m. 



March 17. Another fine day, but no additions. 



Sunday (March 18) was fine, the temperature went up rapidly from 51 to 78 

 dgs. in the afternoon, until the wind shifted from south to north, almost un- 

 noticed at first, as there was no thunderstorm and not a drop of rain, but the 



