27 



uncovered ; and all our winter residents were here in great numbers. 

 But January 2 a heavy storm set in, and on the 4th the mercury was 

 — 21°, the coldest day for twenty years. Ducks and a great majority of 

 our winter birds left and stayed away during the cold spell, which 

 lasted through January." Still farther south, H. Nehrling, from Pierce 

 City, Mo. (lat. 36° 56'), reported that " Harris's Sparrow, the Fox 

 Sparrow, the Song Sparrow, and Towhee, after being common in the 

 early winter, all left about January 1." At Caddo, Ind. Ter. (lat. 34° 

 11'), the children were barefoot on Christmas Day, and the woods were 

 fall of birds and bird song; after the cold spell of January 2 the woods 

 were found still and almost tenantless. 



First icave of 1884. — Turning now to northward movements, it is 

 found that the first spring wave occurred at Saint Louis (lat. 38° 40'), 

 in the latter part of January. Its record is as follows : January 25, 

 a warm wave set in which continued until February 5 ; the warmest 

 day (maximum 67°) was January 30. During this time the creeks were 

 free from ice after the 29th, and the ice broke up in the Mississippi. 

 The first wave brought the advance guard of Robins (Herula migrato- 

 ria), Eed-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phmnieeus), Purple Grackles 

 (Quiscalns quiscula), Mallards (Anas boschas). Sprig-tails (Dafila 

 acuta), and Canada Geese (Br ant a canadensis). The Bluebirds (Sialia 

 stalls), Shrikes (Laniiis ludovicianus), Bed-tailed Hawks (Buteo boreal- 

 is), Bed-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lincatus), and Gulls (Larus argen- 

 tatus smiths onianus), which had left during the coldest term, returned. 

 Many Gulls passed, going north, and the vast multitude of Crows 

 (Corvus americaniis), whose numbers had swelled to something near 

 50,000 during the first half of January, decreased rapidly after the 26th. 



This being the state of affairs at Saint Louis, it remains to deter- 

 mine the boundaries of the wave. As would naturally be expected, a 

 large stretch of country south of Saint Louis was affected. In the 

 extreme south, in Mississippi, the same wave of warm weather was 

 found, but since water-fowl and other birds had been passing and re- 

 passing all the month no special effect on migration was noted. On 

 reaching southern Illinois a state of things exactly similar to that at 

 Saint Louis was found. Thus at Anna, 111. (lat. 37° 30'), the "Ducks, 

 which had left January 2, began to return and remained off and on 

 during February, which was variable, raining and freezing alternately" 

 (C. W. Butler)/ West of Anna, at Pierce City, Mo. (lat, 3G° 56'), on 

 January 30 and 31, the Bobins and Bluebirds, which had been sent 

 south by the cold of January 2, returned; and large flocks of Bed- 

 winged Blackbirds passed north, followed a day or two afterward by 

 large flocks of Canada Geese, Brant, Snow Geese, Mallards, Pintails, 

 and Teal. Even as far southwest as Caddo, lud. Ter. (lat. 34° IP), 

 the same wave was felt. It began there January 24, but was not de- 

 cidedly felt until the 28th. It entirely obliterated all signs of winter 

 and started the first spring migration. Ducks and Geese moved a 



