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ally resident in sonthern Illinois and southern Kansas, but the extreme 

 cold of the 1st of January, 1884, froze all ponds, lakes, and rivers, compel- 

 ling them to move further south. In southern Missouri, consequently, 

 they were unusually abundant during the winter of 1883-1884, and at 

 Caddo, Ind. Ter., a few stayed through the winter, but the great majority 

 moved much further south. Like the Eobin and other hardy species, 

 they remain far north when the conditions are favorable. Given food 

 and open water no degree of cold seems to affect them. Some habitu- 

 ally remain on the Illinois river in northern Illinois ; seven were seen 

 January 11, at Vermillion, Dak., where they were never before seen in 

 winter ; and several spent the winter, enduring a temperature of more 

 than 35° below zero, at Lake Pepin, Minn., and in a small open 

 creek near the same place ; while they have been often known to winter 

 around the warm springs in Wyoming. At Moss Point, Miss., only a 

 few miles from the Gulf, the first Mallards arrived November 15, 1883, 

 and the bulk from December 1 to December 15. They were present by 

 thousands during their short " winter," and the bulk left the coast about 

 the middle of January. All were gone February 1, at which date the 

 bulk had hardly passed north of the Gulf States, so that during the lat- 

 ter part of January and the first half of February the great mass of 

 the Mallards was gathered between parallels 33° and 37°. In south- 

 ern Louisiana the movements of Ducks in general began somewhat later, 

 but they were fairly under way by February. Probably few Mallards 

 were included in this flight, which was principally composed of the coast 

 Ducks rather than the river Ducks.^ Before this, in the latter part of 

 January, and the first few days of February, the warm wave had caused 

 great movements among the river Ducks. They returned to southern 

 Illinois, and to those parts of southern Missouri up to Saint Louis, from 

 which they had been driven early in January. The limit of this move- 

 ment was at Odin, 111. (lat. 38° 39'), and, on the Mississippi river, at 

 Alton, 111. (lat. 38° So 7 ). In the West the wave was scarcely felt north 

 of Caddo, Ind. Ter., and not at all in the northern part of the Territory, 

 where the moisture which fell in copious rains in the southern portion 

 was precipitated as snow and sleet. Then followed a month of con- 

 stant swaying to and fro, the flight advancing one day to be driven 

 back the next by fierce northern blasts. During the entire month prac- 

 tically no headway was made. A few stragglers managed to force their 

 way northward for a short distance, reaching Danville, 111. ; Ferry, Iowa ; 

 Fayette, Mo.; Unadilla and Linwood, Nebr.; but the bulk made little 

 movement, scarcely passing beyond the Gulf States ; and the struggle 

 was temporarily terminated about the 1st of March by a "second 

 winter," which recongealed the open water and sent the Ducks back to 

 winter quarters. At Waverly,-Miss., the course of events, according 

 to Major Young, was as follows : 



In both years, 1883 and 1884, Ducks went north at the same time, and under the 

 same conditions. There was a big overflow of the Tombigbee river in February, 



