126 



spicuous September 22, was present in bulk September 25, and was last 

 seen September 27. 



388. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (Wils.). [388.] Black-billed Cuckoo. 



A common summer resident in Manitoba and most parts of the Mis- 

 sissippi Yalley except the extreme southern portion. In the spring of 

 1884 no records were received relating to the date when it entered the 

 United States, but it appeared at Saint Louis, Mo., and at Hennepin, 

 111., May 5. May 12 it was seen at Coralville, Iowa; May 16 at Lake 

 Mills and New Cassel, Wis. ; May 22 at Elk Eiver, Minn. ; May 31 at 

 Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and June 1 at Oak Point, Manitoba (lati- 

 tude 50o 30'). 



In the fail of 1884 the bulk left Williamstown, Iowa, August 10, and 

 none were seen there after that date. 



In the spring of 1885 no notes were sent but those of ' firsts,' and they 

 are as follows: Saint Lonis, Mo., May 15; Des Moines and Grinnell, 

 Iowa, May 16; Iowa City, Iowa, and Hennepin, Fern wood, and Eock- 

 foid, 111., May 17; Heron Lake and Elk River, Minn., May 22 ; and Shell 

 Eiver, Manitoba, June 16. 



In the fall of 1885, at Elk Eiver, Minn., it was last seen September 7. 

 At Saint Louis, Mo., it became conspicuous September 22; the bulk 

 was present September 25, and departed September 29; and the last was 

 seen October 16. In Ooncho county, Tex., it is a spring and fall migrant. 



389. Trogon ambiguus Gould. [384.] Coppery -tailed Trogon. 



The home of this Trogon is in central and northern Mexico. Two 

 specimens were killed in southern Texas in the summer of 1877 (Merrill, 

 Proc. IT. S. Nat. Mus., Yol. I, 1878, p. 118). 



390. Ceryle alcyon (Linn.). [382.] Belted Kingfisher . 



The Kingfisher is a common summer resident in Manitoba and the 

 Mississippi Valley. Its winter home is bounded on the north by the 

 southern limit of frozen water. His food is found in the water, and when 

 cut off' from it by the ice he must migrate or perish. The extreme 

 cold of the winter of 1883-'84 sent him much further south than usual. 

 While often seen in ordinary winters at latitude 39° in Kansas, none 

 stayed in this latitude during the winter of 1883-'84, nor was there a 

 record from any point north of latitude 36°, though it is probable that 

 at favorable places, such as spring-holes, a few may have wintered. 

 From the nature of the case the northward movement of the Kingfisher 

 is irregular. Near rivers which open early he will be among the first 

 birds to arrive, while at neighboring ponds and lakes many days may 

 pass before he appears. But even the presence or absence of ice fails 

 to explain a large share of the irregular notes. In Ooncho and Tom 

 Green counties, Tex., it is an abundant resident (Lloyd). 



In the spring of 1884 a single individual was seen at Saint Louis, 

 Mo. ? February 25, but the regular movement did not begin until March 



