171 



braska, May 9, and 44° 2V in Dakota, May 22. Farther west, almost at 

 the extreme limit of its western dispersion, it was observed at Gaines- 

 ville, Tex., and Ellis, Kans. The full record from Saint Louis is as fol- 

 lows: 



April 26, first (three males at stands calling); April 28, bulk of males arrived (in 

 all the notes the hulk of the species averaged about four days behind the first) ; May 

 3, first females (the average for females was seven days behiud the first, and as the 

 arrivals of the bulk may be separated into two series, one about two or three days in 

 the rear of the firsts, and the other of seven or eight, it is evident that the first series 

 indicates the arrival of the bulk of the males, while the second indicates the increase 

 of the species as a whole, caused by the arrival of the females) ; May 5, bulk of fe- 

 males and many transients arrived, making this day the height of the season. (As 

 has already been stated, this day and the next were the days of special movement of 

 this species, and this seems to have been true over an immense area of country, 

 stretching from latitude 34° to latitude 44°.) May 10, the first one-year-old male 

 arrived; May 11, species very much excited, and transient birds of last year present; 

 May 31, set found of six incubated eggs. 



In the fall of 1884 the bulk and the last individual left Williamstown, 

 Iowa, August 8. The bulk left Des Moines, Iowa, August 26 ; the last 

 was seen there August 30. At Mount Carmel, Mo., none were seen after 

 the middle of the month, and at Gainesville, Tex., they were seen 

 August 20. 



In the spring of 1883 the migration of the Baltimore Oriole in the 

 Mississippi Valley, so far as our stations are concerned, began April 15, 

 when the species was seen at Corinth, Miss. April 20 it reached Shaw- 

 neetown. 111., and Saint Louis, Mo. Two days later it appeared at Paris, 

 111., one degree farther north. April 25 and April 20 it was reported 

 from Aledo, 111., and Mount Pleasant and Keokuk, Iowa. April 29 and 

 April 30 the movement extended northeastward up the Rock River Val- 

 ley to Batavia, III, Hennepin, 111., and Clinton, Wis. On the Iowa Eiver 

 they appeared at Iowa City and Coral ville, Iowa, May 1. .At Des Moines, 

 Iowa, they were not seen until May 3. May 5 a large wave brought 

 them to Williamstown, Iowa, and carried them up the Mississippi River 

 to Lake City, Minn., and to Ripon and Leeds Centre, Wis. No further 

 advance was made until after the cold snap ; then on the 13th and 14th 

 of May they appeared at Green Bay and River Falls, Wis., and Elk 

 River, Minn. Either they traveled earlier on the Plains (where they were 

 noted from Manhattan, Kans., April 21, and Linwood, Kebr., April 24), 

 or else they moved very fast in the latter part of their course, for they 

 were reported from Ossowo, Manitoba, May 15; Shell River, Manitoba, 

 May 1G, and Oak Point, Manitoba, May 19. In the fall of 1885 the 

 last migrants were reported from Heron Lake, Minn., September 9 ; 

 Grinnell, Iowa, September 16 ; Fayette, Mo., September 1 ; and from 

 Bonham, Tex., September 5. 



508. Icterus bullocki (Swains.). [272.] Bullock's Oriole. 



This is a bird of the far west, coming east to the western edge of 

 our district. In Dakota it seems to be tolerably common from the 



