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withstand severe cold. Every year some of the northern observers re- 

 port Robins wintering about their stations, and the winter of 1883->84 

 was no exception. One was seen, January 1, in northwestern Indiana; 

 another, January 11, at Yermilliou, Dak., and finally, at Hastings, 

 Minn., 500 miles from his brethren, "one was seen December 28, 1883, 

 with a flock of Pine Grosbeaks (Pinicola mucleator), apparently at home 

 and determined to spend the winter. It was seen repeatedly, and 

 actually remained till spring with the same flock of Grosbeaks." 



The distribution of the Robin in its winter home depends entirely on 

 the food supply ; where food is plenty, there the Robin remains, though 

 observers a few miles away may not see one all winter. At Manhat- 

 tan, Kans., berries are abundant, and during the winter of 1883-'84, as 

 in previous years, flocks of five hundred or more individuals were con- 

 stantly seen, while observers at stations but a short distance away re- 

 ported no Robins from December until February. Manhattan, Kans., 

 is the most northern station at which flocks of Robins remained during 

 the winter. So far as can be learned, but few wintered in Indian Ter- 

 ritory, nor did northern Texas fare much better; but they were reported 

 as wintering in immense numbers along 300 miles of the cafion of the 

 Nueces River in southwestern Texas. In Concho and Tom Green Coun- 

 ties Mr. Lloyd states that they are tolerably common in spring and fall, 

 and that a few winter in the river bottoms. They were reported from 

 all the Southern States, at some points as abundant, at others as rare. 



In the early spring of 1884, as if disliking winter quarters, the Robins 

 pushed north at the first breath of warm weather. Regardless of the 

 certainty of being overtaken by cold, they hurried on, and from Janu- 

 ary 31 to February 3 occupied all the country from which they had been 

 driven by the low temperature of the first of the year. This movement 

 was confined to comparatively few individuals, and while the scouts had 

 advanced to latitude 39°, or even a little farther north — single birds 

 having been seen at Burlington, Iowa, (lat. 40° 50') and at Lake Mills, 

 Wis. (lat. 43° 06') — the main body still remained in camp three or four 

 hundred miles to the south. Then followed a whole month of waiting, 

 during which time adventurous birds pressed northward, only to be 

 driven back by snow and ice; nor was the real advauce commenced 

 until March 9. From that date until they had passed our northern 

 boundary their advance was constant and more or less uniform. The 

 regular advance of the van appears to have been as follows: From 

 March 9 to 15 they spread over Illinois and eastern Nebraska to lati- 

 tude 41° 51' ; March 16, there was a slight advance in Iowa ; March 17 

 and 18, no record; March 19 and 20 an advance to latitude 43° in 

 Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, but not in Nebraska; March 21, a sud- 

 den spreading over Wisconsin to latitude 45°. 



By March 24 the rest of the stations in Wisconsin had reported, and 

 an equal advance had. taken place in Minnesota, so that by this date 

 the van was at latitude 45° along the whole line. North of this all the 



