Pat i La T TN 
Michigan Ornithological Club 
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY IN THE INTERESTS OF ORNITHOLOGY 
IN THE GREAT LAKE REGION. 

-MARCH—JUNE, 1905. Nos. 1& 2. 
V Obs w id: 



A HYPERLAKEN. MIGRATION ROUTE. 
BY P. A, TAVERNER. 
On going over some extra-limital records and comparing them with those 
of this state I was lately much struck with the peculiar cases of distribu- 
tion thus brought to light. The species in question are all western or 
uorthwestern breeding forms regularly migrating up and down the Mis- 
sissipp1 Valley, though straggling eastward in some cases, even to New 
England. It is to these stragglers and their peculiar distribution that I wish 
to call attention. 
On comparing various lists of the country about the Great Lakes it 
immediately strikes the attention that southeastern Ontario is more than 
usually well supplied with these rare forms.and from the comparative num- 
bers of such, it is evident that this section of Canada is more closely related, 
ornitholcgically, with the Prairie Regions of the northwest than its relative 
position on the map would lead one to suppose. The city of Toronto and 
its Immediate vicinity is especially so favored and some most astonishing 
records have been made within the city limits. 
Michigan, on the contrary. is surprisingly lacking in these forms, 
as are those parts of Ohio and Indiana lying immediately to he south. 
Considering that this state is several hundreds of miles nearer the natural 
range of these birds than Toronto, it is evident that this steady drift of 
accidental visitors to the shores of Lake Ontario and their regular avoid- 
ance of this state cannot be due to mere chance. The records cover a num- 
ber of years and can hardly be due to any temporary set of meteorological 
conditions, for though a storm might once in a while blows birds from, say, 
Wisconsin clear over this state into the middle of southern Ontario, such 
could not happen very often without depositing more of its flotsam and 
jetsam upon our own state than appears to be the case. 
In the following annotated list of the birds under discussion I have 
taken advantage of the following authorities: Kumlien & Hollister’s Birds 
of Wisconsin; Butler’s Birds of Indiana; Lynds Jones’ Birds of Ohio; 
Clyde Todd's Birds of Erie, Presque Isle Co., Pa. 
