Influence of Severity of the Season, 285 



CHAPTER XII. 



The Naturalist's Calendar, showing the changes of Climate, the arrivals 

 and departures of Migratory Birds, Fishes, etc. 



DURING three years' sojourn in central New Brunswick I 

 noted regularly the chief meteorological changes, and 

 also the arrivals and departures of the migratory animals, and 

 found that unless during unusual seasons the sequence of the 

 latter was maintained with marked regularity. Moreover, the 

 summer migrants were little affected as to numbers, unless by 

 being delayed by unusual lateness in the season, or by their 

 departure being hastened by a sudden setting in of cold in 

 autumn, the winter visitors being invariably most numerous 

 when the season was ushered in by inordinate severity, 

 when they continued in unusual numbers throughout the 

 cold months. Again, on the other hand, provided the tran- 

 sition was gradual between summer and winter, and the latter 

 continued comparatively mild, then few winter birds put in 

 an appearance as compared with unusually cold winters. I 

 shall now attempt to convey some idea of these phenomena 

 from notes made in my diary as follows, commencing with 



" January 1st. — The usual midwinter thaw has set in after 

 weeks of very low temperature, often io° to 20 below zero 

 of Fahrenheit. It is now that the north winds and biting 

 cold of November and December somewhat moderate, as if 

 the south-east winds had triumphed over the arctic blasts 

 in a degree ; indeed it is rare to have more than three days 

 in succession of intense cold, which comes in spells,, often 



