118 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-No. 8 



at high tide, but are almost dry at low. Tiiese 

 flats have been from time immemorial, a great 

 resort for shore birds in their Spring and Fall mi- 

 grations. Of late years gunning has greatly de- 

 creased about here, and where a few years ago 

 many flocks of large birds landed, not more than 

 one out of a dozen touches to-day. Breech-load- 

 ing guns, market gunners and city sportsmen are 

 fast exterminating these birds. 



I arrived at the island May 7. Found lied and 

 Bulf-shouklered Blackbirds abundant. They 

 *° ucXiuuu"'' ^^^^ fli"st of June. Song 

 \jlant May 37; last seen June 10. Two Semi- 

 iHamated Plover were seen May 11; became 

 codmion the 31st and abundant May 31. Did 

 not s\o any after May 30. Three Semiplamalcd 

 Sandpfj^ers arrived Mny 12, and the birds be- 

 came abtuidant May 10 ; la.si .slch .Iiiiiu 34. Four 

 Arctic Terns arrived May l:.! and were reinforced 

 May 19 by a largo numljer. Tliey remained near 

 the flats unlil about tlie l.jtli of June, when they 

 began to diminisli. A law Sanderliugs arrived 

 May 13 and were seen in small numbers until 

 June 37. Roseate Tei- 

 bers May 19 and reniaii 

 June. Common 'IVins 

 May 13, and muny ic 

 June. A few brci'il on 



Collected a i Pintail Duck in company with a 

 9 May 13. Least Sandpipers arrived in full 

 force May 13 and were abund;int on the salt 

 meadows until about June 1. Thhe Least Terns 

 arrivcdy on tlie afternoon of May IT,; became 

 abundant May 19 ; first young seen .Iiuie 1.3, 



May 17, I saw several Bonaparte Gulls on a 

 sand bar. Did not see any after May 3fl. A 



rrived in small num- 

 until about the ISth of 

 i\ cil in large numbers 

 iK il through May and 

 : island. 



June. Common Terns arrived in large numbers 

 May 13, and many remained through May and 

 Jime. A few breed on the island. 



Collected a i Pintail Duck in company with a 

 S May 13. Least Sandpipers arrived in full 

 force May 13 and were abundant on the salt 

 meadows until about June 1. Three Least Terns 

 arrived on the afternoon of May 15; became ! 

 abundant May 19 ; first young seen June 13. 



May 17, I saw several Bonaparte Gulls on a 

 sand bar. Did not see any after May 39. A 



bunch of about two dozen Red-breasted Snipe 

 arrived May 30. Saw but one afterward, May 

 33. Saw a bunch of Turnstone May 30 ; next 

 seen May 35 ; last seen June 34. Saw an adult 

 $ Blackburnian Warbler feeding in the grass on 

 a sand hill near salt meadow. May 30, also shot 

 a S Black-poll Warbler in a low bush the s me 

 day. May 33, saw quite a number of Jaegers. 

 One marbled Godwit shot. Fotmd about six 

 Sharp-tailed Pinches on salt meadows near a 

 small salt pond. Found them quite abundant 

 May 38. First nest found June 13. About 

 twenty or thirty pair breeding. May 39 collected 

 a Red-baclicd Sandpiper out of a flock of San- 

 derliugs. Two Hudsonian Curlew arrived June 

 3 and one stopped until June 35. June 8,^a.w a 

 Hudsonian Curlew.O.&O. X. Ang.lSSo. p.//?^* 



Bird Migration. 



The Committee of the American Orni- 

 thologists' TJEion who have this work in 

 hand, met in New York on Dec. 17, and 

 agreed upon a plan of operations, the de- 

 tails of which are given by the Chairman 

 of the Committee, Dr. Merriam, in a cir- 

 cular. He says: "The work will not be 

 limited to the accumulation of records oi 

 the times of arrival and deiDarture of the 

 ditFerent species, but will embrace the col- 

 lection of all data that may aid in deter- 

 mining the causes which influence the 

 progress of migration from season to sea- 

 son. For the purpose of rendering the 

 result of the season's work as full and 

 valuable as possible, the Committee ear- 

 nestly solicits the co-operation of every 

 ornithologist, field collector, sportsman 

 and observer of nature in North America.' 



For convenience in collecting and ar 

 ranging the material which it is expected 

 will be accumulated by the observers, the 



0.&O.Ix.Peb.l884.p. 



