118 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-No. 8 



Spring Shore Bird Migration at Cape 

 Cod, 1885. 



BY J. C. CAIIOON. 



Monoinoy island at which the following notes 

 wei e taken, is a sandy island situated about south- 

 west from the bend or elbow of the southeast 

 part of Capo Cod, at which is located the town 

 of Chalham. The island is eight miles long, and 

 one-half mile wide at its greatest extent lis 

 greatest altitude from the level of the water is 

 about thirty feet. The island is covered with a 

 coarse grass, moss, ivy, and beach plum bushes 

 In several low wet places there are small swamps. 

 The island was originally connected with the 

 mamland, but is now separated by a pass At 

 the north end of the eastern part of the island 

 18 another smaller island, which is separated from' 

 the main island at high tide, but is connected by 

 dry flats at low. On the small island are three 

 houses owned by three branting clubs, Boston 

 Providence and Manchester. To the north and 

 west are flats, which extend for miles and miles 

 These flats are covered with several feet of water 



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

 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 Red and 

 Buff-shouldered Blackbirds abundant. They 

 commenced to lay about the first of June. Song 

 and Savannah Sparrows abundant. They com- 

 menced to lay about the last of May. About a 

 dozen pair of White-bellied Swallows were seen. 

 Commenced to lay about May 30. Build in boxes 

 put up by the fishermen. Spotted Sandpipers 

 common; commenced to lay about the 8d of 

 June. Meadow Larks common ; commenced to 

 lay about May 15. Piping Plover common; 

 commenced to lay June 1st. Saw large flocks of 

 American Sheldrake out in the bay. Last one 

 seen June 0. Brant common ; last one seen May 

 17. Loon abundant ; last one seen about June 

 13. Started one Black Duck from a small salt 

 hole on meadow. Saw three Great*- Yellow- 

 legs, which became common the next day. May 

 8th ; last one seen June 0. American Herring 

 Gull abundant; last one seen June 24. Four 

 Black-bellied Plover, three s and one f, , put in 

 an appearance May 8. The same four were seen 

 again May 9 ; became common May 15 and abun- 

 dant May 27 ; last seen June 10. Two Semi- 

 plamated Plover were sccu May 11 ; became 

 comuKm the 21st and abundant May 21. Did 

 not see any after May 20. Three Semiplaniated 

 Sandpipers arrived May 12, and the birds be- 

 came abundant May 10 ; last seen June 24. Four 

 Arctic Terns arrived May 13 and were reinforced 

 May 19 by a large number. They remained near 

 the flats until about the 15th of Juno, when they 

 began to diminish. A few Sanderlings arrived 

 May 13 and were seen in small numbers until 

 J une 27. Roseate Terns arrived in small num- 

 bers May 19 and remained until about the 15th of 

 June. Common Terns arrived in large numbers 

 May 13, and many remained through May and 

 June. A few breed on the island. 



Collected a S 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 

 aj-rivod 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 29. A 



bunch of about two dozen Red-breasted Snipe 

 arrived May 20. Saw but one afterward. May 

 22. Saw a bunch of Turnstone May 20 ; next 

 seen May 25 ; last seen Juno 24. 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 23, saw quite a number of Jaegers. 

 One marbled Godwit shot. Found about six 

 Sharp-tailed Finches on salt meadows near a 

 small salt pond. Found them quite abundant 

 May 28. First nest found June 12. About 

 twenty or thirty pair breeding. May 29 collected 

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

 derlings. Two Iludsonian Curlew arrived June 

 3 and one stopped until June 25. June 8,^aw a 

 Iludsonian Curlew.O'&O- X. An^.lSSo.p.//?-/* 



Bird Migration. 



The Committee of the American Orni- 

 thologists' Union who have this work in 

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

 agreed upon a plan of operations, the de-i 

 tails of which are given by the Chaii-man, 

 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 departure of the 

 different 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 everyi 

 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 



