6 
the June storms of 1903, or of the winter of 1903-04 is here 
presented (1) as a sequel to the report of 1903, and (2) in 
order that the results produced by the elements in less than 
two years may not he confounded with those effected by other 
and more continuous destructive forces. 
In glancing over the reports for 1904, it becomes evident 
at once that the destruction of eggs and nestlings by the 
June storms of 1903 caused no great noticeable and gener- 
ally observed decrease of many species in 1904. This may 
be accounted for in part by the fact (1) that some of the 
species affected rear more than one brood in a season, and 
so were able to bring up young either before or after the 
storms; and in part by the theory (2) that a large share of 
the young birds reared each season never return from their 
southern journey, but succumb to accidents and fatalities on 
the way ; therefore, a great mortality among the nestlings of 
one season may not have a very noticeable effect the suc- 
ceeding year. 
Trained observers, however, noted in their localities a 
marked decrease of certain breeding warblers, chimney swifts 
and swallows, although a few reported swifts and swallows as 
common or abundant. On some of the meadows which were 
overflowed in 1903 red- winged blackbirds and marsh wrens 
were much reduced. Long-billed marsh wrens and rails have 
nearly disappeared from certain river meadows where they 
were formerly common. Bobolinks, orioles and vireos are 
mentioned as scarce locally in 1904. Righthawks and whip- 
poor-wills have disappeared from some localities. Mr. 
Thomas M. Burney of Lynn reports a 75 per cent decrease 
in warblers. Mr. Rufus H. Carr of Brockton reports nest- 
ing black-and-white warblers, prairie warblers and redstarts 
in about half their usual numbers, martins gone, swifts 
comparatively scarce, and the barn swallow the only swallow 
commonly seen. 
Most of the common birds appeared in about their usual 
numbers in the migrations, hut, as in 1903, no considerable 
flight of those warblers which nest mainly north of Massachu- 
setts was reported. The migration seemed very light in Bris- 
tol, Plymouth and Middlesex counties, where I watched it. 
