Eifrig, on Effects of a Miid Winter 
93 
for the following - six species, who always announce their coin- 
ing to the writer’s home and its immediate vicinity in no uncer- 
tain tones: 
Species No. of Yrs. 
First Arrival 
Meadowlark 
9 
March 13 
Killdeer 
7 
March 13 
Bluebird 
6 
March 4 
Robin 
8 
March G 
Song Sparrow 
9 
March 9 
Flicker 
9 
March 22 
Arrival in 1921 
February 14 
March 2 
February 1G 
February 5 
February 20 
March 11 
This makes the Meadowlark 27 days earlier than usual, the 
Killdeer 11 days, the Bluebird 10 days, the Robin 20 days, the 
Song Sparrow 17 days, and the Flicker 11 days, an average of 
17 days. Of course, there is a factor of uncertainty as a margin 
of error entering into this, especially in the Robin and Song 
Sparrow, which in 1921 may have been some of those winter 
residents from a couple of miles south in our region. At any 
rate, the first migrants came notably earlier than usual. This 
must be put down to the influence of the mild season. 
However, when we look at the winter range of these and 
similar species, as the Blackbirds, Sparrow Hawks, etc., we see 
at once that it does not mean much, because all these winter in 
the region immediately adjoining ours on the south, or at least 
between that and our Gulf coast. We can easily see how cer- 
tain weather conditions obtaining in a relatively large area of 
the country can and probably do influence them in their move- 
ments. This has been shown over and over again by competent 
observers. 
What about the spring migration of those species wintering 
in Central and South America? Is their coming influenced by 
weather conditions so near to their breeding grounds? Cer- 
tainly not. This is also borne out by this year’s records. While 
e.g. species of warblers, as the Myrtle and Palm, spending the 
winter in our Gulf states, also came unusually early, April 8th, 
in the case of the former, the warblers from South America came 
no earlier than usual, although one abnormality should be noted 
here, that of a Bay-breasted Warbler, which I saw April 30th, 
with some Black and White Warblers, not even Yellow Warb- 
lers being seen that day. The Kingbird, Bobolink, and Balti- 
more Oriole, due here about May 1st, were this year seen a week 
or more later, May 7th, in the case of the Bobolink, and May 
