Blackbird Flights at Burlington, Iowa. — The autumnal migrations of 
the Icteridas at Burlington, Iowa, are notable chiefly on account of the im- 
mense flocks of certain Blackbirds which congregate in that vicinity. The 
extensive swamps bordering the Mississippi River above and below the 
city, on the Illinois side, form an especially favorable rendezvous for these 
birds, three species of which are represented, nearly in equal numbers — 
3 uiscalus quiscula ceneus , Scolecofhagus carolinus , and Agelaius fhoe- 
niceus. During September and October the cornfields of Iowa are visited 
by countless numbers of these black marauders, which wander about in 
mixed flocks of several thousands, passing the day in the fields and the 
night in the woodland or marshes. And it is during this period that so 
many thousands are poisoned and killed by the farmers. About the first 
of October these birds begin to appear from the more northern districts, 
pouring into the Burlington swamps in myriads, and by the middle of the 
month immense numbers have here collected. Just before sunrise vast 
flocks begin to rise out of the swamps and radiate in all directions towards 
the inland cornfields, where they spend the day, returning again to the 
swamps before sunset. These flocks are often a quarter of a mile in width 
and are more than an hour in passing — a great black band slowly writhing 
like some mighty serpent across the heavens in either direction, its ex- 
tremities lost to view in the dim and distant horizon. Not unfrequently 
three or four such vast flocks are in sight at one time. How far away 
from their night resorts they go each day has not been observed ; an hour 
and a half before sunset, twelve miles away from the river, the mighty 
armies of Blackbirds are still seen coming over distant hills and directing 
their courses toward the marshes. It is evident, however, that many miles 
are daily traversed in their journeys to and from their feeding grounds. 
Making liberal deductions for any possibility of over estimating, the nu- 
merical minimum of individuals in a single flock cannot be far from twenty 
millions. — Charles R. Keyes, Des Moines, la. 
Auk, V. April 1888. p. Z07Z09. 
471. Blackbirds [J^uiscalus ceneus'] Catching Fisk. By Charles Aldrich. 
Ibid., xv, p. 810 . Aiuer. Naturalist* 
Auk. XII, July, 1895. p . 3 0 3, 
Se AC ‘ >-C CC i , 
It was but yesterday that I saw a Crow Blackbird hovering over 
a pond after the manner of a Kingfisher. He did everything but dive 
into the water and plainly enough was in search of something to eat. 
G. S. Mead, Hingham , Mass. 
