UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
W 
April 9, 1913. 
Mr. William Brewster, 
Concord, Massachusetts. 
Bear Mr. Brewster: 
I have your recent letter and after a talk with Prof. 
Cooke I am satisfied that the explanation he gives of the 
unwonted absence of early migrants in Massachusetts comes 
pretty near the truth. He suggests that owing to the un¬ 
usual warm spell which extended far to the north of New 
Crr ^ 
England, the early birds which left here about ^the usual 
time did not pause at all, as customary, in the New England 
States but pressed on to the limit where warm weather pre¬ 
vails. If he is correct, then you will not see the usual 
flight of migrants at all in New England, but this is due 
not to the fact that anything unusual has happened to the 
birds during their winter residence but to the unusual 
character of the spring. Yesterday I was out in the 
country for a brief period and was interested to notice 
immense flocks of crow blackbirds pass^north, and I also 
/-V, 
3aw many .sparrows and gras3 finches evidently migrating. 
By this time I fancy our crow blackbirds are well along 
in nesting. 
Cooke tells me that all our local birds are arriving 
