Destruction of Birds by the Cold Wave of May 21st and 22nd.—It seems worthy of note that, judging from indications in this vicinity, the destruction of bird life by the recent cold wave must have been very considerable.
On the morning of May 21st, a specimen of Helminthophila peregrina was picked up so nearly chilled to death that it died shortly afterwards. The same was also true of a specimen of Dendræca pennsylvanica On the morning of May 22nd, three other specimens of the following species were picked up here which had apparently died of cold: Dendrœca maculosa, Myiodioctes pusillus, and Empidonax minimus.
These facts suggest that the abundance of bird life may, to a considerable extent, be influenced by sudden extreme changes of temperature, as well as by heavy gales.—F. H. King, River Falls, Wis., May 24, 1882.
A “Tidal Wave” of Birds in Washington.—In the twenty-five years during which I have paid more or less attention to birds hereabouts I have never seen anything like the “wave” that rolled up in the second and third weeks of May of this year. The highest spring “season” is usually the month from April 20 to May 20, at which latter date the tide has usually ebbed equably from its greatest height at the middle of May. This year the birds seemed to be held back by the cold and wet, and such an accumulation has seldom if ever been seen before. The streets and parks were full of the birds, and the daily papers all had their say upon the unwonted apparition. In the Smithsonian Grounds, for example, I saw one day a flock of a hundred or more Orchard Orioles, mixed with Baltimores. There were flocks of Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, etc., and any quantity of Thrushes, Vireos, Flycatchers and Warblers—among the latter the rare beauty Dendrœca tigrina. Of the latter Dr. Prentiss took several—the only ones we have known to be captured here for many years. The cause of this gathering of the clans was doubtless the cold wave Mr. King speaks of in the preceding paragraph.—Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C.
More Definite Statistics Needed in Regard To the Abundance of Birds.—It is deeply to be regretted, it seems to me, that we have so little specific information in regard to the abundance of birds in the various portions of the United States from which lists of species have been published.
Such terms as “common”, “not common,” “abundant,” “rare,” “rather rare,” etc., may have such different values in the minds of different observers, as to render them of but little value for any but the most general considerations. They are absolutely valueless in the discussion of such economic questions as, Can birds ever become abundant in thickly settled districts? and, What birds, if left to themselves, are likely to become most abundant in thickly settled sections?
The table given below indicates the character and kind of information which is much needed in the discussion of many important ornithological questions.
The first four columns are compiled from notes made in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, between July 31 and August 7, 1877; those in the last four columns are from notes taken in the vicinity of Ithaca, N. Y., in 1878.
In each column, opposite the name of the species, is given the number of individuals which were observed in travelling the distance indicated near the foot of each column. The item, “birds seen or heard but not named.” includes those individuals which were known to exist in the territory passed over, but which for various reasons could not be identified with certainty.
The salient features of the two localities, briefly stated, are these:—