Minnesota experienced severe winter weather during January. At times snow and sleet made driving hazardous and the thermometer dropped to as low as 50 below zero in northern sections of the state. It was the coldest January in several years.

December was mild and some species of' ducks lingered on the open waters in the Twin Cities. Forty-Blue-winged Teal were observed on Lake Harriet, Dec. 4 by Lewis Barrett. A census of Common Goldeneyes was taken at the Plymouth Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis by members of the Museum staff and it was estimated that about sixhundred wintered there. Several.flocks of Mallards were reported living in the spring-fed open waters along the Minnesota River. A report dated January 23 by the W. E. Petersons stated that a Wood Duck and a male Hooded Merganser were seen near Lake Vadnais, St. Pa'ul. The Duluth Club saw a Bufflehead on Lake Superior this season and the St. Cloud Club listed-eight Canvas-backs for their Christmas Census.

Canada Geese wintered again at Rochester. According to observers there were about one-thousand on Silver Lake February 13.

Eighteen members of the Minnesota Bird Club and six membe1·s of the Duluth Bird Club spent February 10 to 13 along the North Shore of Lake Super- ior from Duluth to the Pigeon River. .::.everal flocks of Oid Squaw Ducks were seen, a few American and Redbreasted Mergansers, one White-winged Scoter, a number of Golden-eyes and some Mallards were listed. At one point a Bald Eagle harassed a flock of Old Squaws by diving at them as they came up.

During this field trip the weather was ideal, fair and about free:::ing. Most of the participants were of the opinion that Ravens and Old Squaws were preseJ Due to the fact that the mountain ash trees were denuded of berries by American Robins and other species in migration, Grosbeaks were scarce in the area covered by the trip. During the winter in Duluth about seventy-five Evening Grosbeaks came daily to a feeder. There was an influx of Evening Grosbeaks in southern, w e s t e r n and central Minnesota, due partly, no doubt, to the severity of the weather in January but the scarcity of food in the north was the main reason for their :t]pearance in such unusual numbers. In St. Paul A. C. Rosenwinkel saw several flocks of Evening Grosbeaks, some of them eating sunflower seeds at feeders. One flock fed on seeds of weeds. Seven Evening Grosbeaks came to the writers yard Feb. 15 to feed on the seeds of a green ash tree. They came twice each day for twelve days until finally every seed was gone. At Mrs. Whiteford's home on the Minnesota River they fed on hackberries and the seeds of the sumac. Pine Grosbf'aks were not as abundant. A flock of twenty-five was reported by Lyman Newlin at Walker and the Duluth Club listed thirty-five for their christmas Census. Otherwise, only a few small bands were seen.

Reports indicate that the Ringnecked Pheasant has increased in numbers over the past few years. This was particularly noticable within a twentyfive mile radius of the Twin Cities. Flocks of forty or fifty could be seen frequently.

This winter there was an exceptionally heavy invasion of Snowy Owls. Dr. W. J. Breckenridge stated that eightyfour 1·ecords were sent to the Museum of Natural History from various sections of the state, twenty-four of them from the Red Lake area and vicinity. Dr. Breckenridge expressed the opinion that although this was a heavy invasion, it would not be possible to say 1t was the largest that has occurred due to the fact that observers are now more cooperative in reporting than here-tofore. Also there are more observers in the field. In Duluth Mrs. Evelyn Putnam said a dead Snowy Owl was 1G brought in. She also reported two dead Tundra Swans, one of which >vas brought in last fall by a man who thought he had shot a Snow Goose. The other had died of gun-shot wounds and was found south of Fond du Lac by hunters during Christmas week.

Reports of Mourning Doves came in as follows: eleven near Red Wing, Dec. 15, two in the same locality Jan. 4, 24 at Northfield Feb. 14 reported by 0. A. Rustad and the Mankato Audubon Society listed 33 at Swan LakC' for their Christmas Census.

A flock of about eight hundred Snow Buntings was seen near Cooper's Corners, 30 miles north of Minneapolis, Feb. 1, by Mrs. Cora A. Corniea. Franklin Willis drove west across the state Dec. 31. He found Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs and Horned Larks feeding on the shoulders of the highways in Chippewa, Renville, Nicollet and Steele · Counties. In January William Longley saw flocks of these birds along the way from Marshall to the Twin Cities.

Although Horned Larks were reported wintering in the State, the migration began the first week in February. 0. A. Rustad stated that they had arrived in small flocks around Northfield February 6. Several observers from around the Twin Cities reported them from Feb. 10 to Feb. 15 and by Feb. 20 they were here in force. Dr. MacCarty of Rochester l'eports that two Fox Sparrows came to his feeder station for a time during February and that Evening G1·osbeaks have appeared there in some numbers this winter.

As usual a few American Robins and Meadowlarks remained for the winter. Three American Robins stayed at Duluth. A Goldencrowned Kinglet was seen every day at a feeder by Sheridan S. Flaherty, Morris. This report was dated Jan. 22.

A small number of Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks lived through the season in southeastern Minnesota and in the valleys of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. There were three records of Northern Goshawks. Two Goiaen Eagles were observed by William Longley at Whitewater Valley and the Duluth Club saw one on the Christmas Census. About the usual number of Bald Eagles were present throughout the State.

That the Northern Cardinal is still extending its range to the north and west is borne out by this season's reports. One, a male, was seen in January near Walker by Lyman Newlin. During last fall it had been seen almost daily at a feeder. Mrs. J. A. Thabes, Brainerd, wrote to say that a pair o:C Northern Cardinals had been coming to her feed er all winter. Four Northern Cardinals were listed by the St. Cloud Club at Christmas. 0. A. Rustad saw twenty Northern Cardinals at a feeding station near Carleton College, Jan. 26, which may indicate that the Northern Cardinal population is increasing.

A rare visitor, the Dark-eyed Dark-eyed Junco, was seen by A. C. Rosewinkle and ten other observers, Dec. 26, at Lake Vadnais Forest near St. Paul. It was with a flock of Dark-eyed Dark-eyed Juncos and was observed again Jan. 4.

Another remarkable record was that of an American Magpie that appeared at a feeder owned by Mrs. Williams in South Minneapolis. At the time of this writing, March 1, it is still stopping at the feeder regularly.