The earliest killing frost in many years occurred on August 19 in all but the southern part of Minnesota. As a result many farmers were forced to cut their corn early and to use it for silage. The autumn weather to date (November 15) has been unusually pleasant with occasional frost. A light snow fell in northern Minnesota on October 21.

Egrets were seen near St. Paul and in the lowlands of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers during late summer and early autumn, most of them disappearing as usual at the beginning of the hunting season. On September 6 Mrs. C. E. Peterson, Madison, saw 23 American egrets in a slough one and one-half miles west of Bellingham. Ten remained there until September 19.

Dr. A. B. Erickson, Minnesota Department of Conservation, in commenting on conflicting reports by hunters regarding the grouse population, submitted the following excerpts from a report made to his department by field men in the Upland Game Division: "When hunting began, grouse were difficult to find. All kinds of theories were rife to account for their disappearance. Although birds become more evident in some localities later in the season, there was no doubt that they were much scarcer than last year. 'Islands' of good grouse populations, however, still existed in Octo ber, 1950: the Deer River area in Itasca County, most of Pine County, the Ely area, the south part of Mille Lacs County, and an eight-mile burn in Aitkin County. It is important to note that 1950 may have marked the start of a cyclic decline, although the birds are as yet by no means few in number. That there was a spotty disappearance of birds is known."

There were reports of the appearance of ruffed grouse in populated areas. One frequented the yard at the residence of Dr W. J. Breckenridge; Mrs. J. H. Reisinger stated that one came daily to a residence in Midway, St. Paul. In regard to similarly varying reports from hunters regarding the pheasant populations, Dr. Erickson said that he believes that pheasant populations were only slightly lower than last year. Large fields of standing corn made hunting difficult and probably led hunters to believe that there were fewer birds than were actually present.

William Longley, who made observations in the Weaver marshes along the Mississippi River, reported that ducks were at their peak during the first week in November. A storm November 8 and 9 carried great flights through the area and forced out most of the flocks that had congregated there before the storm. Mr. Longley sent a migration report that is too long to include here, except for numbers and dates of greatest abundance, which follow: mallard, Nov. 2-2100; black duck, Nov. 16-600; gadwall, Nov. 2600; baldpate, Oct. 18-2,000; pintail, Oct. 18-1500; green-wingC'd teal, Nov. 2--300; blue-winged teal, Sept. 14-4;~(i; shoveller, Oct. 26-20; wood duck, Oct. 6-100; canvasback, Nov. 11 -275; lesser scaup, Nov. 2-1600; American golden-eye, Nov. 17-35; ring-necked duck, Nov. 2-800; bufril'head, Nov. 6-6; many 1·ing-necked ducks were present in early October. He saw only one ruddy duck thio; fall.

Among the more interesting waterfowl observations were a greater scaup shot by Whitney Eastman nt Ten Mile Lake near Dalton during the first week in November, and two sur( scoters obserYed on lkar LakC', !i'reeborn County, October 25 by Robet- t Meyers and Russ Sether o( Albert Lea. One was Jcii!Pd and posith-ely identified.

Reports from Dr. W. J. Breckenridge, Harvey Gunderson, Willian; Longley, A. C. Rosenwinkel, and others indicate that the ma"jor goose flight passed through Minne~>ota during th·• fit·~>t three weeks in Octobl'r. Williatn Longley gaw G Richard~>on's gl'<'i>l' in Rochester on Octobn 19. I k statNI that there were 527 Canada g·pe:-;C' in the same area on Novembl'r 2 and that there were many legse1· Canada gee::;e in this :(lock. More than 200 Canada geese were still there on December 1. A pair of Canada geese nested near the home of George T. Ryan, Whitefish Lake, last summer. When first observed, they had seven young, later only five. One of the adults had a crippled wing which probably accounts for the nC'sting at that site. Mr. Ryan believes that they wer0 all shot during hunting season.

More than 75 white pelicans w0re seen near Madison on October 5 by Mrs. C. E. Peter~on. William Long· ley obsen·ed one at Cannon Lake on October 15. Mr. Longley also Sl'J,W 12 whistling swans, not often seen in Minnesota during fall migration, at Weaver on November 8.

Flocks of Franklin's gulls came to eastern Minnesota again during fall migration. They were over the lzaak Walton Bass Ponds area on October 1;~, and seen by William Longley at WeaYer on October 15. Marvin Wass at Nisswa noted Caspian terns on Se]Jtember 17 and three in the same area on October 10.

Lloyd H. Mangus, Assistant refuge manager of M,ud Lake National Wildlife Refuge, stated that both bald and go1den eagles were seen there the latter p Another observation of more than u;;ual interest was that of a white gyrfalcon, found dead at Rat Lake near Tntemational Falls on November :~, by Lester Magnus. It was lodged ac;ainst a muskrat house. Mr. Magnus said that 5 American magpies wert? ~l'<'n on a dN'r carcass in Red Lake' c:anw H.:>fuge on October 25.

ln general the fall migration of shore birds and song birds proceeded normally. A few shore birds lingered lhnmgh October and early November, pl'!'haps becauo;e of the mild weather.

A. C. Rosenwinkel sent the following last dates: solitary sandpiper, OctobPt' ·2!); IASSl'l' yellowlegs, Oct. 31; greater Yl'IIO\\'Il'g~>, NoY. 5. These observations \\ <'l'l' nwdc at the Izaak Walton Bass Pond" n0ar Minneapolis. There were morl' than the usual number of stilt sandpip0r1> reported this fall.

The writer observed a Florida gallinule with two downy young on August 20 at the Izaak Walton Bass Ponds. They were still there on September 17.

The earliest warble1· migration date (August 18) was 1·eported by Sheridan S. Flaherty at Morris. The earliest warbler wave in the Twin Cities area was observed by Dr. W. J. Breckenridge on August 29 when a number of species, including several Canada warblers, passed through his yard. SeYeral large waves, myl"tles predominating, passed through the glen of the Little Marais River on September 28 and 29. Through the Twin Cities from September 19 to 21 there was a constant migration of warblers traYeling singly or in small bands. Mrs. C. E. Peterson banded a golden-winged warbler at Madison on September 2 and observed a yellow-breasted chat there on September 4. Large flocks of American pipits were more or less common in Minnesota in the past but are now rarely reported. Harvey Gunderson and Bruce Hayward saw a flock of more than 200 north of Ely on September 20. Among the early winter visitors were snow buntings seen by Dr. William Marshall on October 14 at Ely and Two Harbors, at Nisswa by Marvin Wass on November 6 and near Weaver by William Longley on Nov ember 9. Brother Vincent saw 12 pine grosbeaks at Winona on November 1.

Red crossbills were seen by Mrs. C. E. Peterson at Madison on October 23. Marvin Wass reported them to be the most numerous bird at Nisswa about the middle of October. Two red crossbills ·of unusually large size which during a high wind, had struck a window at the residence of Ronald McLaughlin, 9400 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis, were brought to the Museum of Natural History. A late date for purple ma1tins was recorded by Whitney Eastman. On October 7, six of them flew over a duck pass at Lake Glesne about 25 miles n01th.west of Willmar.