UMASS/AMHERST

BlEObb DD33 D

/

^.'^•*^;)t.

-^m^

- %
V^^

? -^v^ ^ .i^'^-

-7. ^ -'■ v'T

'I v.^^'

;^\V^

^■^^

^^/^

:v^i

-?^-

HUO^^MLJ^^M

l«f#»yaifii'f«\'faffa¥it':iMfft^i§ifftViivfivrivr«vf^

, «^ti.l.i<k*U «OO0(i.k

BULLETIN

NuTTALL Ornithological Club

% ^xxnxUxl^ lournal oi #rntt^oIogtT.

VOLUME III.

(fifbitor,
J. A. ALLEN.

lijSiSociate (IFliitorjS,
S. F. BAIRD AND ELLIOTT COUES.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. :
PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB.

1878.

Y,

A.

\

CONTENTS OF VOLUME III.

NUMBER I.

Page
Note on Passerculus bairdi and P. princeps. By Dr. Elliott Coues,

U. S. A 1

On the Species of the Genus Passerella. By B. W. Eenshaw . . 3

Notes on the Breeding Habits of Carpodacus pdrpukeus var. cali-

FORNicus. By William A. Cooper 8

Description of a New Wren from the Tres jNIarias Islands. By

Bobert liidgway 10

Additional Remarks on Selasphorus alleni. By H. W. Henshaw . 11

Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various Species of North

American Birds. By William Brewster 15

An Inadequate " Theory op Birds' Nests." By J. A. Allen . . 23

Breeding of the Duck Hawk in Tkees. By A''. S. Goss .... 32

RECENT LITERATURE.

Birds of the Vicinity of Cincinnati, 34. — Birds of Central New York, 34. —
Brown on the Discribution of Birds in North-European Russia, 35. —Sum-
mer Birds of tlie Adirondacks, 36. — Birds of Southern Illinois, 36. — Gen-
try's " Life-Histories of the Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania," 36.

GENERAL NOTES.

Three Additions to the Avifauna of North America, 37. — The Rock Ptarmigan
{Lagopiis rupestris) in the Aleutian Islands, 38. — Coturniculus henslowi in
New Hampshire, 39. — Breeding Habits of Geococcyx califoi-nianus, 3d. —
Occurrence of a Second Specimen of Swainson's Buzzard (Buteo swain-
soni) in Massachusetts, 39. — Breeding of the Hooded Merganser (J/er^?«
cucidlatus) in Florida, 40. — Breeding of the Shore-Lark in Western New
York, 40. — The Northern Plialarope in North Carolina, 40. — Relaying of
Hawks in the same Nest when robbed, 41. — The Willow Grouse in New
York, 41. — Pipilo erythrophlhalmiis with Spotted Scapulars, 41. — Vireo
vlciniar in California, 42. — Nest and Eggs of Zonotrichia coronata, 42. —
Note on Dendrxca dominica, 43. — Eastern Range of Chondestes r/rammaca,
43. — The Lurk Finch {Chondestes grammaca) again in Massachusetts, 44.
A Third Specimen of Ildminthophaga leucobronchialis, 44. — The Black-
throated Bunting {Euspiza americana) nesting in Massachusetts, 45. — The
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Puliojitila ccerulea) in ilassachusetts, 45. — The
Capture of several Rare Birds near West Point, New York, 45. — The Fish.

iv Contents of Volume III.

Crow {Cormis ossifragus) on Long Island, 47. — Correction, 47. — Mela-
nism of Turdus viigratorius, 47. — Tlie Seaside Finch (Ammodromus mari-
timus) in Eastern Massachusetts, 48. — The Lark Bunting ( Calamospiza
bicolor) in Massachusetts, 48.

NUMBER II.

Changes in our North American Fauna. By T. M. Brewer ... 49
Remarks on some of the Birds of Lewis County, Northern New

York. By C. Hart Merriavt, with Notes by A. J. Dayan . ... 52
Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various Species of North

American Birds. By William Brewster 56

Notes on some of the Birds of Calaveras County, California, and

adjoining Localities. By Robert Ridr/way 64

Notes on the Breeding Habits of Hutton's Vireo ( Vireo huitoni) and

the Gray Titmouse (Lophqphnnes inornatus), with a Description of

their Nests and Eggs. By William A. Cooper 68

A Description of unusually developed Individuals of three Species,

AND Remarks on Uncommon Plumages in several others, taken

NEAR West Point, N. Y. By Edgar A. Mearns 69

Notes on Junco caniceps and the closely allied Forms. By T. M.

Brewer 72

Effects of the Warm Winter on the Migration of Birds. By John

Murdoch 76

RECENT LITERATURE.

Sharpe's "Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum," 77. — Rowley's
" The Pied Duck," 79. — Street's Notes on the Birds of Lower California
and tlie Hawaiian and Fanning Islands, 80. — Bendire's Notes on the Birds
of Southeastern Oregon, 81. — Ridgway's Report on the Ornithologj^ of the
Fortieth Parallel, 81. — Recent Lists of the Birds of Central New York, 83.
— Barrows's "Catalogue of the Alcid£e," 86. — Feilden's "List of Birds
observed in Smith Sound," 86. — On the Moult of the Bill and Palpebral
Ornaments in Fratercula arciica, 87.

GENERAL NOTES.

Habits of the Kingfisher ( Ceryle alcyon), 92. — The Painted Lark Bunting {Plec-
trojjhanes pictus) inTeyms, 92. — Notes on a few Birds observed in New
Mexico and Arizona, 92.-— Capture of yEyialitis meloda var. circumcincta,
Ridgway, on Long Island, 94. — Nest and Eggs of Selasphorus platycercus,
95. — Nesting of Vireo oUvaceus, 95. — Californian Prairie Cliickens, 96. —
Report of the Second Capture of the Orange-crowned Warbler {Ilelmintho-
phaga celata) in New Hampshire, 96. — Robin's Egg=, spotted, 97. — Some
New Traits for the Red-headed Woodpecker {Melanerpes erythrocephalus),
97. — Spurious Primaries in tlie Red-eyed Vireo, 97. — The European Wid-
geon (Mareca penelope) in the United States, 98. — The Siiarp-tailed Finch
'Ammodromus caudacutus) in Maine, 98, — The White-throated Warbler

Contents of Volume III.

(Helminihophaga leucobronchialis) in Connecticut, 99. — The Occurrence of
Myiarchm crinilus var. eri/throcercvs, Scltit. at Fort Brown, Texas, 99. —
The Golden Eiigle in the Hudson Highlands, 100. — Meaning of the Word
'• Anhinga," 101. — Late Capture of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in Mas-
sachusett.s, 101. — The Ipswich Sparrow {Passercuhis princeps) on Long
Island, N. Y., 102. — The Stilt Sandpiper ( Micropnlama himantopus) at Port-
land, Me., 102. — Nesting-Habits of Parus montanus, 102. — Persistency
in Nest-Building of a Pair of City Robins, 103. —Deadly Combat between
a Robin and a Mole, 104.

NUMBER III.

The Eave, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow {Petrochelidon lunifrons). By

Br. Elliott Coues, U. S. A 106

Nest and Eggs of the Blue Ckow ( Gymnokitta cyanocephala). By JJ- W.

Henskaio . . 112

Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various Species of North

American Birds. By William Brewster 115

Remarks on some of the Birds of Lewis County, Northern New York.

By C. Hart Merriam 123

Evidences of the Carolinian Fauna in the Lower Hudson Valley.

Principally from Observations taken at Riverdale, N. Y. By

Eufiene P. Bkknell 128

Nestinq of the Large-billed Water Thrush {Siurus motacilla). By

William Brewster 133

Description of a Hybrid (Ilirundo horreori-lanifrons) between two

North American Swallows. By Spencer Trotter .... 135

RECENT LITERATURE.

Ornithology of the Wheeler Expeditions of 1876 and 1877, 136. — Allen's
" Birds of Massachusetts," 138. — Mr. Howard Saunders on the Slerninae,
140. — Sennett'8 "Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande,
Texas," 144. — M- ynard's " Birds of Florida," 145. — Jordan's "Manual
of Vertebrated Animals," 145.

GENERAL NOTES.

Capture of the Yellow-throated Warbler in Massachusetts, and Notes on other Rare
Massachusetts Birds, 146. — Capture of two Rare Birds in the Hudson River
Valley, 146. — The Blue-gray Gnatc.atcher (Polioptila ccerulea) in Massa-
chusetts, 146. — The Ground Dove (Chamcepeleia passerina) in New York,
147. — Swallow-tailed Kite in Dakota in Winter, 147. — Apologetic, 147.
— The Stilt Sandpiper {Micropnlama himantopus), 148. — Occurrence of
three Species of Sea Ducks at St. Louis, Missouri, 148. — The Carolinian
Fauna, 149. — Phalarope, — an Etymological Blunder, 150. — Breeding of
the Woodcock in Georgia, 151. — Interesting Captures, 151. — The Glossy
Ibis in Massachasetts, 152. — Two more Birds new to the Fauna of North
America, 152.

vi Contents of Volume III.

NUMBER IV.

Thk Prothonotauy Warblek (A-otowoto-irt ctireffl). By William Brewster . 153
Notes on Uihds obsekved at Mount Carmel, Southern Illinois, in

THE Spring of 1878. By Robert Richjwnij 162

The Nest and Eggs of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher {Empidonax

Jlnvirenfris). By //. A. Purdie 166

A List of Birds observed at Coosada, Central Alababia. By Nathan

Clifford Brown 1*58

Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various Species of North

American Birds. By William Brewster 175

RECENT LITERATURE.

Elliot's "Review of the Jbidince, or Ibises," 182. — Ridgwny's "Studies of the
American Ilerodiunes,''' 182. — Reichenow's Review of tlie Herons and their
Allies, 183. — Brewer's Supplement to his Catalogue of New England Birds,
185. — Saunders on the Larime, 185.

GENERAL NOTES.

Nesting of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher [Empidonax flaviventris), 187. — The
Blue-winged Yellow Warbler {IlelminthopJiar/a piniis) in JIassacliusetts,

188. — The Skua Gnll {Sfercorarius catarractes) on the Coast of Massachu-
setts, 188. — Rufous-headed Sparrow {Peucaia ruficcps) in Texas, 188. —
Early Nesting of the Shore Lark near Indianapolis, Ind., 189. — Breeding of
the Shore Lark in Western New York, 189. — Red-headed AVoodpecker
eating Grasshoppers, 189. — Song of Hepburn's Finch {Leucosticte littoralis)

189. — The Short-tailed Tern { lli/droch elidonjissi/jes) in Massachusetts, 190.
— The Black-throated llmUlng (Etispiza americana), 190. — A Hint to Egg-
Collectors, 191. — The Kentucky Warbler {Oporornis formosus) at Sing
Sing, N. Y., 191. — Tlie Snow-Bird in Summer on Mount Wachusctt, 192. —
An Albino Anna Humming-Bird, 192.— Wilson's Thrush, with Spotted Eggs,
and nesting on a Tree, 193. — The Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium calif ornicum),
193. — The Carolina Wren in Massachusetts, 193. — The Titlark (^«Y/i«s
ludovicianus) in Massachusetts in June, 194. — Nests and Eggs of Ilelmin-
thopliaya j)inm, 194. — The Winter Wren breeding in Southern New York,

194. — The Sooty Tern in New Hampshire, 195. — Sabine's Gull in Maine,

195. — The White-crowned Sparrow breeding in Vermont, 195. — Nesting
Habits of the Red-bellied Nuthatch, 196. — Tragic Fate of a Summer War-
bler, 197. — Eggs of the Solitary Sandjjiper {Rliyacopkilus solitarius), 197. —
Lincoln's Fioch [Melospiza lincolni) breeding in Hamilton County, N. Y.,
197. — Occurrence of the Whistling Swan [Cijf/nus anuricanus) in Massa-
chusetts, 198. — Capture of a Fifth Specimen of the Wiiite-throatcd War-
bler {l/elminthophar/a leuco-bronchinlis), 199. — Nesting of the Banded
Three-toed Woodpecker [Picoides ainericanus) in Northern Now York, 200.

Index 201

BULLETIN

NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB.

Vol. III. JANUARY, 1878. No. I.

NOTE ON FASSERCULUS BAIEDI AND P. PRINCEPS.
By Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A.

The Nuttall Ornithological Club gratefully acknowledges the
liberality of Messrs. T. Sinclair and Son, the well-known lithog-
raphers, of Philadelphia, through which the opening number of
the third volume of the Bulletin is illustrated with a fine colored
plate of Baird's Bunting. The figure was drawn under my direc-
tion by Mr. Edwin L. Sheppard of Philadelphia, and represents the
adult male as I have often observed it singing during the breeding
season. The plate was engraved and printed in colors by the
Messrs. Sinclair, in the interests of science, and the whole edition
was generously presented by them to the Club.

No full-length colored figure of this species has hitherto been
published since Audubon's original, which was taken from a speci-
men in worn plumage, as the type now preserved in the Smith-
sonian attests, and is far less characteristic than the Sinclair plate.
The colored head in Baird, Brewei-, and Ridgway, as well as the
wood-cuts on page 531 of their work below cited, were all from that
same specimen. In fact, no second specimen was known until
1872, when Mr. C. E. Aiken took, in El Paso County, Colorado, a
young bird, which was soon after described as a new species, Gen-
tronyx ochrocephabis. The following year he obtained another ;
and during the summer of that year great numbers were taken in
Dakota by Mr. J. A. Allen and myself, and also in Arizona by Mr.
H. W. Henshaw. Since that time the species has been well known
and illustrated by an abundance of specimens.

2 CoUES on Passerculus hairdi.

There is no occasion here to enter into its history, as all that is
known is already published in the works below cited, — the more
complete notices being those in the "Birds of the Northwest" and
the " History of North American Birds," especially in the Appendix
of Vol. III. of the latter.

At one time it was thought that Baird's Bunting had been found
in Massachusetts. The error was not rectified until several notices
to such effect, including Mr. Maynard's full account, and his plate
of the supposed Massachusetts " Centronyx,'^ had appeared. Mr.
Maynard made the correction in 1872, when the New England bird
was named Passerculus princeps.

The complete synonymy of the two species, and their nearly en-
tire bibliography, are as follows : —

Passerculus bairdi.

Emheriza bairdii, AuD., B. Amer. 8vo. ed. vii, 1843, 359, pi. 500 (orig.
description. Fort Union, Dak.). — Baird, Stansbury's Rep. Great Salt
Lake, 1852, 330 (mere quotation).

Coturniculus hairdi, Bp., Consp. Av. i., 1850, 481 (mere quotation).

Centronyx bairdii, Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 441 (type of the genus. Species
redescribed from the type specimen). (Not of any authors referring to
the supposed appearance of the bird in New England.) — Coues, Key,
1872, 135 (compiled description). — Aiken, Am. Nat. vii, 1873, 236
(comparison with the new G. ochrocephalus from Colorado). — RiDGW.,
Bull, Essex Inst, v, 1873, 182 and 190 (Colorado ; critical reference to
Aiken's specimens, which had been named C. ochrocephalus). — Coues,
Am. Nat. vii, 1873, 695 (rediscovery in abundance in Dakota ; history
and criticism). — Henshaw, Am. Nat. viii, 1874,241 (Arizona). — Allen,
Pr. Bost. Soc. xvii, 1874, 57 (Dakota ; nest and eggs). — Coues, B. N. W.
1874, 125 (synonymy, redescription, general history and habits). — Hen-
shaw, Rep. Ornith. Specs. 1874, 110 (New Mexico and Arizona, abun-
dant). — Henshaw, Rep. Expl. W. 100 merid. Vol. v. Zoology, " 1875" =
1876, 253 (same). — Bd., Brew., and Ridgw., Hist. N. A. B. i, 1874,
531, figs. pi. 25, f. 3 ; iii, 1874, 510 (general account, wood-cuts, and
colored plate of head). ^ — Henshaw, List B. Arizona, 1875, 158.

JEmberiza (Centronyx) bairdii, Gray, Hand-list, ii, 1870, 116, No. 7733,

Ammodromus bairdi, Giebel, Nomencl. Av. i, 187-, 328.

Passerculus bairdii, CouES, Am. Nat. vii, 1873, 697.

Passerculus bairdi, McCaulet, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. iii, No. 3, 1877,
663 (Canoncito Te.xas ; nesting).

Centronyx ochrocephalus, "Aiken" [Ridgway], Am. Nat. vii, 1873, 237
(El Paso, Colorado, autumnal specimens described as new species. — See
Scott, ibid. 564 ; Coues, ibid. 696 ; Ridgw. Bull. Essex Inst, v, 1873,
190).

Henshaw on the Species of the Gemis Passcrella. 3

PasserculuB princeps.

Centronyx bairdii, Allen, Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 513 (original notice of
Bupposecl occurrence of P. bairdi in Massachusetts, the actual reference
being to P. princeps). — Mayn., Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 554 (next notice of
the same). — Allen, Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 631 (third notice of the same).

— Mayn., Nat. Guide, 1870, 113, frontisp. (fourth notice of the same).

— Brewst., Am. Nat. vi, 1872, 307 (fifth notice of the same, and of
additional .specimens).

Passerculus princeps, Mayn., Am. Nat. vi, 1872, 637 (explanation of
the error, and the supposed " C. bairdii " from Ipswich, Mass. named P.
princeps). — CouES, Key, 1872, App. 352. — Coues, Am. Nat. vii, 1873,
696. — Bd., Brew., and Ridgw., Hist. N. A. B. i, 1874, 540, pi. 25, f. 2. —
Brewer, Pr. Bost. Soc. xvii, 1875, 441. — Brewst., Bull. Nuttall Cluh,
i, 1876, 52 (New Brunswick). — Merriam, Bull. Nuttall Club, i, 1876,
52 (Connecticut). — Brown, Bull. Nuttall Club, ii, 1877, 27 (New
Hampshire). — Bailey, Bull. Nuttall Club, ii, 1877, 78 (Coney Island,
N. Y.). — Minot, Birds New Engl. 1877, 195 (general account). — May-
NARD, Nat. Guide, 2d Ed. 1877 (colored plate ; text rewritten).

ON THE SPECIES OF THE GENUS PASSERELLA.

by h. w. henshaw.

The genus Passerella was instituted by Swainson in 1837 to re-
ceive the only species known at that time to him, the Fringilla
iliaca of Merrem and of the early authors generally. The Aonal-
ashka Bunting, doubtfully the P. toiV7}sendi of recent authors, was
named by Gmelin, in 1788, constituting his Fringilla tinalaskensis.
In the uncertainty respecting Gmelin's bird, his description apply-
ing equally well to the Melospiza iusignis, the toivnsendi of Audubon,
named in 1838, has been accepted by most ornithologists. The
genus, with its two species, thus remained till 1858, when Profes-
sor Baird described the P. sckistacea from the interior, and at the
same time noticed a closely allied form from California with larger
bill, for which he proposed the name megarhyncha. These four
" species," as they have sometimes been called, or forms, make up a
very interesting as well as puzzling group, as shown by the doubt-
ful manner in which they have been treated by various writers,

4 Henshaw on the Sjjecies of the Genus Passerella.

more than one having strongly hinted at the probable specific iden-
tity of the four, while the methods in which they have been com-
bined have been nearly as various as the number of authors who
have had occasion to notice them.

While the very close relationship existing between the two more
recently discovered forms (schistacea and megarhyncha) has usually
been recognized, from the occurrence of intermediate or doubtful
specimens, the tendency has been strong to keep separate the two
earlier described birds, mainly because no specimens with clearly
intermediate characteristics have been recognized. Having had the
very unusual opportunity of studying in the field the four forms in
question, as well as of examining a very large series of specimens in
the Smithsonian collection, many of which were collected by myself
in connection with the United States Geographical Surveys west
of the 100th Meridian, the conclusion seems to me to be unavoid-
able that the four forms are but modifications of a single species,
brought about through the agency of the laws of Geographical
Variation.

Considering first in their relations to each other the P. schistacea
and P. megarhyncha, the first from the northern interior region,
the latter from the Southern Sierras, we find that, though very
distinct from each other when extreme samples of either form are
selected, they yet in the full series before me grade directly to-
gether, both in color and general size. Taking examples of mega-
rhyncha from the southern Coast Range of California, which may
be considered as the true home of the variety, that is, where its
peculiarities attain their greatest development, we find them in
their enormously developed bills and excessively lengthened tails,
as well as darkened colors, to present such a totally different
aspect that to liken them to schistacea seems almost absurd.
Changing, however, our point of observation to the eastern slope
of the Sierras, about Lake Tahoe, which is a region approaching
somewhat closely the home of schistacea, we find that the Passe-
rellas, though readily referable to megarhyncha, present very ap-
preciable difterences from those from the region just noted, and
furthermore, that the vai'iation is directly tow^ards the schistacea
type. The bills in specimens from the eastern slope are invariably
and very decidedly smaller than in examples from Fort Tejon and
that vicinity, though still much thickened when compared with
specimens from the interior (schistacea). The color of the under

Henshaw on the Species of the Gemcs Passerella. 5

mandible in typical megarhyncha is of a quite characteristic bluish-
white, but in these specimens it is of a decidedly yellowish cast,*
very much as seen in schistacea. A similar tendency in them to
approach the light ashy coloration of schistacea is also to be noted.
By means of these and other specimens we have no difficulty in
forming a very complete chain from the one extreme to the other,
and hence we consider the two are to be distinguished only varie-
tally, whatever may be their relations to the others.

Of megarhyncha it is to be said that the individual variation is
very gi-eat, being much more marked than in any of the three
others. Though in its extreme condition it is certainly one of the
most, perhaps the most, noteworthy of the four birds, its characters
are so very inconstant that unless taken from the same locality it
is not easy to find two specimens that exactly agree, the variation
being especially well marked as to size. In a series even from the
same neighborhood the variation is apt to be very considerable,
more so, I think, than is the case with any other bird I am ac-
quainted with. As this variety is probably a resident, at least in
much of the region inhabited by it, it is not easy to understand
this tendency in individuals to vary to so gi-eat an extent. On the
other hand, its claim to similar recognition as the others is seen in
the fact that its habitat is distinctly marked from that of its con-
geners, and that within its own area no specimens occur which are
not sufficiently characteristic to be readily referable to it. As to
the relative size of wing and tail in tlie two forms, the individual
variation is never sufficient to alter the proportion, the tail being
always in excess of wing.

Leaving now, for the moment, the two forms (schistacea and
megarhyncha) just considered, aud taking up the two remaining
members of the group (itiaca and toivnMndi), we note, first, that
their habitats are, iu the extreme northwest, in close relation, —
iliaca being one of the several eastern birds that in the far north
span the continent, and reach the Pacific Ocean in Alaska. Town-
sendi is a Pacific-slop^ form, being found in its typical condition
from the Columbia River region north to Sitka, Kodiak, etc.
"Whether the habitats of the two actually join is not at present

* Mr. Ridgway informs me that specimens collected by him in this vicinity
in spring show no trace of yellow, but have the typically bluish-white under
mandible.

6 Henshaw on the Species of the Genus Passerella.

known with certainty. It seems probable that they do, and certain
specimens, now to be noted, suggest in their intermediate char-
acters such a union of the respective regions. These are comprised
in a series of sixteen specimens collected in California by myself
during the fall of 1875. While these are all referable to town-
sendi, not one is typically like that bird, as its characters are illus-
trated by many examples in the Smithsonian from Sitka, Kodiak,
and the contiguous regions. The variation inclines from a quite
near approach to the dark olive-brown of townsendi, with its un-
streaked dorsum, to a shade approaching suspiciously close to the
ferruginous color of iliaca ; these latter individuals show appreci-
able though obsolete streakings on the back, and may be fairly
compared with the latter bird. In this connection a single speci-
men in the Smithsonian Collection from California is very inter-
esting, since it was named " iliaca " by Mr. Ridgway, and thought
to be a straggler of this species. On the strength of this speci-
men, Dr. Coues, in his " Birds of the Northwest," gives iliaca as
" accidental in California." In the light of the series now at hand
the specimen in question assumes a new significance, and is seen to
exhibit but a somewhat nearer approach to iliaca than the extreme
of the above suite ; with them it is to be considered as indicating the
intermediate condition of color between the two, and hence of their
intergradation.

If the same test be applied to schistacea and townsendi it results,
without going into unnecessary details, in the same way. Their
complete inosculation as to color may readily be proven. A series
of measurements to illustrate the relation in size of the four forms
gives the average of the parts as follows. Space forbids our giving
full tables of measurements, as would have been desirable.

P. iliaca. Average of ten specimens from Eastern United States, Alaska,

etc. : wing, 3.40 ; tail, 3.07 ; bill, .32 ; tarsus, .93.
P, townsendi. Average of twenty- three specimens : wing, 3.20 ; tail, 3.15 ;

bill, .49 ; tarsus, .94.
P. schistacea. Average of nine specimens : wing, 3.13 ; tail, 3.37 ; bill,

.44 ; tarsus, .91.
P. megarhyncha. Average of eight specimens : wing, 3.21 ; tail, 3.58 ; bill,

.51 ; tarsus, .93.

As will be seen from the above-given average measurements,
iliaca and townsendi agree in having the wing longer than (in some

Henshaw on the Species of the Genus Passerella. 7

specimens of townsendi equalling) the tail ; while in schisfacea and
townsendi the tail is very considerably in excess of the wing. The
importance which I was at first disposed to attach to these differ-
ent proportions was somewhat modified upon ascertaining that in
respect to proportion of these parts townsendi, with its wing nearly
equal to tail, evidently marked the first step towards schisfacea, in
which the tail becomes the longer, a tendency carried still further
in viegarhyncha.

One curious and to me unexpected fact brought out by these
measurements is that, not only does the tail become longer in the
three western varieties, — a variation well shown in other species
whose habitat extends from the eastern into the western province,
— but also the wing is found to be actually shorter; so that the dif-
ferent proportions which ensue result from two causes : first, actual
increase in the length of tail ; second, actual decrease in the length
of wing. I am not aware that this fact has been noted in the case
of any other western bird, though I find a similar but slight ten-
dency in this direction in the Pipilo var. megalonyx, the western
form of the P. erythrophthabmis. A careful examination of other
species may reveal a similar tendency.

By the above arrangement the four forms will require to stand
as follows : —

Passerella iliaca (Merr). Habitat, Eastern Province of North America.
Breeds from British America northward ; across to mouth of Yukon.
In migrations to eastern edge of great plains ; occasional in spring in
Colorado (Maxwell) ^(Ze Ridgway.

Passerella iliaca townsendi (Aud.). Habitat, Pacific Province.
Breeds in Northern Sierras ; Southern California in winter ; confined to
western slope of Sierras.

Passerella iliaca schistacea, Bd. Habitat, Middle Province, re-
stricted by western edge of plains and eastern slope of Sierras ; a rare
straggler in Kansas and California in fall.

Passerella iliaca megarhyncha, Bd. Habitat, southern Sierras,
eastern as well as western slope. Probably resident wherever found.

Cooper on Nest and Eggs of

NOTES ON THE BEEEDING HABITS OF CARPODACUS PUR-
PITREUS VAR. CALIFORNIOUS, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF
ITS NEST AND EGGS.

BY WILLIAM A. COOPER.

My attention was called to an article in the April number of
•'The Nuttall Bulletin" relative to the nest and eggs of the Cali-
fornia Purple Finch. As my experience does not corroborate the
description there given, but differs widely from it, I send the follow-
ing account of several nests and sets of eggs, fearing the article in
question may mislead many whose knowledge may be restricted
to published information. About ten nests of this bird have come
under my observation during the last ten years. Of each of these
the framework was loosely constructed, a portion of each nest being
formed of pieces of Scrophularia nodosa, some of these being en-
tirely of this plant. I have never found a nest in a fork, and they
are usually placed at a considerable distance from the ground.
Favorite situations are the tops of tall willows, alders, trees covered
with climbing ivy, and horizontal branches of redwoods. The var.
californicus is as abundant around Santa Cruz as is the C. frontalis ;
but while the latter breeds in the gardens throughout the city, the
former retires to the wooded river-bottoms, or the hills back of the
town. Being unacquainted with the particulars concerning the cap-
ture of the male parent bird, or with its captor (Mr. C. A. Allen), I
am unwilling to take the ground that the nest and eggs referred to
are not genuine ; but the chances of a mistaken parentage appear
quite probable.

Four nests and sets of eggs of var. californicus give the following
characters : —

1. May 30, 1875, I found a nest containing five eggs; incuba-
tion a few days advanced. The nest measured 6 inches in diame-
ter outside, 2.50 inside, depth 2.50 outside, 1.38 inside ; the frame-
work was of fine dried tops of Scrojihularia, loosely put together ;
the inner consisted of fine denuded vegetable fibres, soft woolly sub-
stances, compactly made, lined with a few hairs. The nest was
placed on a horizontal branch of an alder-tree, forty feet high, built
on the top of a limb and barely fastened to it. One egg was
broken ; the remaining four measure .80 x .58, .80 x .55, .80 x .55,

Carpodacus purpureus var. californicus. d

.77 X .54. They are of a bluish-green color, marked with spots of
brown and dull purple, chiefly around the larger end.

2. The same day I found another nest, containing four eggs,
which had been incubated about the same length of time as the
former. Tliis was placed on one of the topmost branches of an
alder-tree fifty feet high. Framework, of fine stems, among them
Scrophularia ; also a few pine roots ; inner portions of fine fibres,
lined with wool and hair. The ground-color of eggs is similar to
that of set No. 1 ; the markings, however, are quite different, being
of a dull brownish-purple, minute and confluent, forming a ring
around the end of two eggs, and a large spot on the end of the
remaining two, one of the latter being also spotted over the entire
surface, less abundantly than on the end ; they measure .83 x .57,
.81 X.56, .81 X.56, .80x.54.

3. May 3, 1876, I found a nest with four fresh eggs. It was
placed twenty feet from the ground, in a thick bunch of willow
sprouts, near a small creek. The female bird was on the nest, and
would not leave till I almost touched her. The eggs are of a light
emerald-green color, spotted similarly to those of set No. 1, the
markings forming a more decided ring around the end ; the form is
more pointed, and the ground-color is deeper than in sets one and
two. Measurements, .75 X. 55, .73 x.56, .72 X .56, .71 X .57. The
framework of the nest consists entirely of Scrophularia ; the inner
nest of roots and bark, lined with fine bark and hair.

4. May, 1875, George H. Ready found a nest containing four
fresh eggs. The nest, similar to those above described, was placed
on a horizontal branch of an apple-tree in Mission Orchard.
These eggs are of an emerald-green color, and are more pointed
than any of the other specimens ; the markings are finer than
those of sets one and three, and darker, some being almost black ;
a perfect ring is formed around the end of each, and the whole sur-
face of one is spotted. They measure, .80 x .59, .77 x .58, .77 x ,56,
.76 X .57.

I have on several occasions seen these Finches in trees wherein
were nests of C. frontalis. The most faded egg I have is much
more deeply colored than any egg I have ever seen of Cyanospiza
cyanea. The markings are always plentiful, forming a ring around
the end of many specimens. The only egg I have of Carpodacus
purpureus is hardly distinguishable from those of var. californicus.

I may here add that Carpodacus purpureus var. californicus is

10 Eidgway's Description of a New Wren.

the most destructive bird we have, visiting our orchards and de-
stroying young buds, blossoms, and fruit. I have swept up a bas-
ketful of cherry-blossoms from under one tree in a single day, the
heart of the blossoms being the food sought.

Santa Cruz, California.

Note. — In reference to Mr. Cooper's allusion in the foregoing article to my
paper on the nest and eggs of the California Purple Finch, I will add that the
bird sent with the nest is positively Carpodacus purpitrcus var. californicus, and
in view of the improbability of Mr. Allen's having shot a bird not the parent of
the eggs I am led to believe that these eggs are abnormal specimens, possibly
representing what may be termed an albinistic tendency, like occasional white
eggs of our common Bluebird. — W. Brewster.

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW WREN FROM THE TRES MARIAS

ISLANDS.

BY ROBERT RIDGWAY.

In casually examining the series of Wrens in the National Mu-
seum collection, I happened to notice certain differences between
specimens of so-called Thryothorus felix from the Tres Marias
Islands, off the western coast of Mexico, and examples typical of the
species collected on the adjoining mainland, in the vicinity of Ma-
zatlan. These specimens were all obtained subsequent to the pub-
lication of Professor Baird's "Review of American Birds" {1864-
1866) ; and since Mr. Lawrence makes no mention of the difference
alluded to, in either of his recent papers on the ornithology of
Western Mexico, I presume that gentleman had no opportunity of
making a direct comparison of the series from the two localities.

The new form is clearly a derivative from the mainland species,
but is so far differentiated as to require a distinctive name. I
therefore propose to name it Thryothorus lawrencii, in honor of the
distinguished ornithologist referred to above. Its characters are
as follows : —

Thryothorus felix, ^. lawrencii, Ridgway, MSS.
Char. — Above light grayish-brown, witliout appreciable bars any-
where, except on the tail ; pileum decidedly more reddish, and inclin-
ing to light cinnamon-brown. Tail similarin color to the back, but

Henshaw on Selasphorus alleni. 11

crossed by numerous (seven or eight, the number rather indefinite, how-
ever) bai-s of black ; these bars becoming broken towards the ends, and
gradually obsolete at the bases of the feathers ; the ground-color occasion-
ally paler along the posterior edge of the blackish bar. Whole side of the
head and entire lower parts white, the sides faintly tinged with buff. A
distinct dusky stripe along upper edge of auriculars, below the very con-
spicuous and continuous white superciliary stripe. Bill and feet plum-
beous-dusky. Wing, 2.30 - 2.45 ; tail, 2.30 - 2.45 ; bill, from nostril,
.45 - .48 ; culmen, .75 - .78 ; tarsus, .80 ; middle toe, .50.

Habitat. Tres Marias Islands, off the western coast of Mexico.

Types. 37,329, ^ (Jan. 1865), 50,817, and 50,818 (U. S. Nat. Mus.
Catal.), Tres Marias ; Col. A. J, Grayson.

The principal characteristics of this form and the typical one may be
contrasted as follows : —

a. felix. Throat bordered along each side by a wide and conspicuous
stripe of black ; whole sides of neck and also auriculars distinctly streaked
with black ; entire lower parts, except throat, buff, deepest along sides.
Wing, 2.10-2.35 ; tail, 2.25-2.35 ; bill, from nostril, .39 -.42 ; tarsus,
.80 -.90 ; middle toe, .50-52.* ifa6., mainland of Western Mexico, from
Mazatlan to Oaxaca.

0. lawrencii. Black markings of cheeks, etc., usually entirely absent,
very rarely barely indicated ; lower parts, except sides, pure white. Wing,
2.30 - 2.45 ; tail, 2.30 - 2.45 ; bill, from nostril, .45 - .48 ; tarsus, .80 ;
middle toe, .50.t Hab., Tres Marias Islands, Western Mexico.

ADDITIONAL EEMARKS ON SELASPHORUS ALLENI.

BY H. W. HENSHAW.

In his remarks ou Selasphorus alleni, in the October number of
the Bulletin, Mr. D. G. Elliot attempts to prove that in selecting this,
the Green-backed,! or, as he calls it, the Californian form, for naming,
I committed an error, this, according to him, being the bird described
by Gmelin as the Trochilus rit/us, and hence, as he claims, it was

* Five specimens measured, all from Mazatlan.

+ Three specimens measured.

X In this article, by the Green-backed Hummer will be understood the
recently recognized form from California ; the Rufous-backed bird being the
old and better known form from Mexico and the West Coast generally. The
coloring of the adult males renders these names sufiBciently appropriate.

12 Henshaw on Selasphorus alleni.

the other, or Rufous-backed, form which required christening. A
careful perusal of Mr. Elliot's paper fails to convince me of my
supposed mistake, and I think a short review of the matter with a
few critical remarks on his paper, may be made to show that my
critic is the one who has been misled into the erroneous identifica-
tion of Gmelin's bird.

From lack of space, I refrain from quoting Gmelin's and Swain-
son's descriptions, nor will this be necessary. It may be stated,
however, that the accounts of these authors, as well as Latham's,
upon which Gmelin's was based, apply in every particular to
the Rufous-backed bird, the assumption that it was this form
these writers intended to describe not being controverted by a
word in either. Mr. Elliot's opinion that it was the other or
Green-backed form involved in their accounts is based chiefly on the
fact of an omission, no mention being made of the notched rectrices
which are present in the Rufous-backed form, and also because the
description of the outer tail-feathers is more applicable to the latter.
That Gmelin and Swainson should have overlooked the notch in
the rectrices next the middle pair will not appear so very singular
in the light of the fact that it has since been repeatedly overlooked
by authors with equal and perhaps better claims to accuracy than
can be conceded to either of , the above. Both Audubon and Baird,
who describe the outer tail-feathers of their S. rufus in terms similar
to the earlier writers, making no mention of notched rectrices, and
both of whom, as my critic implies, must necessarily, therefore,
have had the Green-backed bird under consideration, actually did
have perfectly typical examples of the Rufous-backed bird. Audu-
bon's type, at present in the Smithsonian, was before me when my
article was written, as were also Professor Baird's specimens. They
are all, with one exception, fine examples of the Rufous form. This
exception is the adult male, No. 6059, mentioned by Professor Baird
on page 134, Vol. IX, P. R. R. Reports, as having the back covered
with metallic green. This specimen, as I ascertain by inspection, is
the true Green-backed form, our S. alleni. Professor Baird appeared
to regard this peculiar coloration as presenting merely a notable
exception to the rule, and passes it by without further comment.
His description was based on typical specimens of the Rufous form.
The more re.cent authorities then, notwithstanding Mr. Elliot's
opinion to the contrary, having overlooked the fact of a notch in the
rectrix, it is not too much to suppose a similar result at the hands

Henshaw on Selasplwrus alleni. 13

of the earlier and, as a rule, far less particular compilers. Tha
particularly narrow outer rectrices mentioned in all the accounts,
upon which so much stress is laid by Mr. Elliot, by no means
necessarily refers to the Green-backed form, though, as a matter
of fact, the outer tail-feathers are much narrower in this species
than in the other. The term is evidently one of contrast, the
comparison being suggested by the extreme narrowness of the outer
feathers as compared with the inner, which are really very broad.
In fact, there was nothing else to invite this particularity here.
There being but one species known to all these authors, there was
hence no need of comparative diagnosis other than that suggested
by the parts themselves.

Gould, in his Monograph of the Trochilidce, after describing what
was unquestionably the true Rufous-backed bird of Gmelin, the
male with its "back cinnamon brown," adds: "The above is the
usual coloring, but I have occasionally seen fully adult males with
the rich gorget in which the coloring of the back was totally dif-
erent, being of a golden green,^ and presenting so great a contrast
as almost to induce a belief that they were of a different species."
This latter allusion, as in the case of Professor Baird's, is without
doubt to the Green-backed form, its peculiarities of color being evi-
dently the only difference noted by him. His figures, it is true,
do not show the notched rectrix belonging to the Rufous form,
whence Mr. Elliot concludes that they must represent the other bird.
But in color, as also, it is to be particularly noted, in the shape and
size of the outer rectrices, they correspond exactly with the Rufous-
back and differ irreconcilably from the Green-back. In short, they
would not serve to identify the latter bird at all, but are good figures
of the former in all respects except in the omission of the notch in
the tail-feathers, in which particular they merely repeat the over-
sight of the other authors.

The Smithsonian possesses several specimens of the Rufous-backed
form with its notched tail-feathers received directly from Mr. Gould.
That his collection contained this form is therefore certain, if in-
deed further confirmatory proof were necessary. The peculiarity
of the notched tail-feathers was simply overlooked.

But to return to the earlier writers ; the selection of Gmelin'a
name is of itself suggestive that the bird he had in hand could

* Italics my own.

14 Henshaw on Selas^Jwrus alleni.

not have been the one with the bright green back. " Trochilus
rufus sLibtus exalbidus " points at once to the Rufous-backed form.
The other bird with the small amount of rufous below would
scarcely have suggested this name. Referring to Swainson's ac-
count, which was, as Mr. Elliot remarks, in all probability based upon
one of Gmelin's original specimens, possibly his type, we find his
description beginning thus, "General tint of the upper plumage
rufous or cinnamon, which covers the head, ears, neck, back,

rump, upper tail-coverts, and margins of the tail-feathers "

This applies perfectly to the Rufous-backed form, but in no wise
meets the necessities of the other bird. For while color is not the
most desirable test, and may often prove unreliable, yet in the case
of the males of these two birds the variation in color, while consid-
erable, as pointed out in my former article, is never sufficient to
obliterate their specific distinctness. They may be invariably told
by the color of the back alone.

Mr. Elliot appears to have overlooked much of Swainson's article.
For in his remarks that author states, after indicating that he has
before him one of Gmelin's original specimens as correctly quoted
by Mr. Elliot, " We are likewise able to vouch for its geographic
range to the southward as far as the table-land of Mexico, near Real
del Monte ; specimens from that part having been obligingly sent

us for examination " Thus Swainson vouches for the identity

of Gmelin's original specimen, perhaps type, with the Mexican
form, which is, as Mr. Elliot says, the Rufous-backed bird. Could
stronger proof be asked ]

Mr. Elliot's discrimination in the color of the ruffs of the two
species I have not been able to verify. The differences he appears
to have found in his specimens I am sure, after having ex-
amined numerous individuals, are not constant, and hence are
of no use as diagnostic features. Mr. Elliot says, " I do not
think that the females have any metallic feathers on the throat."
In this he is mistaken. Adult females invariably have a metallic
patch on the median line of the throat. The young males are very
differently marked, and have the metallic feathers, which become
brownish towards the chin, distributed quite evenly over the throat,
the space occupied by them often indicating the extent of the ruff
of the following year. The young females alone have the throat
almost immaculate, or faintly flecked with brown.

Range. We have no proof at the present time showing that the

Brewster's Descriptions of First Plumages. 15

Green-backed form, S. alleni, extends north of California. Some
pretty strong evidence to the contrary, of a negative character,
may be advanced. The Smithsonian collection contains quite a
number of specimens of the Rufous bird from Oregon, Wash-
ington Territory, Vancouver Island, and Sitka, a region faunally
quite the same as Nootka Sound, which is on the southwest-
ern shore of Vancouver Island. The presumptive evidence is
quite strong that if the Green-backed form were really present it
would have appeared in the numerous collections from this region
received by the Smithsonian. From the above proof it seems clear
that Gmelin's bird was the Rufous-backed form, which of course re-
tains his name rvfus, thus leaving to the Green-backed form the
name Selasphorns alleni given by me in the July number of this
Bulletin (Vol. II, No. 2).

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FIRST PLUMAGE IN VARIOUS SPE-
CIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

By William Brewster.

The first plumage assumed by nearly all young Altrices (birds
which are reared in the nest) at or about the time of leaving the
nest, though representing a universal, and, in the majority of cases,
well-defined stage, has been almost entirely ignored by Ornithologi-
cal writers, or, if referred to at all, in such comprehensive and in-
definite terms as to afford information of little distinctive value.
Thus under the general term "young," we find described sometimes
the real nestling, but more frequently the young in autumnal dress.

My attention was called to this fact some years since by the ex-
treme difhculty, and too often impossibility, of identifying by "the
books" nestlings of even the commoner species. I have since given
special care to the acquisition of series of specimens representing all
the stages through which birds pass in arriving at maturity, and it
is proposed in the course of the present paper to treat, as fully as
may seem necessary, some hitherto undescribed plumages of North
American birds, and also in certain instances to clear up the confu-

16 Brewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

sion that has previously resulted either from misapprehension, or
from a too free use of certain distinctive terms.

While it is to be regretted that the specimens at hand do not
furnish full series of even all the commoner species, it is nevertheless
hoped that, by calling attention to this hitherto neglected field, an
impetus will be given to future investigation that may result in a
more complete knowledge of the subject than can here be presented.
Before proceeding to a detailed consideration of specimens it may
prove of interest to state briefly a few generalizations regarding the
comparative development of the young in different families of
birds.

Among North American Altrices the young of most species are
born with thin patches of delicate, soft down, restricted mainly to
the feather-tracts. Beneath this fluffy down the feathers are
already forming ; these soon appear, bearing at their summits the
little tufts of down that formed the down-patches. Meanwhile the
remiges and rectrices have started, and, growing with marvellous
rapidity, the bird is soon able to take wing. The contoui'-feathers
have now also nearly reached their full growth, and differ in both
structure and color from the later stages of plumage, these feathers
being softer and of a moi-e open texture than those that succeed
them. This . is the stage of plumage technically characterized
throughout the following paper as the first plumage. Though eva-
nescent, it is usually worn for several weeks after the bird has left the
nest. It is then moulted, and the regular autumnal plumage suc-
ceeds.

The remiges and rectrices are, however, nearly always retained
until the next regular moult, exceptions to this rule being afforded
by the families Tetraonidce and Picidce and the genus Philohela,
and probably by a few other groups, in which the remiges and rec-
trices are moulted with the rest of the first plumage.

The early tegumentary development of most Prcecoces (birds
whose young run about at birth) is quite different : they are
densely clothed with down until of large size, when, coincident with
the sprouting and growth of the remiges and rectrices, the feathers
of the full autumnal plumage appear. In short, the first plumage
of Altricial birds seems to be omitted or perhaps replaced in the
Prcecoces by their more complete and longer worn, downy plumage,
A few conspicuous exceptions occur among both groups. Thus,
many Raptores differ from the Altrices in being densely clothed with

in Various Species of North American Birds. 17

down from birth until of large size, when the autumnal plumage is
immediately assumed; while among Prcecoces theyoungof the Tetrao-
nidce, of Philohela minor, and of some of the Rallidoe (well illus-
trated by a good suite of Rallus virgiyiiamis), pass in succession
through two well-defined primal stages, — the downy one character-
izing their own group and the first plumage of Altrices. In the
Anatidce, and probably some other Natatores, the remiges and rec-
trices are not developed until the young bird is almost fully grown
and the autumnal clothing-plumage nearly perfect. A few fami-
lies, as the Ardeidoe, have not been fully investigated, and may fur-
nish additional interesting exceptions.

In concluding these prefatory remarks, I wish to gratefully ac-
knowledge an act of generosity on the part of Mr. Robert Ridgway.
He had some time since made investigations respecting the early
stages of plumage of birds, and had even sent descriptions of the
first plumage of some North American Warblers for publication in the
"Bulletin," when, learning of my prior researches and somewhat more
extensive material, he very kindly withdrew his paper and placed
the whole result of his work in my hands, thus enabling me to add
a number of species not represented in my collection. The descrip-
tions of these are pi'esented in Mr. Ridgway's own words, and indi-
cated by quotation marks and his initials. I desire also to express
my thanks to my friend Mr. J. A. Allen for valuable suggestions
and information.

1. Turdus mustelinus.
First 'plumage : female. Generally similar to adult, but with the feathers
of crown streaked centrally with buff ; " rusty-yellow triangular spots at
the ends of the wing-coverts and a decided brownish-yellow wash on
the breast." From a specimen in my collection, shot by Mr. W. D. Scott
at Coalburgh, West Virginia, July 25, 1872. This bird is perhaps a little
past the first stage of plumage, most of the feathers of the upper parts
being those of the autumnal dress.

2. Turdus pallasi.

First plumage : female. Remiges and rectrices as in adult, but darker
and duller ; rump and tail-coverts bright rusty-yellow ; rest of upper
parts, including wing-coverts, dark reddish-brown, each feather with a
central tear-shaped spot of golden-yellow : entire under parts rich buff,
fading to soiled white on abdomen and anal region ; each feather on jugu-
lum and breast broadly tipped with dull black, so broadly, indeed, that
this color covers nearly four fifths of the parts where it occurs ; rest of
under parts, with exception of abdomen and crissum, which with the

18 Brewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

central region of the throat are immaculate, crossed transversely with
lines of dull black. From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton,
Me., June 20, 1873. This bird was very young, — scarcely able to fly,
in fact, — 3''et the color of the rectrices is sufficiently characteristic to sepa-
rate it at once from the corresponding stage of T. sivainsoni, which it
otherwise closely resembles. Another specimen of apparently nearly
the same age, taken at Rye Beach, N. H., July 25, 1872, differs in having
a decided reddish or rusty wash over the entire plumage, and by the spots
on the breast being brownish instead of black.

3. Turdua swainsoni

First plumage : male. Above much darker than adult, each feather,
excepting on rump and tail-coverts, with a tear-shaped spot of rich buff :
beneath like adult, but rather more darkly and thickly spotted on the
breast, and with narrow terminal bands of dull black on the feathers of
the lower breast and sides. From a specimen in my collection shot at
Upton, Me., August 4, 1874,

4. Turdus fuscescens.

First plumage : female. Above bright reddish-buff, deepest on back
and rump : feathers of pileum, nape, back, and wing-coverts margined
with dark brown, confining the lighter color to somewhat indefinitely
defined central drop-shaped spots. Lores and line from lower mandible
along sides of throat, dark sooty-brown : throat, sides,* and abdomen
pale brownish-yellow with indistinct transverse bands of brown ; breast
deep buff, each feather edged broadly with dull sooty-brown ; anal region
dirty white. In my collection, taken in Cambridge, Mass., July 23,

1874.

5. Mimus carolinensis.

First plumage : male. Pileum dull sooty-brown, many shades lighter
than in adult. Wings and tail as in adult ; interscapular region brownish-
ashy, shading into pale cinnamon-brown on the rump. Entire under
parts barred obscurely with dull brown on a very light ashy ground ;
crissum pale, dead cinnamon. In my collection from Cambridge, Mass.,
August 9, 1875.

6. Harporhynchus rufus.

First plumage. Generally similar to adult, but with the spots on the
under parts much thicker, more diffuse, and dull black instead of reddish-
brown. The pileum is slightly obscured by a blackish wash ; the rump
rich golden-brown, and the spotting on the wing-coverts fawn-color. From
specimens in my collection obtained at Cambridge, July 13, 1874.

Fall specimens differ from full-plumaged spring birds in having the
upper parts of a darker, richer red, with a much stronger rufous wash on
the imder parts.

in Varioiis Species of North American Birds. 19

7. Sialia sialis.

First plumage: female. Above dull smoky-brown, unmarked on head
and rump, the latter slightly paler ; but marked over the interscapular
region and wing-coverts by tear-shaped spots of white and pale fawn-
color, these spots occupying the central portions of the feathers. Second-
aries and tertiaries edged, and tipped with reddish-brown ; first primary
and lateral pair of rectrices with the outer webs pure white ; inner
primaries as in adult, but with the blue of a much lighter shade ;
posterior margin of eye with a crescentic spot of soiled white. Under parts,
with the exception of the abdominal region, which is nearly immaculate,
pale ashy-white, each feather broadly margined with dull cinnamon-
brown. From a specimen in my collection, shot at Cambridge, Mass.,

June 8, 1874.

8. Regulus satrapa.

First pluviage : female. Pileum (including forehead) dark .smoky-
brown ; line over the eye entirely cut off at its anterior corner by the junc-
tion of the dusky lores with the brown of the forehead ; tertiaries broadly
tipped with white ; breast strongly washed with pale fawn-color ; other-
wise like adult. From a specimen in my collection taken at Upton,
Me., August 25, 1874. A young male taken August 25, 1873, is in
every way similar. A good series of specimens of various ages shot
during August and the early part of September illustrate well the
transitional stages. First the brown of the pileum darkens into two
black stripes, while the line over the eye broadens to meet its external
margin. Next, two lines of yellow feathers appear inside and parallel
with the black ones, while the orange of the central space (of the male)
is produced last.

9. Polioptila caerulea.

First plumage : male (?). Rectrices as in the adult ; remiges paler, with
a much broader and whiter edging on the tertials ; rest of upper parts
pale mouse-color with a strong wash of light cinnamon. Entire under
parts grayish-white or pale lead-color. In my collection, from Kanawha
Co., WestVa., June, 1872.

10. Lophophauea bicolor.

First plumage : male. Above dull ashy, frontal hand scarcely darker ;
sides deep salmon-color. Otherwise like adult. From specimens in my
collection obtained by Mr. W. D. Scott at Coalburgh, West Va., July 20,
1872.

11. Parus atricapillus.

First plumage: male. Back very dark slate without any tinge of
brownish. Beneath salmon-color, faintest on breast, most pronounced on
sides and anal region. The black on throat and pileum scarcely less
clear than in adult. From specimen in my collection shot at Concord,
Mass., June 17, 1871.

20 Brewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

From about the time of pairing in spring till early autumn this Tit-
mouse "wears a plumage which has been almost, if not entirely, ignored by
writers. The back is clear ashy without any brownish or olivaceous
washing except in a few specimens on the rump. The under parts are
white, with barely a trace of faintest salmon on the sides of the body ; while
the white margining on the remiges is much narrowed and on many of
the feathers replaced by ashy. It may be objected that this generally
paler condition is due to the wearing of the feathers consequent upon the
continual passing of the birds in and out of their nesting cavities, but not
all of the sjjecimens before me are in worn plumage ; one pair, taken May
12, 1876, being in remarkably perfect dress. At all events, whatever the
cause, this peculiar stage is so universally characteristic of all specimens
(at least, New England ones) taken at this season, that it certainly merits
a fuller recognition than it has up to this time received. Five specimens
examined, all collected in Massachusetts in May or June.

12. Parus hudsonicus.

First plumage : female. Above olivaceous-drab, becoming much darker
and more dusky on crown. Sides and anal region very pale brownish-
rusty. Otherwise like adult. From a specimen in my collection taken
at Upton, Me., August 25, 1873. This bird is, strictly speaking, in a
transitional stage, having already acquired many feathers of its fall dress.
It differs sufficiently, however, from the perfected condition of the autum-
nal plumage to merit descrijition under the above heading.

13. Parus rufescens.

First plumage : male. Pileum, nape, and throat dark sooty -brown ;
back dull chestnut, tinged with olive ; sides ashy, washed in places with
brownish-chestnut. Otherwise, like adult. From a specimen in my col-
lection obtained at Nicasio, Cal., by Mr. C. A. Allen, May 21, 1875.

14. Sitta canadensis.

First plumage : female. Above ashy with just a shade of blue ;
pileum dark ashy ; chin and throat dirty white ; rest of under parts
like spring adults, but with a fainter and more general suffusion of
rusty. From specimen in my collection taken at Upton, Me., July 31,
1874. In "History of Birds of North America" (Vol. I, p. 118) Mr.
Kidgway, in giving the specific characters of this species, says : " The
male has the chin white ; rest of under parts, brownish-rusty." Of
the female, " beneath paler, more of a muddy white." Now, if I under-
stand rightly by this that the breeding plumage of the adult is indicated,
I am confident that the description, so far as it relates to the male, is
incorrect. From the examination of a large series of specimens, collected
in every stage of plumage and at nearly all seasons, I am led to believe
that Mr. Ridg way's description is applicable only to the male in full
autumnal dress, — a mistake most easily committed when it is considered

in Various Species of North American Birds. 21

that this plum.age is worn through the winter months, or nearly up to
the commencement of the breeding season, as is shown by specimens shot
on the migration through Massachusetts in April. It will be seen hj a
comparison of the following descriptions that the brightest plumage is
reached in autumnal specimens, a case parallel with that of Parus atrica-
pillus. Hence I have judged it best to redescribe the spring or breeding
plumage, using Mr. Ridgway's words so far as they are definitely appli-
cable. The autumnal plumage is presented, I believe, for the first time.

Breeding plumage : Adult male. " Above ashy-blue ; top of head
black : a white line above and a black one through the ej^e." Entire un-
der parts dirty white, tinged very slightly with pale rusty on breast, sides,
abdomen, and crissum. From specimen in my collection shot at Upton,
Me., May 31, 1871.

Adult female. With black of head scarcely duller than in the male :
beneath similar, perhaps a trifle less rusty. From specimen in my col-
lection obtained on Muskeget Island, Mass., June 30, 1870. It is very
possible that this bird represents a development of plumage only excep-
tionally attained by the female ; I have seen no other specimen of that
sex with the color of the crown so nearly approaching that of the male.

Autumnal plumage of young : male. Upper parts'as in breeding adults,
the ash-blue a little clearer and brighter. Chin white ; rest of under
parts brownish-rusty, paler on throat and intensifying into light chestnut
on sides. A narrow line down centre of abdomen pure white (this last
feature, though characteristic of most specimens, is wanting in a few).
From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me., September 7, 1874.
f- Female. Pileura dark ashy mixed with black. Otherwise similar to
male and scarcely lighter beneath. From specimen in my collection shot
at Upton, Me., September 12, 1874.

The adult in autumn is paler beneath than the young.

15. Thryothorus ludovicianus.

First plumage : male. Top of head dark rusty, each feather edged and
tipped broadly with dull black, the former color nearly, eliminated by the
latter on the crown and forehead. Under parts nearly as in adult, but
more cinnamoneous ; a few narrow, wavy, and somewhat badly defined
transverse lines of black across the breast and abdomen. From a speci-
men in my collection shot at Petroleum, West Va., May 1, 1874.

16. Troglodytes a'edon.
First pluma-ge : female. Upper parts more reddish than in adult :
throat, jugulum, and breast pale fulvous-white, each feather on breast
tipped with pale drab, giving that part of the plumage a delicately scu-
tellate appearance. Abdomen whitish ; sides, anal region, and crissum
dull rusty-brown, becoming almost chestnut on the crissum. No trace
of bars on feathers of the body either above or beneath. From specimen
in my collection shot at Cambridge, Mass., July 9, 1873.

22 Brewster's Descrijptions of First Plumages.

17. Troglodytes parvulus var. hy emails.
First flumage : male. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult ; rest of
xipper parts dark reddish-brown, becoming more dusky anteriorly : no
trace of bars except on wings and tail. Beneath dull smoky-brown,
with a strong ferruginous suffusion on sides, anal region, and crissum ;
every feather of under parts with a bar of dark brown. From a specimen
in my collection taken at Upton, Me., August 4, 1874.

18. Telmatodytes palustris.

First plumage : female. Entire pileum, nape, and interscapular region
dull black ; no white streaking or spots ; otherwise like adult. From
specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, August 10, 1873.

19. Cistothorus stellaris.

Autumnal plumage : young male. Above similar to adult, but darker,
especially on nape and pileum. Throat and abdomen light buff ; breast,
sides, anal region, and crissum rusty-brown, paler and with white tip-
pings to the feathers anteriorly. From a specimen in my collection shot
at Cambridge, Mass., September 19, 1870.

20. Mniotilta varia.

" First plumage. Similar in general appearance to the adult female, but
markings, especially the two stripes of the pileum and the streaks beneath,
much less sharply defined ; the streaks of the breast indistinct grayish-
dusky, suffused with pale fulvous, those of the back more strongly tinged
with rusty. The two stripes on the pileum dull grayish-dusky, instead
of deep black. From a specimen in my collection obtained near Wash-
ington, July, 1876." — R. R.

21. Parula americana.

" First plumage : male. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in the adult. Pi-
leum, nape, rump, and upper tail-coverts dull gray, tinged with olive
anteriorly and with blue posteriorly, the back with more or less of an
indistinct patch of olive-green ; throat and eyelids grayish- white, abdo-
men, anal region, and crissum pure white : jugulum and sides of breast
pale ash-gray. From two specimens obtained at Mt. Carmel, 111., July
17, 1871, Nos. 1457 and 1563, my collection. Both of these show a large
patch of bright gamboge-yellow on the breast, these feathers denoting the
commencement of the adult plumage. One of them also has the chin
and an indistinct supraloral line tinged with yellow." — R. R.

22. Frotonotaria citrea.

" First plumage. Remiges, rectrices, primary coverts, and alulae as in
the adult. Entire abdomen, anal region, and crissum white ; head, neck,
back, and jugulum pale greenish-olive, the throat and jugulum paler and

Allen 07i cm Inadequate "Tlieory of Birds' liesis." 23

more olive,' the upper parts brighter and more greenish ; rump and upper
tail-coverts plumbous-gray. From a specimen killed at Mt. Cannel, 111.,
Jul}' 22, 1875 ; in my collection. In this specimen a large patch on each
side the breast is bright gamboge-yellow (as is also a row of ' pin-feath-
ers ' along the middle of the throat), indicating the adult plumage." — R. R.

23. HelmitheruB verxnivorua.

'• " First plumage. Remiges, rectrices, primary coverts, and alulae as in
the adult. Rest of the plumage, including the whole back, lesser, mid-
dle, and greater wing-coverts, buff, deeper below, more brownish on the
back and base of the wing-coverts. Pileum with two badly defined stripes
of grayish-brown, and a narrow streak of the same behind the eye. From
a specimen in Mr. Henshaw's collection obtained near Washington in July,
1876." — R. R.

AN INADEQUATE "THEORY OF BIRDS' NESTS."

By J. A. Allen.

Why the thousands of species of birds build each a peculiar nest,
differing more or less in situation and architecture from those of all
other species, is a question which has as yet received no satisfactory
answer. As a rule, the nest, including its location, the materials
and manner of its construction, is as distinctive of the species as
the number, size, form, and color of the eggs, or, in some instances,
as any fact in its history, not excepting even the details of struc-
ture and coloration of the bird itself Why this is so we can per-
haps explain when we can satisfactorily account for the diversity
of song that is scarcely less a specific characteristic. Yet the struc-
ture and position of the nest, even among birds of the same spe-
cies, is more or less varied by circumstances, sometimes even to a
striking degree. In some cases the influence of peculiar surround-
ings is most obvious, as when, for instance, a species that habitu-
ally nests in trees, like the Carolina Dove, is found in treeless
regions to place its nest on the ground, or when a Woodpecker,
under similar circumstances, excavates for its nesting-site a cavity
in a clay-bank. Not unfrequently birds exhibit in their choice of
nesting-sites something quite akin to intelligent foresight, as is
manifestly the case when such species as the Brown Thrush and

24 Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birds' I^ests."

the Canada Goose, that commonly nest on the ground, place their
nests m bushes or trees in localities subject to sudden inundation.
Many species, profiting by dearly bought experience, will abandon,
in consequence of persistent persecution, long-occupied breeding-
grounds for those more remote from danger. A remarkable in-
stance of change in breeding habits from this cause is afforded by
the Herring Gull, which, to escape its human foes, has been known
to depart so widely from its usual habit of nesting on the open sea-
shore as to place its nest in trees in more or less inland swamps.
That birds have the power to grapple intelligently with unexpected
emergencies has been repeatedly shown, a most striking instance be-
ing afforded by the Baltimore Oriole, which has been observed to
repair a half-demolished nest by weaving one end of a string into
the weaker side and fastening the other end taut to a branch above.
The facit that various species of Swallows, the Wren, Chimney Swift,
and some other of our native birds which originally nested in de-
serted AVoodpeckers' holes or hollow trees, abandon such nesting-
sites for the better ones accidentally or intentionally provided by
man, shows that they are by no means the slaves of "blind
instinct," but are able to take advantage of favoring circum-
stances.

The materials used by birds in forming their nests, it has been
assumed, are those nearest at hand or most easy to obtain, or
such as their peculiar habits chance to render them most famil-
iar with, and that the mode of nidification depends upon their con-
structive ability, — upon the "tools" with which nature has pro-
vided them. This is undoubtedly to a great degree true, for it
would be hard to conceive of the construction of an elaborate nest
by any members of the Whippoorwill or Night-Hawk family, whose
bills are excessively weak and small, and whose feet are unfitted for
walking or perching, being barely able to support them on a flat
surface. Hence we are not surprised that they place their eggs on
the ground without the provision of a nest. Many other groups of
birds are almost equally incapable of building nests. But among
species equally furnished with the means for elaborate nest-making,
there is the greatest diversity in the results of their architectural
labors. Even when the materials employed by different species
chance to be the same, the structures resulting from their use bear
the impress of different architects. Nests of the same species also
vary greatly at different localities in consequence of the materials

Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birds' Nests." 25

most readily available for their construction being not everywhere
the same ; they also vary in accordance with the climatic conditions
of the locality, the same species building a quite different nest, as
respects warmth and stabilit}', in the colder portions of its habitat
from that which it constructs iu the warmer portions.

But while these deviations under diverse circumstances readily
explain variation in the situation and character of the nests of the
same species, they fail to explain why closely allied species, living
together under precisely the same conditions of environment, and
sometimes so closely resembling each other in size, color, and all
extenial characters as to require the eye of an expert to detect their
specific diversity, should build totally unlike nests, and display
almost the widest possible differences in respect to their situation.
To cite, in illustration, a single example from the many that might
be given, we may instance our common Pewees and Flycatchers.
In this small group we find a wide range of diversity in breeding
habits among species most intimately related in structure and gen-
eral habits. The Least Pewee builds a small, compact, felted nest
of fine soft materials, and its nearest allies, the Acadian and Traill's,
build far ruder and much more bulky structures of coarse grasses,
strips of bark, and other similar materials. Another near relative of
these species, the Wood Pewee, selects for its nesting-site a lichen-
covered dead branch, on which to saddle its small, highly artistic,
cup-shaped nest, covered externally with lichens glued to the surface
in such a manner as to render the structure almost indistinguish-
able from a natural protuberance of the branch itself. The Bridge
Pewee, another allied species, builds a large bulky nest, formed
outwardly of a heavy layer of mud, copiously lined with dry grass
and feathers, and shelters it in the chinks of walls, under shelv-
ing rocks, in sheds, outbuildings, and under bridges. The Great-
crested Flycatcher chooses hollow trees or deserted Woodpeckers'
holes in which to form its nest and deposit its eggs, while its allies,
the Kingbirds (genus Tyranims), build lai'ge open nests, which they
make no attempt to conceal.

Notwithstanding all this diversity of situation and structure
among closely allied species, birds' nests have been divided into
two classes, according to " whether the contents (eggs, young, or
sitting bird) are hidden or exposed to view," and the broad general-
ization based thereon that the character of the nest is intimately
related to the color of the female parent-bird. This, in fact, is Mr.

26 Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birds Nests."

Wallace's " Theory of Birds' Nests." * This " theory " has for its
basis tlie assumed " law which connects the colors of female birds
•with the mode of nidification." Mr. Wallace states it to be a rule,
open to " but few exceptions," " that when both sexes are of strik-
ingly gay and conspicuous colors, the nest is ... . such as to conceal
the sitting bird ; while, whenever there is a striking contrast of colors,
the male being gay and conspicuous and the female dull and ob-
scure, the nest is open and the sitting bird exposed to view." He
cites as examples of the first class, or those in which the female is
conspicuously colored and the nest concealed or covered, " six im-
portant families oi Fissirostres, four oi Scansores,i\\e Psittaci, and sev-
eral genera and three entire families of Passeres, comprising about
twelve hundred species, or abchit one seventh of all known birds."
This statement, however, proves on examination to be quite too
sweeping, since a large proportion of the species here named either
do not have a concealed nest, or are of sombre and obscure tints.
There are also other entire families and various additional genera,
in which the males are brilliantly and the females obscurely colored,
which build a domed nest. I now propose, so far as the limits of a
short article will allow, to test this theory by a rapid survey of the
birds of North America, — an area certainly large enough to afford
a fair basis of judgment. For this purpose I shall consider the
modes of nidification under four heads, namely, (1) nidification in
holes in trees ; (2) in burrows ; (3) domed, pensile, or otherwise
more or less " covered " nests ; and (4) nests wholly open.

1. Among North American birds those that habitually nest in
holes in trees embrace several species of the smaller Owls, one or
two kinds of small Hawks, all the various species of Woodpeckers,
all the numerous species of Titmice of the genera Lopliophanes and
Parus, the several species of Nuthatches, the Brown Creeper, some
of the Wrens, the Bluebirds (three species of Sialia), several species
of Swallows, Martins, and Swifts, the Great-crested Flycatcher, the
Carolina Paroquet, and three or four species of Ducks. In very few
of these can the colors be considered as " strikingly gay and con-
spicuous," and when this is the case, as in the Bluebirds, a few of

* Originally published in the Intellectual Observer of July, 1867, and repub-
lished with additions in 1870 in a collection of essays entitled " Contributions
to the Theory of Natural Selection," and alluded to in more recent articles
by the same author, including his recent paper on " The Colors of Animals and
Plants."

Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birds' Nests." 27

the Woodpeckers, some of the Swallows, the Wood-Duck, the Hooded
Merganser and the Buffle-head, the females are much paler and duller
colored than the males. In many other instances the colors are in the
highest degree adapted for concealment under every circumstance,
and especially in a sitting female bird, as, for instance, in the Brown
Creeper, the Wrens, some of the Titmice, the Swifts, and various
others.'

2. The burrowing species embrace the Prairie Owl, the King-
fishers, two species of Sand Martin or Bank Swallow, the Petrels,
various species of Auks and Puffins, and some of the Guillemots.
The Kingfishers possibly excepted, almost none of these have bright
or conspicuous colors, while in several the colors could scarcely be
better adapted for concealment. Especially is this the case with the
Owl and Sand Martins, with their dull neutral tints.

3. Among the comparatively few species that build a covered
or domed nest are the ground-building Golden-crowned Wagtail or
"Oven-Bird," the Dipper or Water-Ousel, the Meadow Lark, the
common Quail, and several Warblers. The first two of these have
tints peculiarly adapted for concealment, and the colors of the dorsal
area in the others ai-e likewise " protective." Among the species
building covered nests in reeds, bushes, or low trees, are Marsh
Wrens, some of the other Wrens, the smaller Tits (genera Psaltri-
parus, Auriparus, etc.), several of the Warblers (family Sylvicolidoe),
the Magpie, and perhaps a very few others. Of these the Wrens and
Tits are all obscurely or protectively colored, and have no " surpris-
ingly gay and conspicuous " tints. Some of the Warblers are more
brightly colored, and a few have rather conspicuous markings ; but
these features are almost wholly confined to the male, the females
being of comparatively dull and obscure tints. The Magpie has
showy colors and a very long tail, and the bulky nest, wholly con-
cealing the sitting bird, may be useful in hiding these otherwise be-
traying features. The species which build hanging, purse-shaped, or
subpensile nests are the Orioles and Vireos. In the case of the
former the nest is most illy adapted for protection from the most
dangerous foes of the species, the predatory Crows, Jays, and
Cuckoos, being often a conspicuous object, with, so far as the
United States species are concerned, no compensating feature of
security. Here again, while the males are in some instances arrayed
in " strikingly gay and conspicuous coloi's," the females do not to
any great extent share their bright hues, the sexual differences in

28 Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birds' Nests."

color among our native birds being rarely greater than in these
species. The subpensile nests of some of the Vireos are to be per-
haps more properly referred to the type of open nests. In either
case we find only slight sexual difference in color, with the olivaceous
hue of the back well fitted for concealing the female bird. But this
is in part off"set by the usually light color and somewhat exposed
situation of the nest.

4. The great bulk of the species fall of course into the fourth
category, or those with the nest open. These embrace (with two
exceptions, the Woodpeckers and the Kingfishers) birds of every
family represented in our fauna, and are about equally divided be-
tween ground-builders and those which nest in bushes or trees. As
a rule (as, in fact, throughout the class of birds) in those arrayed in
conspicuous tints the females are obscurely colored, in comparison
with the males. Yet to this rule there are exceptions, as notably
among the Jays, some of which do have " surprisingly gay and con-
spicuous colors," and among which both sexes are equally brilliant.
The shining black color of the Crows, the Raven, and some of the
Blackbirds are equally or (in the latter) almost equally shared by
both sexes, while the color is by no means well adapted to conceal-
ment. In many species the males, even when brightly colored,
share with the females the duties of incubation. This is the case
with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, in which the male is most con-
spicuously colored, and who not only shares the labor of incubation,
but has the most injudicious habit of indulging in loud song while
sitting on the nest. In many of our ground-nesting Sparrows the
sexes, in respect to coloration, are wholly indistinguishable ; their
obscure colors, arranged generally in streaks and spots, are cer-
tainly in the highest degree protective ; their nests, although not
domed, or even "covered," in the strict sense of the term, are gen-
erally most etfectually concealed under tufts of herbage, and are
hence far better shielded from observation than the pensile, domed,
or bulky, covered nests that are regarded by our author as so highly
conducive to security through the concealment of the eggs and
young or the sitting female.

Among the groups instanced by Mr. Wallace as building open
nests are " the extensive families of the Warblers (Si/lviadce),
Thrushes {Turdidce), Flycatchers (Muscicapidce), and Shrikes {La-
niadoe).'" AVhile in a considerable proportion of the species of
these groups the males are " beautifully marked with gay and con-

Allen on an Inadequate "Tlicory of Birds' Nests." 29

spicuous tints," " in every case the females are less gay, and are most
frequently of the very plainest and least conspicuous hues. Now,"
he continues, " throughout the whole of these families the nest is
open* and I am not aware of a single instance in which any one of
these birds builds a domed nest, or places it in a hole of a tree, or
under ground, or in any place where it is effectually concealed." As
regards the North American representatives of these groups, there
are frequent exceptions to this rule, as I have already shown, and
that Mr. Wallace did not know of exceptions only shows that his
examination of the subject must have been very superficial. As
further evidence of the imperfection and inexactness of Mr. Wal-
lace's knowledge of the subject concerning which he theorizes so
boldly and speaks so emphatically, may be cited his remark about
the Icteridoe, or " Hanguests." " The red or yellow and black plu-
mage of most of these birds," he says, " is very conspicuous, and
is exactly alike in both sexes. They are celebrated for their fine
purse-shaped pensile nests." As regards the facts of the case, there
is no family of Passerine birds where the sexes, as a rule, are more
widely different, the difference affecting not merely color, but also
size, the females being not only much duller colored than the males,
but much smaller. The instances in which both sexes are equally
brilliant are the exceptions.

To siimmarize the foregoing remarks, it has been shown, so far
as the birds of North America are concerned (and the same could
easily be shown for other equally extensive regions), that the spe-
cies which breed in holes in trees, in burrows in the ground, or in
domed, pensile, or covered nests, are as often dull, obscurely col-
ored species as bright-colored ; that when the species are conspicu-
ously colored, it is generally only the male that is attired in strik-
ingly gay tints, the females having comparatively dull colors ; and
that often species in which both sexes are clothed in bright and
equally conspicuous tints build an open nest ; while the " theory "
demands just the opposite of these conditions. In other words,
that birds nest in holes, in open or in covered nests, without regard
to whether the female is brightly or obscurely colored. Furthermore,
that pensile and bulky covered nests are far more open to discovery
than ordinary open nests, so that the advantage of having the con-
tents concealed, be it eggs, young, or the female parent, is more

• The italicized portions are as in the originaL

30 Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birds' Nests"

than counterbalanced by the readiness with which the nest itself
is discovered.

Not to do Mr. Wallace or his theory injustice, it may be added
that he has instanced a considerable number of large families of
birds, found outside of North America, in which the species nest in
hollow trees, and in which both sexes do have " surprisingly gay
and conspicuous colors." Among these are the Trogons, the Barbets,
the PufF-birds, the Toucans, and the great group of Parrots and
Paroquets. But Mr. Wallace has himself given an apparently far
better reason for this method of nidification in some of these groups
than that involved in his above-given theory, namely, that they have
not the necessary " tools " for the construction of an elaborate nest.
Most of them are weak -footed and sedentary, while in other cases
the form of the bill renders the construction of a nest almost im-
possible. Another large group, the species of which nest in holes
in trees, are the Woodpeckers. Here an obvious and far more
rational explanation is apparent than that afforded by the theory of
concealment, for here the scores of dull-plumaged, sombre-colored
species nest in holes just as do those that are conspicuously at-
tired. In this group the species do not seek cavities already at hand,
as is the case in some of the groups just cited, but form them them-
selves, and use them not only for purposes of nidification, but often
more or less habitually as places of shelter. Nothing seems more
natural than that they should avail themselves in this way of the
advantages afforded them by their powerful chisel-shaped beaks,
which they are constantly using as an abrading or " digging " organ
in their search for food. The same explanation holds equally good
for the plainly colored Tits that nidificate in holes that they them-
selves have the power of forming.

The Auks, Puffins, and some of the Guillemots are among the
species I have cited as breeding in burrows. As they are species
(occasionally conspicuous markings about the bill or head excepted)
of neutral or obscure tints, — particularly as respects the exposed
dorsal area of the sitting female, — their resorting to burrows is
hardly necessary for concealment, since these species have no
" strikingly gay " attire of plumage that would render the sitting
bird in any case conspicuous. Such resorts, however, prove to be
to them a great source of security, and give them an immense ad-
vantage over other species of the same family that breed at the
same localities with them, but in a wholly exposed manner. The

Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birds Nests." 31

chief enemy of these birds is man, by whom they are robbed of
their eggs in a most brutal and wholesale way. The species that
breed in deep crevices in the rocks almost wholly escape the rapacity
of their human foes, the eggs being almost invariably, it is said,
placed beyond reach, while those (some of the Guillemots) that de-
posit their eggs on the surface are robbed almost to extermination.
The dull, thoroughly protective colors of the Burrowing Owls, of
which there are several species, render them often difficult objects
to discover even when wholly exposed, yet they nidificate in de-
serted marmot holes, and there find security against the attacks of
predatory skunks and foxes, to which they would be exposed if nest-
ing on the ground, — usually the only other alternative in the
localities they inhabit. In fact, instances might be multiplied in
■which the breeding of birds in holes in trees, or in the earth, or in
otherwise concealed nests, might be explained more rationally than
by the theory of concealment of a brightly colored female parent, —
the basis of Mr. Wallace's ingenious "Theory of Birds' Nests," —
namely, security from enemies through other means than simply
concealment.

Mr. Wallace, in commenting on " What the Facts Teach us " in
relation to this theory, argues that the differences in color between
the sexes in birds that build an open nest may have been brought
about by the bright-colored females being weeded out or eliminated
in consequence of being more exposed to the attacks of enemies,
since any modification of color which rendered them more conspic-
uous would lead to their destruction and that of their offspring,
while the attainment of inconspicuous tints would tend to their
preservation. Hence this theory is intimately connected with, or
in part based upon, Mr. Darwin's theory of " sexual selection,"
which Mr. Wallace at this time accepted, but which he has recently
had the better judgment to discai-d as an inadequate explanation of
sexual diflereuces in color among animals.

The most surprising thing about Mr. Wallace's " Theory of Birds'
Nests"* is its inadequacy, and its irrelevancy to the facts it was
proposed to explain, and in this respect it is scarcely excelled by any
of the crude inventions into which the more ardent supporters of the

* I wish to liere state explicitly that I refer in these remarks wholly to Mr.
"Wallacf's "Theory of Birds' Nests,", and not to his most admirable essay on
"The rhilosojihy of Birds' Nests," which is replete with sound sense, and to
nearly every syllable of which I most heartily subscribe.

32 Goss on Breeding of the Duck Hawk.

theory of evolution by means of what has been termed "natural
selection " and " sexual selection " have been betrayed.

In conclusion, I desire to call attention to an interesting coinci-
dence between the manner of nesting among birds and the color of
the eggs, and one so striking that it is almost surprising that some
ingenious theorist has not seized upon it as a basis for a " theory of
birds' nests," either independently or as a modification of that pro-
posed by Mr. Wallace. It curiously happens that nearly all birds
that nest in holes, either in the ground or in trees, lay ivhite eggs,
embracing, for instance, all the Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, Bee-eat-
ers, Rollers, Horubills, Barbets, Puff-Birds, Trogons, Toucans, Par-
rots, Paroquets, and Swifts, while only occasionally are the eggs
white in species which build an open nest. In only two or three
groups of land bii'ds, co-ordinate with those just named, that build
an open nest, are the eggs white, namely, the Owls, Humming-Birds,
and Pigeons. On the other hand, in only two or three small groups
of species that nidificate in holes are the eggs speckled or in any
way colored. There is, in fact, a closer relationship, or rather a
more uniform correlation, between the color of the eggs and the
manner of nesting than between the color of the female parent and
the concealment or exposure of the nest. There are, however, here
apparently too many exceptions to bring this coincidence into the
relation of cause and effect. It is perhaps rather comparable with
the pattern of coloration that so often, to a greater or less degree,
marks nearly all the species of a whole natural family, and often
prevails throughout large genera, for which the conditions of envi-
ronment offer no explanation, since it as often occurs in cosmopoli-
tan groups as in those of local distribution, and which, in the pres-
ent state of our knowledge, seems wholly inexplicable.

BREEDING OF THE DUCK HAWK IN TREES.

BY N. S. GOSS.

As the Falco communis var. anatum is supposed to nest almost
exclusively on high rocky cliffs, and rarely if ever in other situa-
tions, I think it will be of interest for me to say that I found
in February, 1875, a pair nesting about three miles southeast of
Neosho Falls, Kansas, in the timber on the banks of the Neosho

Goss on Breeding of the DucJc Hawlc. 33

River. The nest was in a large sycamore, about fifty feet from the
ground, in a trough-hke cavity formed by the breaking off of a hol-
low limb near the body of the tree. I watched the pair closely,
Avith the view of securing both the birds and their eggs. March 27
I became satisfied that the birds were sitting, and I shot the female,
but was unable to get near enough to shoot the male. The next
morning I hired a young man to climb the tree, who found three
fresh eggs, laid on the fine soft rotten wood in a hollow worked out
of the same to fit the body. There was no other material or lining,
except a few feathers and down mixed with the decayed wood.

The ground-color of the eggs is graAnsh-ochre, spotted and
blotched with dark reddish-brown, the blotches running together
towards the large end, where they are] a shade darker. Length,
respectively, 2.20, 2.30, and 2.40; diameter of each, 1.70 inches.

March 17, 1876, I found a pair nesting on the opposite side of
the I'iver from the above-described nest, in a cottonwood, at least
sixty feet from the ground, the birds entering a knot-hole in the
tree, apparently not over five or six inches in diameter. The tree
was very straight, and without limbs to the nest, and consequently
out of reach. The birds were very noisy, but shy. I wounded
both the birds, but failed to get them.

February 2, 1877, I noticed a pair flying into the same tree.
April 9, I shot them both. I now have the three birds in my col-
lection. The measurements, as taken from the birds when shot,
are as follows : —

Sex. Length. Stretch of Wing. Wing. Tail.

March 27, 1875.... ? 20.00 46.00 15.00 7.60

April 9, 1877 9 19.75 45.50 14.75 7.50

April 9, 1877 $ 18.00 41.00 13.50 6.50

Cere, .31.

For a description of the species see " North American Birds," by
Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (Vol. III. p. 128). I will add : Iris,
brown ; bill, horn-blue, with the base pale green ; cere and eyelids,
greenish-yellow ; legs and feet, lemon-yellow ; claws, black.

April 30, 1877, I found a pair about four miles farther up the
river, breeding in a hollow broken limb of a giant sycamore. From
the actions of the birds, I think they had young. I feel confident
they will nest there next season, and, if so, shall try very hard to
procure the eggs.

The birds are very noisy while mating, but silent during incuba-
tion. The males, so far as noticed, sit upon the eggs in the fore part

Tarsus.

Bill.

1.85

.95

1.85

.95

1.80

.90

34 Becent Literature.

of the day, the females diiring the latter part of the day, each, while
off duty, occasionally feeding the other, but putting in a good share
of the time as sentinels, perched upon a favorite dead limb near the
nest, ready to give the alarm in case of approaching danger. At
Buch times they scold rapidly, and manifest great anxiety and fear,
circling overhead, occasionally alighting, and taking good care to
keep out of reach. The fear of man is not without cause, for our
hunters never lose an opportunity to shoot at them, knowing how
destructive they are to the water-fowls found in the sloughs along
the river-bottoms.

Neosho Falls, Kansas.

^tctxxt ^iUvatxtvc,

Birds of the Vicinity of Cincinnati. — Mr. F. W. Langdon's
Catalogue of the Birds of the Vicinity of Cincinnati,* embraces two hiui-
dred and seventy-nine species, about one third of which are marked as
known to breed in the vicinity. The author gives notes respecting the
times of migration, relative abundance, etc., of each species, and dis-
tinguishes those recorded in the list simply from their known range in-
cluding the locality from those known to have been actually taken. They
number about forty species, mainly Sandpipers, Plovers, and Terns, and
embrace only such as are certainly likely to occur. The list is evidently
prepared with care, and gives a convenient and undoubtedly trustworthy
summary of the Avian Fauna of the locality of which it treats. — J. A. A.

Birds of Central New York. — Through the kindness of the author
we have received a catalogue of the birds of Caj'uga, Seneca, and Wayne
Counties, New York,t published in the "Auburn Daily Advertiser"
(newspaper), of Auburn, New York. The list contains one hundred and

* A Catalogue of the Birds of the Vicinity of Cincinnati, with Notes. By
Frank W. Langdon. 8vo. pp. 18. Salem, Mass. : The Naturalists' Agency.
1877.

t A Partial Catalogue of the Birds of Central New York, from observations
taken in the Counties of Cayuga, Seneca, and Wayne by Mr. H. G. Fowler,
of Auburn, N. Y., and from the Cabinet of Skins of New York Birds collected
by Mr. J. B. Gilbert, of Penn Yan, Yates County. Divided and arranged in
accordance with the "Check List of North American Birds," by Elliott Coues,
M. D., U. S. A., and dedicated to the Cayuga Historical Society. By Frank B.
Rathbun. Auburn Daily Advertiser (newspaper) of August 14, 1877.

Eecent Literature. 35

ninety-one species, with brief notes on their relative abundance, times of
migration, etc. The list bears evidence of trustworthiness, and we
would gladly see it reproduced in a more permanent and accessible form.
It appears to be a reprint of Mr. H. G. Fowler's list in " Forest and
Stream" (Vols. VI and VII, 1876), with the addition of quite a number
of species, and additional observations on others. In this list we find
Anthus ludovicianus recorded as breeding (" a /ew rewKxm and breed") \i\
New York, the authority being Mr. J. B. Gilbert, of Penn Yan, Yates
County, New York. We know not as yet on what evidence the record
of so improbal)le an occurrence is made, but would suggest that it certainly
needs strong backing, the locality being climatically and topographically
so wholly unlike that usually chosen by this exceedingly boreal species as
its breeding station. In a later issue of the same paper (September 6,
1877), Mr. Rathbun adds further remarks on Dendroeca ccerulea, and Dr.
T. J. Wilson on sixteen species, including a few species not given by Mr.
Rathbun. — J. A. A.

Brown on the Distribution op Birds in North-European Russia
— During the last j'ear (1877) Mr. J. A. Harvie Brown has contributed
a series of important papers upon the distril)ution of birds in " North
Russia,"* in which all information at present accessible is epitomized in a
series of tables through the use of arbitrary signs or " symbols." The first
paper relates to the region of the Lower Petchora, explored by himself and
Mr. Seebohm, and is supplementary to a joint paper by these gentlemen
published in the "Ibis" for 1876 (January, April, July, and October).
Parts II and III treat of the general range of the birds in European
Russia, north of the parallels of 58° to 60°, in Avhich are presented in tab-
ulated form the records relating to this extensive region. The area con-
sidered embraces (contrary to what the above-given titles might imply^
only that portion of the Russian Empire west of the Ural Mountains, and
north of about the latitude of St. Petersburg. This is divided latitudi-
nally, near the parallel of 64° 30', into two regions, a northern and a
southern, and these are again each divided longitudinally into three re-
gions. By means of a system of symbols the range of each of the two
hundred and eighty-one positively identified or authentic species is given
in tables, in such a way as to indicate the abundance or scarcity of the
species in each of the several districts. This system of presentation is
perhaps as satisfactory as any that can be devised short of graphic repre-

* On the Distribution of Birds in North Russia. Part I. On the Distribution
of Birds of the Lower Petchora, in Northeast Russia. Part IL Longitudinal Dis-
tribution of Species North of 64° 30' N. lat., or the Northern Division. Part III.
On the Longitudinal Distribution of the Birds of the Southern Division (be-
tween 64^° N. and 58°- 60° N.)- By J. A. Harvie Brown. Annals and Maga-
zine of Natural History, April, July, and September, 1877.

36 Recent Literature.

Bentation by maps, and is well worthy of careful consideration on the part
of those interested in the detailed study of the geographical distribution
of animals. In addition to the tables a descriptive list of authorities is
given, to which references are made by numbers in the tables, as also a
long list of " Notes and Criticisms of Doubtful Eecords," to which are also
references in the tables. We have thus here presented the bibliography
of the subject, a summary of the facts, and a critical discussion of doubtful
records, based on a thorough elaboration of all accessible means of infor-
mation. It is good work in a most important direction ; the method is
novel and ingenious, and the results may be grasped at a single glance.
It is to be hoped that Mr. Brown will soon extend his labors to other
regions, and that there will be presently numerous followers in the same
line of research. The number of circumpolar species (iiearly fifty) em-
braced in these lists render these papers of special interest to students who
commonly confine their attention to the birds of the North American
Eegion. — J. A. A.

i Summer Birds of the Adirondacks. — Messrs. Rooseveldt and Mi-
not have published a very acceptable list of the summer birds of the
Adirondacks,* embracing ninety-seven species, with short notes respect-
ing their abundance, — the first list known to us of the summer birds of
this ornithologically little-explored region. — J. A. A.

Birds of Southern Illinois. — Ornithologists are indebted to Mr.
E. W. Nelson for a second important paper on the " Birds of Illinois." t
Although less elaborate and comprehensive than his former " Birds of
Northeastern Illinois " (noticed in this Bulletin, Vol. II, p. 68), it contains
much^^information respecting the distribution, habits, and relative abun-
dance of the summer birds of the southern portion of the same State.
It is based on observations made chiefly in July and August, and gives
partial lists of the birds of several localities in Richland and Union Coun-
ties, embracing altogether notices of one hundred and thirty-three species.
Mr. Nelson left some months since for a protracted sojourn in Alaska,
where, it is hoped, he will find leisure for much ornithological work in
connection with his duties as United States Signal Officer at St. Michael's.
His intelligent labors in Illinois lead us to expect that no opportunity of
further increasing our knowledge of the ornithology of a region so little
known as Alaska will be neglected. — J. A. A.

Gentry's " Life-Histories of the Birds of Eastern Pennsylva-
nia." — Mr. Gentry has recently brought out the second A'olume of his

* The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N. Y. By
Theodore Rooseveldt, Jr., and H. D. Minot. 8vo. pp. 4. 1877.

+ Notes upon Birds observed in Southern Illinois, between July 17 and Sep-
tember 4, 1875. By E. W. Nelson. Bulletin of the Essex Institute, Vol. IX,
pp. 32-65, June, 1877.

General Notes. 37

"Life-Histories,"* carrying the sulyect from the Crows (Corvidce) to the
Waders, these and the Swimming Birds being reserved for treatment in a
third volume. This volume differs little in general character from the first.
It abounds in original observations, combined with much that is gleaned
from other authors. The nature of the food of the different species
has received at Mr. Gentry's hands very careful attention, his pages
fairly bristling with the technical names of the various species of hisects
and plants, the fragments of which he has detected in examining the
contents of their stomachs. The freer use of vernacular names, in the
case of the more common and well-known species, would doubtlosrs have
added interest to his extensive " bills of fare" for the non-scientific reader.
The occasional adoption of such familiar terms as red-legged locust or
" grasshopper," black cricket, sulphur butterfly, cankerworm, pine weevil,
etc., in place of the ever-recurring Caloptenus femur-rubrum, Acheta nigra,
Colias philodice, Anisopteryx vernata and A. pometaria, Hylobius pales, etc.,
or chestnut, oak, alder, birch, woodbine-honeysuckle, and strawberry, to
take mild examples, instead of Castanea, Quercus, Ahiiis, Betula, Lonicera
peridymenum, Fragaria virginiana, etc., would certainly have savored less
of pedantry, and beeu far more intelligible to ordinary readers. Mr.
Gentry is evidently a friend and admirer of the feathered tribes, and often
describes their habits most minutely, especially in relation to their nidifi-
cation. Despite some faults of execution, the work before us contributes
much of value respecting the habits of our birds, and records many inter-
esting points in their history not given by previous writers. — J. A. A.

Three Additions to the Avifauna of North America. — Mr. Lu-
cien M. Turner, United States Signal Officer, stationed for the past three
years at St. Michael's, Norton Sound, Alaska, collected during his resi-
dence at that post a considerable series of birds, among which are the
following species not previously recorded from this continent :' —

1. Parus cinctus, Bodd. (== sibiricus, Gmel. et auct.). — A species very
closely resembling P. hudsonicus, but differing in having the whole side of
the neck pure white instead of ashy, conspicuous white edging to remiges
and rectrices, and other minor features. Found in company with P. hud-
soniais, and not rare, though less common than the latter. Several speci-
mens obtained at St. Michael's, March 15, 1875.

2. Syrnium lapponicum, Retz. — A si)ecimen obtained at the Yukon
delta, April 15, 1876. This form resembles S. cinereum, which was also
obtained in the same locality, but is very much paler colored.

* Life-Histories of the Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania. By Thomas G. Gen-
try. Vol. II, 8vo, pp. 33S. The Naturalist's Agency, Salem, Mass. 1877.

38 General Notes.

3. Surnia ulula, Linn. — St. Michael's, October, 1876, said to be very
rare. This bird also differs from its American representative, /S. funerea,
Linn. = (S. ulula var. hudsonia, B. B. & R., Hist. N. Am. Birds, III, p.
75) in the great predominance of white on the plumage.

Owing to the arduous nature of his duties as Signal Observer, which
necessitated his presence at or near the post the whole time, Mr. Turner
was not able to pay as much attention to the natural history of the re-
gion as could be desired, and had to depend in a great measure upon the
natives for the specimens which he secured. The results of his endeavors,
however, are, considering the circumstances, very satisfactory. He found
Sterna aleutica, of which but a single specimen had been collected, very
numerous, and obtained a good series of both skins and eggs. Budytes
flava was also exceedingly abundant, and its nest and eggs secured, besides
many skins of both adult and young birds. — Robert Ridqway, Wash-
ington, D. C.

The Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus rupestris) in the Aleutian Islands.
— In the Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, February 8,-
1873, in a paper entitled " Notes on the Avifauna of the Aleutian Islands,
from Unalashka eastward," Mr. W. H. Dall states that Lagopus albus is
a " resident from the Shumagins to Unalashka," and;adds : " I made in-
quiries in regard to L. rupestris, but could get no information, and do not
think the species is found in the islands." In a second paper on the Avi-
fauna of the Aleutian Islands west of Unalashka, in the Proceedings of
the same society, March 14, 1874, he states that L. albus is " more or less
abundant in all the Aleutian Islands," and that, " from careful examina-
tion of many specimens, most of which were killed for the table, I feel
.sure that this is the only species of Grouse found on the islands, and I be-
lieve there is no authenticated instance of the occurrence of L. rupestris
west of the 156th meridian."

From my own observations I am led to believe that Mr. Dall has mis-
taken L. rupestris for L. albus, since I found tlie former to be very nu-
merous at Unalashka during portions of May and June, 1877, and I also
found them common on the Akoutan Islands east of Unalashka, and by in-
quiry among the residents of the islands, both native and foreign, I could
only learn of the occurrence of this species. I was informed, however,
that another species of Ptarmigan is found on the peninsula of Alaska.

Since arriving at St. Michael's, I learn from Mr. Turner, who has been
collecting at this place for the last three years, that L. rupestris is common in
the vicinity of St. Michael's, being as numerous as L. albus on the hills
of the neighboring mainland. He also informs me that on a single moun-
tain on Stewart Island, about twenty-five miles from the mainland, this
species is quite numerous. In all of the above-named places the bird
breeds and is resident throughout the year. — E. W. Nelson, St. Mi-
chael's, Alaska.

General Notes. 39

CoTURNicuLTJS HENSLOWi IN New HAMPSHIRE. — As the northern
range of Henslow's Sparrow has not previously been recorded beyond the
Massachusetts line, the following notes, which have been kindly placed at
my disposal l)y Mr. Chas. F. Goodhue of Webster, N. H., will be of interest.
He writes : " I detected my first specimen on April 17, 1874, in Webster,
N. H., and shot another on April 26, 1875, in Boscawen, N. H. On Au-
gust 16, 1877, I found several pairs in a large meadow in Salisbury,
N. H. They were all apparently breeding, and I was so fortunate as to dis-
cover a nest containing four young large enough to fly. The nest, which
was a bulky structure composed externally of coarse grass and lined with
finer of the same, was placed in a bunch of grass where the water was
about two inches in depth. These birds were not at all shy, but remained
singing on some low bushes until I approached them Avithin a feAv yards."

I have a specimen which Mr. Goodhue shot on Salisbury meadows, and
kindly presented me. — Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass.

Breeding Habits of Geococctx californianus. — In 1872, while in
Southern Arizona, I found some twenty nests of Geococcyx californianus, the
first nest on April 8, the last on September 10. During the month of April,
in which I found several nests, not one contained more than three eggs,
although I allowed incubation to begin before taking the eggs, as I ex-
pected the birds to lay more. Nearly every nest I found after the middle
of May contained four or five eggs, and I account for the greater number
laid later in the season by the fact that insect food during the dry season,
which includes April and May, is comparatively scarce. The birds be-
ing aware of this content themselves with rearing a small brood the
first time, and a larger one at the second laying, when the young are
hatched about the beginning of the rainy season, which sets in in June.
At this time all kinds of insects and reptiles become exceedingly abun-
dant, and the birds have less trouble in providing for a family of five than
earlier in the season for one of thi-ee. Only occasionally have I found
eggs in different stages of incubation, and I do not believe that there was
over a week's difference in the time of laying of the eggs in any nests I
found.

The food of this species consists chiefly of 'insects, particularly grass-
hoppers, but embraces occasionallj' a lizard or a field mouse. I do not
believe they kill and eat rattlesnakes, as has been sometimes reported. —
Charles Bendire, Camp Harney, Oregon.

Occurrence op a Second Specimen op Swainson's Buzzard (Buteo
swainsoni) in Massachusetts. — The claim of the above-named species
to be regarded as a bird of New England has hitherto rested solely upon
a specimen in melanistic plumage (formerly specifically separated as B. in-
signatus, Cassin) shot a few years since at Salem, Mass., and now in the
museum of the Peabody Academy.

It is with much pleasure that I can now announce the capture of
a second individual at Wayland, Mass., on or about September 12,

40 General Notes.

1876. Through the kindness of Mr. Arthur Smith of Brookline, to whom
it was originally sent in the flesh, this bird has recently come into my pos-
Bession. It is a young male in nearly perfect autumnal dress, and, though
not typically melanistic, it still inclines strongly towards that condition.
— William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.

Breeding of the Hooded Merganser {Mergus cucuUatus) in Flor-
ida. — In view of the fact that we have no published record of the breed-
ing of this species in the Southern States, I was much surprised to find
that it does breed in Florida, at least occasionally, and I thinJc regularly.

While descending the St. John's Eiver by steamer on March 28, 1877,
I saw, near Blue Spring, a female Hooded Merganser, accompanied by a
large brood of young, which were perhaps a week old. As the boat
rounded a sharp bend of the river the little family, taken by surprise, was
nearly run over, but after the first moment of paralyzed inaction, the
mother flew heavily and reluctantly off, while the ducklings scattered in
all directions, and escaped by diving. As I was standing in the steamer's
bows at the time, there was no possibility of mistaking the identity of the
species, for when first seen the whole brood was within ten yards of me,
80 near, in fact, that I could distinctly see the color of the parent's irides.

On the Wekiva River, about a week previously, I saw many Mergansers
of this species, and although it did not then occur to me that they might
be breeding, I now recall many circumstances that induce me to consider
this not improbable. While at Pilatka, Fla., Mr. J. H. Fry showed me
a number of specimens in full breeding plumage, stating that in his
opinion the birds nested in the vicinity of that place. On the Wekiva
the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) was the only other species of Anatidce ob-
served. March 19 and 20, I saw several broods of young a few days old,
accompanying their mothers. As the eggs of this duck are rarely or
never laid in New^ England before May, and oftener, I think, especially
in the more Northern States, not until June, this latter fact may be not
devoid of interest. — William Brewster, Gamhridge, Mass.

Breeding op the Shore Lark in Western New York. — The
Shore Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is common during October, Novem-
ber, the latter part of February, and March, and occasionally a speci-
men is seen in April, but on May 29, 1876, I observed a bird of this
species, with a worm in its bill, fly into a meadow, and on June 111 found
an old bird accompanied by three young ones, in a highway adjoining.
The young were just able to fly. A flock, mostly composed of young
birds, was seen on some ploughed land, September 1, 1876. I do not
know of a previous instance of this bird's nesting in this State. — John
M. Howey, Canandaigua, N. Y.

The Northern Phalarope in North Carolina. — Dr. George H.
Moran sends me a specimen of Lobipes hyperboreus which was lately shot
on the Catawba River, near Morgantown, N. C. The capture is interesting

General Notes. 41

from the southerly and inland character of the locality. The specimen
is in incomplete breeding dress. — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C.

Relaying op Hawks in the same Nest when robbed. — In an old
partly decayed chestnut-tree, at a locality in Southeastern Pennsylvania,
was found, in the spring of 1872, the nest of a Sparrow-Hawk {TinnuncU'
lus sparvcrins). From this tree, at intervals of about ten days, were taken
three sets of five eggs each, making fifteen in all. The first and second
sets were taken from the same hole. In the spring of 1873, from the same
hole from which sets one and two of the previous year were removed, were
taken, April 24, five eggs ; on May 6, from the same hole, four more eggs ;
on ;May 23, from the same hole, two eggs, and two others were left. On
May 29, when the nest was again visited, another egg had been deposited,
making*,for this season, also, a total of fifteen eggs, deposited by the same
pair of Hawks. The last eggs laid vary greatly from those laid earlier.
Two of them are much smaller, measuring 1.41 X 1.19 and 1.31 X 1.10,
while the average size of the earlier laid eggs is about 1.44 X 1.20. The
greatest diff'erence, however, is in color, two of the last laid eggs (the
smallest) being slightly marked, one being almost white.

In the spring of 1874, from a nest of a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperi)
four eggs were taken on April 24 ; May 5, two more eggs were taken from
the same nest ; and May 11, two others. Later in the season (about Au-
gust 1), on visiting the same locality, two young Hawks of this species
were seen, but I do not know that they were reared in this old nest. —
C. J. Pennock.

The Willow Grouse in New York. — Mr. Romeyn B. Hough, Cor-
nell University, Ithaca, N. Y., writes : " Not finding the Willow Grouse
(Lagopus albics) hitherto credited to the State of New York, I take the
liberty of informing you that there is one in my collection which was
taken in Watson, Lewis County, on May 22, 1876. It was killed by the
person who brought it to me, who said that it was the only one he saw,
and that it was not very shy. It was a male, changing plumage, — mostly
white, but with brown head and neck. This is the first instance that has
come to my certain knowledge, though I have heard of some lumbermen
catching in winter what they called a ' White Partridge,' and which was
probably a Ptarmigan, though possibly an albino Spruce or Ruffed Grouse."
--Elliott Coues, TVashington, D. G.

PiPiLO erythrophthalmus with Spotted Scapulars. — Mr. P. L.
Jouy, of Washington, D. C, submits to my inspection an interesting speci-
men of the Eastern Towhee, shot May 4, 1875, in the District of Colum-
bia, and requests me to make a note of its peculiarities for publication in
the Bulletin. The outer scapulars are distinctly and strongly marked,
near the end of the outer webs, with streaks of pure white ; there is much
concealed white in the black of the throat ; and in other respects, as the

42 General Notes.

extent of white on the primaries and lateral tail-feathers, the specimen
resembles P. "arcticus." Nothing is wanting, in fact, to make it a typical
" ardicus " but the spots on the wing-coverts. Another specimen, sliot
by the same gentleman in the same locality, also shows a trace of white
on the scapulars. Examples intermediate between erythrophthalmus and
"ardicus" have long since been noted by Baird, myself, and others, but
all such hitherto known, so far as I am aware, have been from localities
Avhere the respective habitats of the two forms adjoin. The present case
oflfers additional and very strong evidence against the specific distinction
claimed for P. "ardicus." — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. G.

[A considerable proportion of the specimens of P. crythrophthalmus taken
by me in 1871, in the vicinity of Leavenworth, Kan. (mainly in East
Leavenworth, Mo.), showed white spots on the scapulars and more white
on the wings than eastern examples, thus exhibiting a decided tendency
toward the characters of P. " ardicus" the eastern limit of the range of
which, in its tj^pical aspect, is the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains in
Colorado, some six hundred miles west of Leavenworth. — J. A. Allen.]

VlREO viciNiOR IN CALIFORNIA. — I have fouud this Vireo to be not
uncommon in the vicinity of Campo, San Diego Co., Cal., fifty miles east
of San Diego Bay. It ranges through the mountains from the lower limit
of the pines down to about an altitude of three thousand feet. It is found
in thick low brush, very seldom going into or near trees. I have never
met with more than three together, having generally met with them singly.
They are shy and active, keep near the ground, and usually search a bush
thoroughly before leaving it, although not always going to the top. On
leaving the bush they commonly fly several yards before alighting in an-
other. They sing pretty steadily, the song consisting of a couple of syl-
lables repeated with different inflections, something like chu-wee, chu-we'e
chu-we'e, generally pausing a little after three or four notes. Sometimes
the order is reversed. This seems to be the song of the male, as the only
female that I am positive of having heard, sung more like V. fusillus.
Sometimes when alarmed they will scold like a Wren. When near to
them, as they are singing, a sort of whistling sound can be heard between
the notes. I have never seen them catching insects in the air, as some other
Vireos do, but have observed them scratching on the ground like a Pipilo.

The colors are not so bleached as in specimens I have seen in New
Mexico, nor do the birds frequent the trees so much as those. I had hoped
to get a nest, as it is unknown, but have failed so far. They first ap-
peared about March 24, and as their numbers seen have varied but little
since the beginning of April till the present time (middle of June), they
probably do not go much farther north, which may account for their not
having been found in California before. — F. Stephens, Campo, Cal.

Nest and Eggs op Zonotrichia coronata. — The ne-st and eggs of
this species have hitherto escaped the notice of collectors, and are, so far

General Notes. 43

as I am aware, unknown to the public. I have in my possession a nest
which with its eggs — then four in number — was taken by Mr. Ludovic
Kumlien in Shasta County, California, the female having been shot from
the nest. The eggs measure from .80 to .82 of an inch in length, and from
.64 to .67 in breadth. They are of a rounded oval shape, and are but
slightly more obtuse at one end than at the other. Their ground-color is
a light green, and is generally plainly visible, as the markings of reddish
and of golden-brown, with which the whole surface is pretty uniformly
flecked in small and well-distributed blotches, are nowhere numerous or
confluent. The eggs closely resemble very lightly marked specimens of
Zonotrichia albicollis, but are slightly smaller and more nearly spheroidal
in shape.

The nest has an outer diameter'of five inches and a height of three. The
cavity is two and a half inches deep, with a diameter, at the rim, of the
same. Its outer portions and base are made of thin strips of bark, skele-
ton leaves, and coarse stalks and stems of plants, reeds, and Equisitacece.
It is very strongly and thoroughly lined with fine wiry rootlets of plants.
It was found, June 14, 1877, on the banks of the McCloud. — T, M.
Brewer, Boston, Mass,

Note on Dendrceca domixica. — In an article upon Dendrceca do-
niinica, in the October number of the " Bulletin " I took occasion to express
serious doubts as to the correct identification of certain alleged nests of
that Warbler collected by Mr. N. C. Giles at Wilmington, N. C, and
upon which most of the recent descriptions of the nidification of the spe-
cies Avere based. My attention has since been called by Dr. Brewer to
his supplementary note in the Appendi.x of the " History of North Amer-
ican Birds " (Vol. Ill, p. 505), where further mention is made of Mr. Giles's
specimens, and he also informs me by letter that some of the specimens
recently sent to the Smithsonian Institution by Mr. Giles have been ac-
companied by skins of the parent birds, thus setting at rest all doubts
which he had previously entertained. I take this opportunity to express
my regret at having cast any doubts upon Mr. Giles's identification. —
W. Brewster.

Eastward range of Chondestes grammaca. — On the morning of
the 27th of August I saw in the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution
a pair of the above-named Sparrows, the only ones I ever saw in the Dis-
trict of Columbia or vicinity. They were adults, and when first seen flew
up before me, expanding their white-tipped tails as they flew, and alighted
in the gravelly roadway about two rods in advance ; then ran along the
ground, Lark-like, as is the characteristic habit of the species, now and
then giving chase to a grasshopper, which they usually cai:)tured on the
wing. Although originally a western bird, this species seems to be stead-
ily extending its range to the eastward over those portions of the country
most denuded of timber. According to Dr. Wheaton (see Coues's " Birds of

44 General Notes.

the Northwest," p. 234), it made its advent into Ohio about the year 1860,
since which time it has gradually increased in numbers, until it is now a
common summer resident (see Ohio Agricultural Report for 1874, p. 566).
In the semi-prairie districts of Indiana, Illinois, and adjacent States, it has
become generally dispersed, being now common in the cleared portions
surrounded by heavy forests, and where a few years ago was dense and
continuous woodland. It has already been captured in Florida (the Na-
tional Museum possessing a specimen from that State), and should be care-
fully looked for in other sections of the Eastern States. — Robert Ridg-
WAY, Washington, D. C.

The Lark-Finch (Chondestes grammaca) again in Massachusetts. —
On November 25, 1877, I had the pleasure of seeing in the flesh a female
bird of this species, taken the previous day near the residence of Mr. C. J.
Maynard, Newton ville, who notified me of the fact, and has since kindly
presented me with the skin. The bird was brought to him by a boy very
Boon after it was shot, who stated it was in company Avith another of the
same kind. Mr. Maynard went immediately in search, but only Tree
Sparrows and a flock of Snow Buntings were to be seen. The Lark
Finch is a rare bird east of the Ohio River, and there is but one previous
record for this State or New England, namely, a specimen found in
Gloucester about 1845 (Proc. Ess. Inst., Vol. I, 1856, p. 224). — H. A.
Purdie, Newton, Mass.

A Third Specimen of Helminthophaga leucobronchialis. — Last
winter, while working among the Warblers {Sijlvicolidce), in the collection
of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, I discovered among
hem a specimen of the White-throated Warbler {Helminthophaga leuco-
Ironchialis, Brewster), which, according to some writing on the bottom
of its stand, had been in the dark for nearly fifteen years. The writing
was this : " J. C, 20 October, 1862," and also what I made out to be,
" Not from Bell," which was much blurred. The " J. C," which means
John Cassin (for it is his handwriting), shows that he once possessed or
had something to do with the specimen, but how it ever escaped his no-
tice and found its way into the collection of the Academy without being
discovered I cannot see. The other is, I suppose, the date of its capture ;
and it is curious that it should have been taken so long before the one
which for several years was the only known representative of the species.
No label was attached to it designating the locality where it was procured,
its sex or species ; but by careful comparison with Mr. Brewster's descrip-
tion, as well as with Mr. Wood's specimen, I can safely say that it is a
genuine specimen of H. leucobronchialis, and still further proves the valid-
ity of the species. As the first two were males, and as this specimen
closely resembles them, I judge it to be a male also. A paper which I
wrote on this specimen was read before the Academy, at a recent meeting,
and will be published in their Proceedings.

General Notes. 45

I may further add that I have searched the Reports and record of dona-
tions to the Academy from 1862 to 1875, without finding any reference to
this specimen. — Spencer Trotter, Philadelphia, Pa.

The Black-throated Bunting {Eiispiza americana) nesting in Mas-
sachusetts. — Mr. Frank E. Bean of Medford has called my attention to
a nest and four eggs of this bird found by him in the above town on the
9th of June, 1877, at which date the eggs were fresh. The nest, seem-
ingly larfje for the species, was supported about a foot from the ground by
the stem of a bush and the blades of the grass-clump in which it was
placed. Both nest and eggs are quite typical. Towards the last of June
he found, in another locality, a second nest containing four young. This
was in a field bordering the highway ; the song of the male bird perched
on the fence-rails hard by first attracted his attention, and both birds
were soon seen feeding the nestlings. Mr. Bean thinks that more than
these two pairs may have raised young in his vicinity, as he has heard
other birds in this and previous years. But few instances of the nesting
of the Black-throated Bunting in Massachusetts are known, and it is to be
hoped that this bird of "neat plumage" and "trim form," so common in
the Middle and Western States, where it is known as the " Little Field
Lark," " Dick-sissel" and "Judas-Bird," will gradually become a perma-
nent resident of our_fields and bushy pastures. — H. A. Purdie, Newton,

The Blue-grat Gnatcatcher (Polioptila ccBrulea) in Massachu-
setts. — Through the kindness of Mr. Arthur Smith of Brookline I am
enabled to add this species to our list of Massachusetts Birds. On the 18th
of November, 1877, he noticed a bird flying about in a small orchard at
Chatham (Cape Cod), but was unable to identify it, and failed to procure
the specimen. A few days later his friend, Mr. Stephen Decatur, shot a
female P. ccerulea in the same locality, which was undoubtedly the same
specimen, as Mr. Smith has preserved it and recognizes it as the species
seen by himself.

A few specimens have been taken in Rhode Island, though it is but re-
cently that the Gnatcatcher has been recorded as a bird of New England.
— Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass.

The Capture of several Rare Birds near West Point, New
York. — 1. Corvus ossifragus, Wilson. On the 7th of May, 1877, as I
was walking up from the river, my attention was attracted to the very
singular utterance of a Crow that sat on an oak-tree in front of Mr. Pell's
house. Its note was a hollow, guttural croak, quite unlike the cawing of
the common species (Corvus americanus). I regarded the bird curiously
for several moments, but as I had never before heard the note of the Fish
Crow, I passed on, attributing this singular vocal demonstration to some
uncommonly strong emotion, — perhaps it was a parent bird whose nest
I had spoiled, not far from that place, several days previous. Accepting

46 General Notes.

this conclusion as satisfactory, I should soon have forgotten the circum-
stance, had not the bird itself acted in such a manner as to dispel the illu-
sion. It flew before me, and alighted upon a tree far over on the other
side of the highway, where it croaked most dismally. When I had
reached the highway before climbing over the stone-wall, I noticed that
the Crow had again taken flight, and as it was flying somewhat in my
direction, I knelt behind the wall, hoping thus to obtain a shot. When
I ^ventured to look out, I saw the bird soaring in 'circles not far away.
Soon it approached me, but soaring very high in the air. When it got
directly overhead, I fired ; it fell to the ground, close beside me, reeling
and struggling violently all the distance. When I reached it I was both
surprised and delighted to find a fine female example of the Fish Crow.
This is, I believe, the most northerly record of the capture of this species
in the State, though they have been taken on Long Island, where my
friend, Mr. Theodore Rooseveldt, informed me he took a single specimen.

2. Helminthophaga celata, (Say) Baird. On May 13, 1875, I shot a
beautiful male of this rare species, as it was skipping among the apple-
blossoms, close to my house, in company with a little band of Warblers
which may have belonged to the same species.

3. Dendrceca caerulea, (Wilson) Baird. I secured a fine male of this
beautiful species, near my residence. May 17, 1875.

4. Vireo philadelphicus, Cassin. I have a single male specimen of
this scarce species in my collection, taken near here. It was shot by my
friend, Mr. William K. Lente, at Cold Spring, as it ;hopped about in a
tree-top, September 24, 1875. This example exhibits the intensity of
yellow color on the under parts which characterizes the autumnal flu-
mage.

5. Stelgidopteryx serripennis, (Audubon) Baird. I have found this
Swallow on but one occasion, in May, 1872, when a single pair nested in
this neighborhood, in a bank close to a stable, beside a pond. I watched
this pair while they constructed their nest, during which time they were
often seen to alight close together, on a board-fence from which they de-
scended after the rough materials of which the nest was composed, — hay
and feathers. Late in May I captured the female sitting upon four fresh
eggs. I had no difficulty in doing this, for the hole was quite large, and
not very deep, so that, by baring my arm, I could easily introduce it to
the back of the hole. These eggs are pure white, and one of them meas-
ures .80X.53 of an inch.

6. Ampelis garrulus, Gmel. Dr. Frederic Lente, of Cold Spring,
showed me a beautiful Wax wing of this species which was shot near his
residence, several winters before.

His son, Wm. K. Lente, informed me that he shot at several Bohemian
Waxwings that sat in an evergreen tree close to their house. This oc-
curred several years after the first specimen was taken. — Edgar A.
Meabns, Highland Falls, New York.

General Notes. 47

The Fish Crow (Corvus'ossifragus, Wils.), on Long Island. — On the
17th July, 1873, I shot a fine female of this species near Rockaway, L. I.
The bird was flyin;,' around, but kept apart from a flock of common Crows
in the vicinity. The bird is not mentioned in Giraud's " Birds of Long
Ishmd," although Samuels, iu " Birds of New England," says, " I under-
Btand that it has been taken on Long Island." — C. H. Eagle.

[These two recent captures of the Fish Crow by Messrs. Eagle and
Roosevelt (see above p. 46) confirm the statement made long since by De
Kay, that " they are occasionally seen on the shores of Long Island, but
are generally confounded with the Common Crow " (New York Zool., Pt.
II, 1844, p. 135), which seems to have hitherto been the basis of all refer-
ences to its occurrence in that locality, and, in connection with Linsley's
record of its occurrence at Stratford, Conn. (Am. Journ. Sci. and Arts,
Vol. XLIV, 1843, p. 260), of its presumed occurrence in Southern New
England. Although recently observed by Mr. Brewster in Cambridge,
Mass. (see this Bulletin, Vol. I, p. 19), there appears to be as yet no un-
questioned record of its capture in New England, where it doubtless
occasionally occurs. — J. A. Allen.]

Correction. — On page 137 of my late " Review of the Birds of Con-
necticut," mention is made of the capture of half a dozen specimens of
Podiceps cristatus in Connecticut. My attention having been called, through
the kindness of Dr. Brewer, to the improbability of its occurrence at all
within our limits, I immediately made inquiry of my friend, John H.
Sage, Esq., of Portland, Conn., toncerning the identity of the specimens
in question. He writes me that a thorough re-examination of the birds
proves them all to be more or less immature examples of P. griseigena,
var. Iiolholli. — C. Hart Merriam.

Melanism of Tcrdus migratorius. — Another* case of this afi'ection,
much less frequent (except in Falconidce) than leucism, comes to my knowl-
edge through the attention of Mr. G. A. Boardman, who desires me to
make a note of it for the "Bulletin." The young Robin, "as black as a
Grackle," is still living in Mr. Boardman's possession. About two months
ago this ornithologist heard of a nest of black Robins being taken at St.
John's, and wrote to the owner or collector about it. The person, how-
ever, lost his life in the great fire which occurred there, and Mr. Board-
man, not liking to trouble the family by writing under such circum-
stances, went to St. John's and inquired about the black Robins. The
story proved true, and one of the birds was purchased. " When I first got
the bird," writes Mr. Boardman, " he was in pretty good plumage, but his
feathers are now half out, and I am hoping that he will not disappoint me
by coming out red. Most of the feathers on his head and neck are new,
I think, and jet black. His tail is now gone, but that was pure black too.

* See this Bulletin, Vol. I, No. 1, April, 1876, p. 24.

48 General Notes.

I see no signs of the normal plumage." Mr. Boardman writes me later,
under date of September 23, that he has been much interested in watch-
ing the moult of the black Robin, and says, " He acts as if he were going
to be an albino. His new tail is about half grown out, and is nearly white,
with a black stripe down each feather. His breast, head, neck, and back
are jet black, but very much out of feather. He would now make a funny
specimen, — part albinic, part melanistic." The parents of these young
were not peculiar in color. — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C.

[Note {December 15, 1877). Since this paragraph was penned, the
bird has been killed, stufled, and sent to the Smithsonian, where I have
seen it. It is black, with white wings and tail. — E. C]

The Seaside Finch (Ammodramus maritimus) in Eastern Massa-
chusetts.— As the existence of this species in Massachusetts has been
challenged, and none are known to have occurred for a number of years,
it would seem not amiss to mention that a single specimen of this species
was shot by Mr. George 0. Welch at Nahant in August last. It was in
company with a immber of A. caudacutus, but was the only one of its
kind. It was in the not common plumage described by Audubon as a
distinct species under the name of Avimodramus macgillivrayi, was sent
to Professor Baird, who found it closely corresponding to Audubon's type,
which he possesses. It was a young male, and appeared to have come from
the north. In " History of North American Birds" (Vol. I, p. 560) it is
given as not occurring north of Long Island Sound.

In this connection it may not be uninteresting to add that Mr. Welch
found Ammodramus caudacutus quite abundant on the shores of St. An-
drew's Bay, the estuary of St. Croix River, and lying between the eastern
boundary of Maine and New Brunswick. This, if I am not mistaken,
is the first time that it has been taken in Maine so far to the east, and
not at all, except that Mr. N. C. Brown (this Bulletin, Vol. II, p. 27) ob-
tained a single specimen in Scarborough. Mr. Brewster (ibid., p. 28), on
the authority of Mr. William Stone, mentions it as abundant at Tignish,
Prince Edward Island, — T. M. Bbewer, Boston, Mass.

The Lark-Bunting (Calamospiza hicolor) in Massachusetts. — The
first instance known to me of the capture of this species east of the Mis-
sissippi River occurred on December 5, 1877, when a specimen Avas shot by
Mr. N. A. Vickary at Lynn, Mass., — a male in autumnal plumage. Its
usual eastern limit is well known to be the plains of middle Kansas,
where it ranges eastward to about, or possibly a little beyond, Fort Har-
ker. The specimen has been kindly shown me by Mr. Vickary, to whom
I am indebted for a knowledge of its capture. — J. A. Allen, Cambridge,
Mass.

BULLETIN

NUTTALL OENITHOLOGICAL CLUB.

Vol. III. APRIL, 1878. No. 2.

CHANGES IN OUR NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA.

BY T. M. BREWER.

I PROPOSE four changes in our list of North American Birds as
now accepted : three additions and one subtraction ; the addition
of Totamis ochi'opus, jEgialitis hiaticula, and Larus canus, and the
rejection from the list of Podiceps cristatns.

Tetanus ochropus, Linn. Green Sandpiper. This species, the
Ti-inga ochropus of Linnaeus, Gmelin, etc., the Totamis ochrojnis of
Temminck, the Helodromas of Kaup, the White-tailed Tatler of
Nuttall, and the Green Sandpiper of Dresser, and other more recent
authors, is entitled to a restoration to its place in the list of
North American birds, on the indisputable authority of T. Edmimd
Harting, Esq., of London. This gentleman, in March, 1873, in-
formed Professor Baird, by letter, that he had then recently re-
ceived from Mr. H. Whitely, a perfectly trustworthy dealer of
Woolwich, a small parcel of North American skins that had just
been sent to him from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Among these was an
example of this species. Upon inquiry Mr. Harting was assured by
Mr. Whitely that the skin actually came to him from Halifax, and
that it had been there prepared from a bird in the flesh. Mr. Harting
regarded it as " the first authentic instance of the occurrence of the
Totamis ochropus in North America." Nevei'theless this species had
previously been included by Mr. Nuttall (Water Birds, p. 157) as
one of the birds of North America, based upon an unverified claim
that two specimens had been taken at Hudson's Bay, a statement
also accepted by Richardson in the " Fauna Boreali-Americana "

VOL. III. 4

50 Bkewek's Changes in our North Americaii Fauna.

(IT, p. 392). These claims not being accepted as authentic, the
supposed examples being attributed to our Rhyacophilus solitarnis,
the Green Tatler was not included by Mr. Cassin in the ninth vol-
ume of the Pacific Railroad Reports. The very close resemblance
of these two species, T. ochropus and T. solitarius, both in regard to
their physical structure and their general habits, — a resemblance
so close that, although Kaup refers the two species to different
genera, a suspicion of their being only varieties of one species has
suggested itself to at least one of my " variety " loving friends, —
seems to warrant us in looking for nearly identical habits in their
mode of nesting. Tlie recently ascertained fact that the T. ochropus
nests in trees, making use of the deserted nests of Hawks, Crows,
Jays, and other birds, makes it apparently worth the while of our
own collectors to ascertain if our solitarius has not the same habits,
and perhaps explains why it is that we have so long suffered the
egg of this species to remain undiscovered. I have never yet seen
a single well-authenticated example of its egg. All purporting to
be eggs of this species were referable either to jE</ialitis vocifera or
to Tringoides 7nacula7^ius, generally the latter. It may be, there-
fore, that we have not looked for the eggs of the solitary Tatler
in the right place, and that " Excelsior " should be the motto of
those who would succeed in their researches for authentic speci-
mens. So far the eggs credited to the T. solitariics bear a very
suspicious resemblance to one of the two species mentioned. Natu-
rally an egg of the solitary Tatler should more resemble in size,
shape, and markings an egg of T. ochropus, which is oblong in
shape, 1.50 in length, and somewhat similar to eggs of Gamhetta
fiavipes. The egg of the Tringoides macularius, which in many
cabinets does duty for that of T. solitarius, is of a rounded oval,
and only about 1.10 inches long.

Larus canus, Linn. European Sea-mew. This species is in-
cluded by Nuttall as a North American bird (Water Birds, p. 299).
It is so given also by Bonaparte (Syn. 1828, No. 296), and by
Richardson (Faun. Bor. Am. II, p. 420), but the last two are re-
garded by Mr. Lawrence as synonymes for Lariis delatvarensis, Ord.
There appears to be, at least up to the present time, no authentic
record of the European Larus canus in Nortli America, unless we
accept Larus hrachyrhynchiis as a variety of the European bird, and
not as having specific distinctness.

In June, 1876, my attention was called by Howard Saunders

Brewer's Changes in our North American Fauna. 51

Esq., of London, to a specimen which he had fully identified as the
true European Larus canus. Its label indicated that it had been
taken on the coast of Labrador in 18G0 by Dr. Elliott Cones, —
given by that gentleman to the Smithsonian collection, — and that
it had been labelled by him some seventeen years ago as Lams
delaivarensis. It passed into the possession of Mr. John Krider of
Philadelphia, by him was sold with other skins to a dealer in Lon-
don, where, fortunately for the preservation of the record, it was
found, identified, and secured by Mr. Saunders, who had at once
recognized it as indisputably the European Sea-Mew. As Mr.
Saunders has announced his intention of restoring the specimen
where, in his judgment, it properly belongs, to the Smithsonian col-
lection, if any doubt is felt as to its identity, there will be full oppor-
tunity for testing it. It is regarded by Mr. Saimders as the only
authentic instance, on record, of the procuring the true L. canus in
North America.

-SJgialitis hiaticula. Ringed Plover. The capture of one of
this species, a female, by H. W. Feilden, of the British Arctic Expedi-
tion of 1875-76, under circumstances that leave no doubt it was
nesting in the neighborhood, places it once more, and this time be-
yond dispute, among the birds of North America.* The individual
in question was taken August 4, 1875, on the beach bordering the
valley of the Twin glacier, in Buchanan Strait, latitude 78° 48' N. Its
more or less common presence in Greenland has been known for some
time, as also its being migratory, in high northern latitudes, and there
breeding ; occun*ing there, according to Hewitson, from March to
October, and, according to Linnaeus, reaching even the Lapland Alps.
Scoresby, in his Journal, mentions having met with this species on
the eastern coast of Greenland, and more recently other arctic ex-
plorers have observed them on the western coast of the same island,
at Prince Regent's Inlet and at Hecla Cove. Professor Newton is
authority for its breeding generally throughout Greenland, and for
its being also found on Sabine and Clavering Islands. It is stated
to be abundant on the shores of Possession Bay as well as Regent's
Inlet. It was taken by Professor Torell on the Seven Islands, in
latitude 80° 45' N., which was, before the recent British expedition,
the highest known range of any shore bird. Since then Strepsilas

* Wilson includes " Charadriushiatkida" among American birds, but his ex-
ample was, without question, the semipalmatus in its spring plumage.

52 Merriam on Birds of Leivis County, New York.

interpres has been observed as late as September 5 in latitude 82°
30' N., Calidris arenaria, with nest and eggs, in latitude 82° 33' N.,
Phalarojnis fulicarius in latitude 82° 27', and Tringa canutus in lati-
tude 82° 33' N.

Podiceps cristatus, Latham. Crested Grebe. This has been
counted as a North American bird by Bonaparte (Syn. p. 417), by
Richardson (Faun. Bor. Am. II, p. 410), by Nuttall (Water Birds,
p. 250), by Audubon (Orn. Biog. Ill, 595, pi. 292), and others. It
is retained by Mr. Lawrence in the ninth volume of Pacific Railroad
Reports, and is even given by Dr. Coues in his " Birds of the North-
west," without any expression of doubt as to its existence in North
America ; indeed, he ventures the remark that he sees no differ-
ence between American and European specimens. Nevertheless it
is now universally conceded that not a specimen is in existence of
American origin, and that there is no authentic record of the cap-
ture of a single specimen in America. Every specimen that has been
referred to this species, where in existence, proved to be either
immature examples of P. griseigena, or to be foreign examples, and
by no one is this now more cheerfully conceded than by Dr. Coues
himself.

It is very obvious now, in reading Mr. Audubon's notes by the
light of our present knowledge of the habits of the American form
of the Red-necked Grebe, that all he wrote in reference to the sup-
posed American P. cristatus relates exclusively to the former species,
of which he makes but a brief mention, and with which he appeared
to regard himself as unfamiliar, although it is so common about East-
port and the provinces where he spent the spring of 1833.

REMARKS ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OF LEWIS COUNTY,
NORTHERN NEW YORK.

BY C. HART MERRIAM.

With Remarks by A. J. Dayan.

The county of Lewis, though small, is interesting ornithologi-
cally, from the fact that the Canadian and Alleghanian faunte meet
within its boundaries, and that the densely wooded portion lying
east cf the Black River Valley constitutes the western border of

Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, New York. 53

that extensive district well known to sportsmen as " John Brown's
Tract," which is embraced in the " Great Adirondack Wilderness,"
of the northeastern portion of the State. This eastern district is
characterized by a sandy soil, which supports an immense forest,
chiefly of coniferous trees. In the northwestern part of the coiuity
is another large tract, called " Tug Hill," lying between Lake On-
tario and the Adirondack Wilderness, which is characterized by the
same class of forest-trees and the same general physical features.
The eastern, or Adii'ondack, region is truly Canadian in its fauna ;
the western partially so ; while the valley of the Black River and
the middle portion of the county lying west of it is strictly Alle-
ghanian.

In the eastern (Adirondack) district are found breeding Turdus
pallasi, T. sivainsoni, Sitta canadensis, Anortlmra troglodytes var.
hyeinaUs, Dendroeca ccerulescens, D. coronata, D. blackhurnice, D.
maculosa, Geothlypis 'Philadelphia, Myiodioctes canadensis, Loxia
leucoptera, L. curvirostra var. americana, Zonotrichia alhicollis,
Junco hyemalis, Corvus corax, Perisoreus canadensis, Contojjus
borealis, Hylotomus pileatus, Picoides arcticus, P. americanus,
Sphyrapicus varius, Tetrao canadensis, Ardea herodias, Colymhus
torquatus, and many other less characteristic species.

At my request, Mr. A. Jenings Dayan, one of our most careful,
enthusiastic, and conscientious collectors, sends me the following
notes concerning a few species found in the middle (Alleghanian) dis-
trict of the county. When not otherwise stated, his observations
pertain to the town of Lyon's Falls, in the Black River Valley.

" Eremophila alpestris. Horned Lark. — A tolerably common spring
migrant ; a few breed. Dr. C. P. Kirley of Lowville [middle district]
has kindly given me this note on its breeding : ' I first observed Eremo-
phila alpestris July 16, 1876, when I shot one two-thirds grown, and saw
the parents. In the same locality, June 24, 1876, I noticed a pair of old
birds, and on searching for their nest, I found it not more than eighteen
inches from the main road. It contained three mifledged young. Since
then I have both seen and taken it during the breeding season.'

"Helminthophaga peregrina. Tennessee Warbler. — I have taken
two of this species (May 19 and 23, 1877), the only record of its occur-
rence in this locality.

"Collurio ludovicianus [var. excubitoroides, see below]. Logger-
head Shrike. — I shot a fine adult male September 24, 1877. Through
the kindness of Mr. A. M. Church, I have examined a nest and five eggs
of this bird, taken here May 11, 1877. He secured the female as she left
the nest.

54 Meeeiam on Birds of Leivis County, Nmv York.

" Surnia ulula var. hudsonica. Hawk Owl. — Dr. Kirloy has two
specimens, male and female, taken near Lowville, October 24 and No-
vember 16, 1877.

" Lobipes hyperboreus. Northern Phalarope. — I shot a yoimg
male on Black River, September 6, 1877. One other was taken about the
same date, near Boonville.

"CEdemia americana. American Black Scoter. — Saw a flock of
four on Black River, September 27, 1877, and secured them all. The
gizzards of all these birds were absolutely empty, with the exception of a
fragment of a shell in one."

Much of interest attaches itself to the breeding of two of these
species (Eremophila cdpestris and CoUurio ludovicianus var. excu-
bitoroides) in this the northeastern portion of the State. Regard-
ing the first of these. Dr. Coues, in his inexhaustible " Birds of the
Northwest " (p. 39), says : " East of the region above specified [from
Iowa and Minnesota westward] the Horned Lark is not known to
breed in the United States ; and the only record of its occurrence
in summer which I have seen, that given by Mr. Maynard, as
above [Massachusetts in July], most probably indicates a highly ex-
ceptional instance." Since the publication of the above (1874) it
has been ascertained that the bird in question bi'eeds, sparingly, in
the western and central portions of the State. In the last number
of this Bulletin (p. 40) Mr. John M. Howey calls attention to the
fact of its breeding in the vicinity of Canandaigua, in Western New
York, but states that he does not " know of a previous instance of
this bird's nesting in this State," thus overlooking Mr. Rathbun's
record in his " Complete List of the Birds of Cayuga, Seneca, and
Wayne Counties," which appeared in the "Auburn Daily Advertiser "
of August 14, 1877. Mr. Rathbun states that it is "resident and
tolerably common in winter," and that " a few breed," in Central
New York. Mr. Dayan's note (on the authority of Dr. C. P. Kirley)
is particularly interesting, as it extends the known breeding range
of the species, tvithin the United States, eastward to the western
border of the Adirondack Wilderness, beyond which it must pass
to the northward (through St. Lawrence County) into Canada, and
thence to Labrador. Whether it has for many years bred within
the limits of the State of New York, or has recently extended its
breeding range, as seems to be the case with the Lark Finch
(Choiidestes grammaca) and some other species, remains to be de-
cided ; I incline to the latter view. It breeds about Hamilton, Can-

Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, Neio York. 55

ada West (Mcllwraith), aud abuadantly along the Labrador Coast
(Audubon and Coues).

Concerning the " Loggerhead Shrike," the case, though in some
respects parallel with the above, is much more difficult of ex-
planation, and has given rise to much confusion, owing to the com-
plication arising from the close relationship existing between the
Southern and Western forms. Coues, in his '• Key," states that " ex-
treme examples of ludovicianus and excuhitoroides look very differ-
ent, but they are observed to melt into each other when many
specimens are compared, so that no specific character can be as-
signed," and if the doctor had substituted the term varietal for
specific, he would have hit equally near the truth. The fact is,
there is so little difference between Eastern examples of excuhitor-
oides and the Southern bird that they hiive often been confounded,
and it is practically almost impossible to distinguish them. My
own opinion is that the locality whence the specimen came fur-
nishes the most valuable clew to its identity. In a specimen
(<?. juv.) taken by Mr. Dayan at Lyon's Falls, Lewis County, New
York, September. 4, 1877, the light ash of the upper parts contrasts
strongly with the " dark plumbeous-ash " of typical Southern exam-
ples of ludovicianus in the cabinet of Mr. George N. Lawrence, to
whose kindness I am indebted for the comparison, and for many
other favors. In other respects the bird more closely approaches
the Southern form. The Western bird breeds abundantly in Ohio
(Wheaton), and was first observed in Canada West (near Hamilton)
by Mcllwraith about the year 1860, since which date it has bi-ed
regularly in that localit3\ Allen, in 1869, published in the "Ameri-
can Naturalist" (p. 579) the first record of its breeding in New York
State ("near Buffalo"), and Rathbun (in the list above referred to)
gives it as breeding at Auburn, in the central portion of the State.
Fred. J. Davis, Esq., informs me that he has taken several of its
nests in the vicinity of Utica, aud the fact of its breeding in Lewis
County (Dayau, above) completes its eastern range to the Adiron-
dacks. Beyond this barrier it is not, to my knowledge, found, ex-
cepting as a rare straggler ; and most of the New England speci-
mens have commonly been regarded as accidental visitoi's from
the South. Mr. Purdie, however, in this Bulletin (Vol. II, No. 1,
p. 21, 1877), records the capture of a "typical" specimen of var.
excuhitoroides at Cranston, R. I., September 2, 1873, by Fred. T.
Jencks. This is, so far as I am aware, the only recognized in-

56 Beewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

stance of the capture of the Western foiTQ in New England. As
a pretty conchisive proof that our New York bird has been derived
from the Western {excuhitoroides) "type," we have the fact of the
continuity of its range eastward from the Mississippi to the Adiron-
dacks (throiigh Ohio to Buffalo, Auburn, Utica, and Lewis County,
New York) ; while, on the other hand, its entire absence from those
portions of the State where the Carolinian Fauna is most marked
(notably along the Hudson River, where such characteristic birds as
Icteria virens, Myiodioctes mitratus, Helmitherus vermivorus, and
Siurus motacilla breed in abundance) is sufficient evidence that it
is not the Southern bird. That it does not occur in the region
above specified is pretty clearly shown by the fact that neither Ed-
gar A, Mearns {of Highland Falls, near West Point) nor Eugene P.
Bicknell (of Riverdale), two of our most enterprising young collec-
tors, have ever met with even a single straggler of the genus, other
than C horealis, although they have both made the birds of the
Hudson River Valley a special study.

[To be continued.)

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FIRST PLUMAGE IN VARIOUS
SPECIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

BY WILLIAM BREWSTER.

IL*
24. Helminthophaga chrysoptera.

Fall plumage : male. Upper parts bluish-gray, washed strongly with
olive-green on the back. Forehead and crown yellow, somewhat ob-
scured by greenish streaking. Occiput bright greenish-yellow. Patch on
wings clear yellow. Band through the eye and entire under parts, as in
the adult. Chin, throat, and jugulum black, each leather broadly edged
with soiled white. White maxillary stripes fairly meeting on anterior
portion of chin. (This last feature may probably be explained by indi-
vidual variation, not by age. I have seen many adults similarly charac-
terized.)

Fall plumage : female. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult. Pileuni
and nape uniform olive-green ; back and rump bluish-gray, washed with

* For Part I, see this volume, pp. 15- 23.

in Varions Species of North American Birds. 57

greenish-olive. Upper tail-coverts clear bluish-gray. Sides of head and
entire under parts with a slight wash of brownish -yellow ; otherwise col-
ored like the adult. From two specimens in my collection shot at Cam-
bridge, Mass., July 18, 1874. It may be well to mention that these birds
are in somewhat transitional dress, and have hardly, perhaps, passed from
the first plumage, but as the female differs Init little from a specimen of
the same sex in the perfected fall dress, taken August 21, 1875, I have
thought it best to describe them both as in full autumnal plumage.

25. Helminthophaga ruficapilla.

First plumage : female. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult. Two
conspicuous wing-bands of bright buff. Pileum and nape liglit ashy,
tinged with fulvoiTS. Back ashy, just touched with green ; rump bright
olive-green. Supra-orbital line, ring around eye, and the throat, bright
buff. Lores, maxillary line, and auriculars pale ashy. Breast and cris-
sum gamboge-yellow, each feather tipped with whitish, producing a some-
what hoary appearance. Abdomen pale yellow ; sides dull cinnamon,
with a shade of ashy. From a specimen in my collection taken at Upton,
Me., August 14, 1873. A full series of specimens illustrates well the
progressive stages. The fall plumage is very quickly acquired by young

of this species.

26. Dendroeca virens.

First plumage : male. Kemiges and rectrices as in adult ; greater and
median wing-coverts just tipped with soiled white, forming two very
nan'ow, indistinct wing-bands. Rest of upper parts dark slaty-brown,
each feather of the back edged with bright greenish. Superciliary
stripes (just meeting in a narrow line on the forehead), ej^elids, maxillary
line, and chin, bright yellow. Sides of head dark slate ; under parts
soiled white, each feather on the breast and sides with a terminal spot of
black; on the throat and jugulum, these spots become large blotches of
dark slate, the feathers being just tipped and edged with light yellow.
From a specimen in my collection shot at Cambridge, Mass., July 30,
1875. Like most of the previously described young Warblers, this bird
has a narrow central line of yellow feathers extending down the throat
and jugulum to the breast.

27. Dendroeca caerulescens.

First plumage : male. Remiges and rectrices as in autumnal males, the
former slightly paler in color. Rest of upper parts, including the wing-
coverts, dark olive-brown ; sides of head very dark brown ; lores black ;
throat, jugulum, lower eyelids, and a very conspicuous supra-orbital line,
pale buff ; breast and sides ashy, tinged with olive. Abdomen, anal re-
gion, and crissum strong sulphur-yellow. White spot on base of prima-
ries fully developed.

First plumage : female. Remiges and rectrices as in autumnal female.

58 Brewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

Rest of upper parts, including wing-coverts and sides of head, light olive-
brown. Lores dull black. Superciliary line, both eyelids, throat, jugulum
abdominal and anal regions, with crissum, light buff. Breast and sides
olive, tinged with buff. Spot on base of primaries dirty-white. From two
specimens, male and female, in my collection, shot with parents at Upton,
Me., August 11, 1873. The male above described shows a few black
feathers on one side of the throat. Several adult females in my collec-
tion, taken both in spring and fall, lack the white wing-patch altogether.
Others have it but faintly indicated.

28. Dendrceca coronata.

First plu7nage: female. Upper parts, in general, dull grayish- white,
tinged with brownish, heavily streaked with slaty-black, the streaks
broadest on the back and narrowest on the pileum ; rump soiled white,
with well-defined streakings like the back. Lower parts pale lemon,
tinged with brownish on the throat, narrowly but distinctly streaked with
dull black over the entire surface. From a specimen in my collection,
shot at Upton, Me., August 7, 1874. The tirst plumage of no other bird
that I am acquainted with exhibits such a remarkable variation from the
more mature stages. The specimen just described resembles closely, in
general markings and coloration, the Pine Finch (Chrysomitris pinus).
As is well illustrated by a full suite of specimens in transitional stages,
the yellow of the rump is acquired early in the first moult, which is very
nearly completed, in most cases, before that of the crown appears.

29. Dendrceca blackburnias.

First plumage : male and female. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in au-
tumnal adult ; rest of upper parts uniform dark brown, each feather on
the back edged with light buff ; the white scapular stripe poorly defined.
Head markings precisely similar in pattern to the adults', but with the
orange everywhere replaced by white, slightly tinged with buff on pos-
terior half of superciliary line. Throat and entire under parts, in the
male, clear white, tinged with pale yellow, each feather (excepting on
throat) spotted terminally with black. From two specimens in my col-
lection taken at Upton, Me., August 5 and 6, 1874. One of these, the
male, has a few orange feathers on the throat, indicating the coming fall
plumage.

" Young in autumn. Above similar to the adult female in fall plumage,
but more olivaceous ; all the markings less distinct. Supei-ciliary stripe
and entire lower parts, except the crissum, pale yellowish-buff, hardly
brighter on the jugulum. Sides very faintly streaked with grayish. In
my collection (No. 1003), Mt. Carmel, 111., August 15, 1870." — R. R.

30. Dendrceca castanea.

First plumar/e : female. Remiges, rectrices, primary coverts, and alulaj
as in adult. Pileum, nape, and rump dull brown ; back dull olive-green ;

in Various Species of North American Birds. 59

upper tail-coverts slaty-black. Entire under parts creamy-white, with
the slightest possible tinge of clay-color, varying to ashy on the breast.
No trace of chestnut on the flanks. Sides of head buff, strongly tinged
with greenish on the auriculars and ma.xillary line. Each feather of the
body, both above and beneath, with a large terminal spot of black; the
posterior half of abdomen, anal region, and crissum ai-e, however, im-
maculate. In my collection, from Upton, Me., August 9, 1873.

A very complete suite of specimens, taken late in August and early in
September, illustrates well the development of the plumage of the young
of this species. The spotted feathers of the under parts, with the excep-
tion of a narrow line down the centre of the breast, are the first to disap-
pear, and simultaneously with their removal, the chestnut flank-patches
become apparent. Next the pileum and nape take on the autumnal
green, and last of all the feathers of the back and central line beneath
are changed. Adults of this species in fall dress are indistinguishable
from the young, except by the more pronounced chestnut on the sides.

31. Dendroeca pennsylvanica.

First plumage : male. Eemiges, rectrices, etc., as in spring specimens.
Wing-bands white, scarcely edged with yellow, and the general aspect of
wing much duller than in fall specimens. Eest of upper parts, sides of
head, jugulum, breast and sides, pale cinnamon, binghtest on pileum,
lighter on throat and sides of head. Feathers of back with central spots
of dull black. Abdomen, anal region, and crissum creamy-white. From
a specimen in my collection shot at Cambridge, Mass., July 18, 1874. It
is not a little remarkable that the wing-markings of this bird are much
more nearly like those of adults in spring than of the young in autumn.

32. Dendrceca maculosa.

First plumage : female. Kemiges and rectrices slightly paler than in
adult ; greater and middle wing-coverts just tipped with fulvous, forming
two narrow wing-bands ; rest of upper parts, sides of head, including
orbital region and eyelids, and breast, dark ashy, somewhat lighter on rump.
Abdomen, anal region, and crissum pale sulphur-yellow, blotched somewhat
indistinctly anteriorly with ashy. Throat pale ashy, with a few yellow
feathers intermixed. From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton
Me., August 10, 1874. This bird was very young, indeed barely able to
fly. Several specimens a little further advanced show an increased
amount of yellow on the throat and abdomen, but are otherwise similar.

33. Dendroeca discolor.

First plumage : male. Eemiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult- Wing-
bands very rich buff; rest of upper parts, with sides of head, light cinna-
mon, becoming almost ashy on the forehead and rump, and tinged slightly
with yellowish-green on the back. Eyelids dirty white. Entire under
parts pale lemon-yellow, somewhat duller, and with a shade of ashy on

60 Brewster's JDescriptions of the First Plumage

the breast and sides. From a specimen in my collection shot at Cam-
bridge, Mass., Jul}^ 11, 1873. This bird has also two patches of bright
yellow on the breast.

34. Perissoglossa tigrina.
First flumage : female. Remiges, rectrices, and primary coverts as in
adult. Pileum, nape, rump, and upper tail-coverts dark slaty-brown,
the back with an indistinct patch of olive-green. Eyelids, throat, jugu-
lum, and sides of breast dark slate ; abdomen, anal region, and crissum
solid white, tinged with dull yellow. From a specimen in my collection
shot at Upton, Me., August 21, 1874. This bird exhibits a few irregular
patches and isolated feathers of dull yellow on the breast and throat, fore-
runners of the fall plumage.

35. Siurus auricapillus.

"■First plumage. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in the adult. Rest of
upper parts dull fulvous-brown ; the croion xoithout stripes, all the feathers
very indistinctly darker centrally ; lower parts paler, more buffy, fulvous,
growing gradually white toward the crissum, the buffy portions (breast
and sides), with very fine indistinct streaks of dusky. From a specimen
in my collection obtained near Washington." — R. R.

36. Oporornis formosa.

" First plumage. Remiges, rectrices, primary coverts, and alulse as in the
adult. Pileum and back dull raw-umber-brown, tinged with rusty on the
back and scapulars; throat, jugulum, breast, and sides pale grayish-fulvous,
the abdomen and crissum paler, and slightly tinged with yellow. No
markings of any sort about the head. My collection, Mt. Carmel, 111.,
July 27, 1875." — R.R.

37. Icteria virens.

" First plumage. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in the adult. Head, su-
periorly and laterally, uniform grayish-olive, with a barely appreciable
whitish supraloral line and orbital ring, and without black markings.
Whole throat pale ash-gray (almost white on the chin), stained laterally
and anteriorly with yellow ; entire breast gamboge-yellow, obscured with
olivaceous-gray across the jugulum (probably entirely gray at first, the
yellow feathers being probably the beginning of the first moult). Ab-
domen white ; flanks and crissum pale buff. In my collection from Mt.
Carmel, 111., July 19, 1875." — R. R.

38. Myiodioctes canadensis.

First plumage : female. Remiges, rectrices, etc., similar to the adults.
Rest of the upper parts, including wing-coverts and sides of head, uniform
deep dull cinnamon ; the greater coverts tipped with fulvous. Throat,
breast, and sides very light cinnamon, tinged with olive. Anal and ab-
dominal regions pale sulphur-yellow. No conspicuous spots, stripes, or

in Various Species of North American Birds. 61

markings anywhere. From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton,
Me., August 4, 1874. This bird was so young as to be scarcely able to fly,
and. Avitli the rest of the brood, was attended by the female parent.

Adult in autumn: male. Similar to adult in spring, but with the yel-
low of the iinder parts much more intense, and the black spotting on the
breast slightly clouded by the yellow tipping of the overlapping feathers.
From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me., August 29, 1874.

Yoring in autumn : male. Pileum and back greenish-olive ; nape and
rump bluish-ash, slightly tinged with olive. Centres of a. few feathers on
the forehead and cheeks, with a continuous line along the side of the neck
to the breast, dusky-black. A broad hand of very small spots (each one
not more than one quarter of the size of those exhibited in the adult
plumage) across the upper part of the breast black. Otherwise similar to
the adult. In " History of Birds of North America," Vol. I. p. 320, Mr.
Ridgway says, " In the young [these spots] are obsolete."

39. Geothlypis Philadelphia.

First pluTnage : female. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult. Rest of
upper parts, with wing-coverts and sides of head, dull reddish-brown,
becoming almost cinnamon on the back, and tinged strongly with ashy on
the pileum. Entire under parts light reddish-brown, most pronounced
on the abdominal and anal regions, becoming lighter on the throat, and
darker, with a strong olive suffusion, on the breast and sides. No appre-
ciable maxillary or supra-orbital stripes. From a specimen in my collec-
tion shot at Upton, Me., August 11, 1876. This bird was very young ; in
fact, barely able to fly. A slight doubt exists in my mind as to its iden-
tity, for I did not actually see the parent birds feed it, though both were in
the immediate vicinity and exhibited much solicitude. This specimen is
separable from the corresponding stage of G. trichas by the ashy cast of
the pileum and the absence of brownish on the sides.

Autumnal plumage : young male. Entire upper parts olive-green, the
feathers of the pileum and nape being just tipped with this color and
showing plainly the ashy underneath when disarranged. Sides of head,
with broad bands extending down each side of the throat and nearly meet-
ing across the jugulum, ash, washed with greenish-olive. Sides, with a
broad connected band across anal region and breast, dull olive-green.
Rest of under parts, with central areas of throat and jugulum, A'ery clear
rich yellow, intensifying into a spot of orange on the breast. In two
specimens (both males) a yellow tipping of the feathers on the jugulum
nearly conceals much black underneath, which becomes conspicuous when
the plumage is slightly disarranged.

Autumal plumage : young female. Similar to the male, but with a more
olive cast to the green of the dorsal aspect, less ashy on head, and the
spot on the breast of richer, deeper color, and broader diffusion. The
young of both sexes in autumnal plumage have the upper and lower eye-

62 Brewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

lids conspicuously fulvous-yelloiv. In one specimen (male, taken August
21), the eyelids are dirty-white. From seven specimens (two females, five
males) in my collection shot at Upton, Me., August, 1874. Irrespective
of generic characters, the j'oung of G. Philadelphia in autumn are at once
distinguishable from those of Oporornis agilis in corresponding stages, by
the total absence of ashy on the central regions of throat, jugulum, and
breast. So marked is the difference that obtains in this respect that I am
easily able to separate the two species, when lying side by side, at a dis-
tance of fifteen or twenty feet.

40. Geothlypis macgillivrayi.

Young autumal plunucge : male. Entire upper parts exactly as in G.
Philadelphia of corresponding age and sex. (See preceding species.)
Sides of head very dark ashy, washed with olive. Eyelids white. Fore-
part of the breast light ashy-gray, with a slight superficial wash of olive,
shading into buffy-white on the chin. (Again compare with preceding
species.) Rest of under parts clear rich yellow, obscured somewhat with
greenish-olive on the sides. Upon raising, or even slightly disarranging,
the feathers of the thi'oat, broad subtemninal bands of black appear on
each feather. These bands or blotches, as in the young G. Philadelphia,
are concealed by the ashy tips of the overlapping feathers. From a speci-
men in my collection shot at Nicasio, Cal., by Mr. C. A. Allen, August 1,
1876.

41. Geothlypis trichas.

First plumage: male. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult. Wing-
coverts continuously light brown. Rest of upper parts, including sides of
head, brown, lightest on rump, and slightly tinged with olive on the back.
Throat yellowish-olive, deepening to dark clear olive on jugulum, breast,
sides, and anal region. Abdomen dull yellow, with its lateral margins
bounded by bands of fulvous-brown. From specimen in my collection
shot at Upton, Me., August 26, 1874. Two other specimens, taken respec-
tively July 28 and August 10, present no appreciable difference from the
birds first described.

42. Pyranga rubra.

Occasional plumage : male. Wings and tail black ; entire plumage of
body rich orange, with a greenish tinge on flanks and anal region. From
a specimen in my cabinet, collected by Mr. C. J. Maynard, at Waltham,
Mass., May 27, 1869. Tliis remarkable specimen I for a long time con-
sidered unique, but I have recently examined another in the possession of
Mr. Arthur Smith, of Brookline, which is its precise counterpart, and
Mr. Ridgway tells me he has seen still others. This plumage is not to be
confounded with the ordinary immature one of this bird, where the scarlet
is simply of a lighter shade or mixed with patches of yellowish-green. It
is a pronounced uniform coloring, and aj^parently a completed plumage.

in Various Species of North American Birds. 63

Unquestionably it is abnormal, but hardly to be placed in a category with
albinism, and probably it is not very unfrequent. Adult males of P.
rubra change to the greenish autumnal plumage of the female and young,
a fact not generally known. They may in that stage be distinguished by
the blacker coloring of the wings and tail. I have never seen the young
males in autumn Avith red feathers appearing in the plumage, as spoken of
by writers ; probably such specimens may be referred to adult birds taken
in August or September, with the moult only partially effected ; many of
such examples I have now before me, all unquestionably adults. The
scarlet bands on the wing-coverts of some specimens are to be regarded as
individual adornments, independent of age. Many comparatively imma-
ture specimens possess them, while in some of the finest birds they are
wanting.

43. Hirundo horreorum.
First plumage : female. Fork of tail not deep ; outer feathers project-
ing one-half inch beyond the inner ones. Eemiges and rectrices brown ;
upper parts, in general, glossed with dull steel-blue ; feathers of rump
and upper tail-coverts edged with rusty ; frontal band narrowed to a mere
line of pale fawn-color. Beneath similar to adult, but everywhere paler.
From a specimen in my collection taken at Rye Beach, N. H., August 21,
1872.

44. Tachycineta bicolor.
First plumage : male. Upper parts uniform dark slate, with a fine silky
gloss ; feathers of interscapular region faintly edged with pale fawn.
Secondaries edged and tipped with pale cinnamon-gray. Under parts
soiled white, with a laintly indicated pectoral band of pale ashy-brown.
From a specimen in my collection, shot at Cambridge, June 22, 1872.

A good series of summer specimens shows well the transitional stages.
The first plumage is worn much longer than in most birds, and the au-
tumnal dress very slowly acquired, the metallic tinted feathers appearing
one or two at a time. The remiges are also moulted by the young, as well
as by the adult, and both in the autunmal plumage have the last pair of
secondaries broadly tipped with pure white. This remarkable feature, so
far as the specimens at hand go to show, is entirely characteristic of this
plumage.

45. Petrochelidon lunifrons.
First plumage : male. Top of head, back, aiid scapulars dark brown ;
collar around nape, dull ashy, tinged anteriorly with rusty. Rump as in
adult, but paler ; forehead sprinkled with white, and with a few chestnut
feathers. Secondaries broadly tipped with ferruginous. Throat white, a
few feathers spotted centrally with dusky. Breast and sides ashy, with a
rusty sufi"usion, most pronounced on the latter parts. A very small area
of pale chestnut on the cheeks. From a specimen in my collection taken
at Upton, Me., July 27, 1874.

64 ElDGWAY on Birds of Calaveras County, California.

46. Cotyle riparia.

First plumage: male. Upper parts brown, each feather edged with
ferruginous, this edging broadest on the rump and secondaries, narrowest
on the crown and nape. Beneath like the adult, but with the pectoral band
strongly washed with ferruginous, and the throat thickly spotted with the
same color. In my collection, from Rye Beach, N. H., August 24, 1872.
Autumnal specimens have the secondaries tipped with white, but not so
broadly as in Tachycineta bicolor.

47. Ampelis cedrorum.

First 'plumage : female. Above generally duller cinnamon than in
adult, with obscure streakings of dusky-buff ; rump grayish-brown with a
tinge of olive. Tail narrowly tipped Ayith gamboge-yellow. Two secon-
daries on each wing slightly tipped with the red waxen appendages. En-
tire under parts brownish-buflf, palest about anal region, deepest on throat
and chin ; breast and sides streaked thickly with cinnamon-brown. A
dull black line, starting from the nostril, passes through the lore to the
eye, where it terminates, embracing, however, the anterior half of both eye-
lids. From a specimen in my collection, taken at Upton, Me., August 14,
1874. I have seen specimens of this species in the first plumage with
not only the secondaries wax-tipped, but several of the tail-feathers also.
Nor is this horny appendage peculiar to the male, as has been stated, for
several undoubted females before me have it fully developed. Much va-
riation likewise obtains among different individuals in respect to the num-
ber and position of these appendages. One specimen (a male, Cambridge,
March 21, 1870) has every feather of the tail conspicuously wax-tipped, in
addition to nine of the secondaries on each wing, while another has the
primaries (excepting the first three) tipped broadly with white, and in the
centre of each white spot a smaller one of yellow.

NOTES ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OF CALAVERAS COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA, AND ADJOINING LOCALITIES.

BY ROBERT RIDGWAY.

Several small lots of birds received at the National Museum
from its correspondent, Mr. L. Belding, of Marysville, California,
collected chiefly in Calaveras County, in that State, are of great in-

EiDGWAY on Birds of Calaveras Comity, California. 65

terest, aa showing a somewhat remarkable fauna for a locality
situated as this is on the Pacific slope of the Sierra Nevada, there
being a curious intermingling of Eastern, Northern, and Southern
species with those usually considered as truly "Californian." The
collections thus far received embrace only forty-seven species (in-
cluding races), a list of which, with remarks, is given below : —

1. Mimus polyglottus. No. 73,609, December 26, 1877.

2. Myiadestea townsendi. No. 73,610, ^ ad., May 4, 1877.

3. Phaenopepla nitens. No. 73,534, Murphy's, May, 1877.

4. Cinclus mexicanus. No. 73,533. No date.

5. Regulus satrapa. No. 73,535, ^ ad. No date.

6. Catherpes mexicanus, ^. couspersus. No. 73,045, Murphy's,
February 7, 1877.

7. Thryomanes bew^icki, ^. spilurua. No. 73,612, January 5, 1877.

8. Sitta carolinensis, /3. aculeata. No. 73,608, January 5, 1877.

9. Sitta canadensis. No. 73,534. Big Trees, alt. 4,500 feet. May 19.

10. Helminthophaga ruficapilla. Several specimens in very bright
spring plumage, agreeing entirely with Eastern examples both in colors
and ]n'()portions. The supposed Western race, " var. gutturalis " (Hist. N.
Am. Birds, I,' p. 191), based upon a special plumage, is therefore untena-
ble. This common " Eastern " species, of which autumnal specimens
only have been recorded from the Western Province, Mr. Belding finds
quite common on the Sierra Nevada, and has ascertained that it breeds
in Calaveras County.

11. Helminthophaga celata, /3. lutescens. Nos. 73,613, juv.. Big
Trees, May, 1877, and 73,614, ad., January 8, 1878 (!) A permanent resi-
dent, both breeding and wintering.

12. Dendroeca occidentalis. Nos. 73,039, (J, and 73,040, 9, Big
Trees, May 20, 1877. In the brightest spring plumage, the male Avith the
whole head, except throat, pure gamboge-yellow, the pileum immaculate !

[13. Dendroeca coronata. Mr. Belding Avrites that he thinks he has
got this species " during a recent visit to Murphy's." This is very likely,
since it is now known to be of not uncommon occurrence in certain parts
of California.* I have a specimen obtained April 9, 1877, at Nicasio,
Marin County, by Mr. C. A. Allen, who writes me that he has frequently
taken it. I am also informed by M. J. A. Allen that the Museum of
Comparative Zoology possesses specimens collected at Haywood, Alameda
County, by Dr. J. G. Cooper.]

[14. Geothlypis trichas. Two specimens seen at Marysville, Janu-
ary 2, 1878 (!)].'

15. Lanivireo solitarius. Nos. 73,041, and 73,042, males. Big

* Has been subsequently received from Mr. Belding.
VOL. III. 5

66 EiDGWAY on Birds of Calaveras County, California.

Trees, May 10, 1877. Apparently the true solitarius. Of common oc-
currence, and breeding.

16. Lanivireo cassini. No. 73,537, ad. No date.

17. Vireosylvia gilva, /3. swainsoni. No. 73,043. No date.

18. Collurio borealis. Nos. 73,615 and 73,616, January 2 and 8,
1877.

19. Collurio ludovicianus. Nos. 73,617 and 73,618. No date.
These examples, like most Califbrnian ones, are by no means referable to
excuhitoroides, but are fully as dark as the darkest individuals of true
ludovicianus from the Southern Atlantic and Gulf States.

20. Hesperiphona vespertina. No. 73,538, ^ ad. No date.

21. Pinicola enucleator, )3. canadensis. No. 73,539, ^ juv. Soda
Springs, Placer County, September 28, 1877.

22. Carpodacus cassini. No. 73,048, <J ad. Big Trees, May 20,
1877.

23. Chrysomitris tristis. No. 73,630. No date.

24. Chrysomitris lawrencii. No. 73,629, ^ ad., January 9, 1878.

25. Chrysomitris pinus. No. 73,540. Murphy's. No date.

26. Chondestes grammaca. No. 73,541. Murphy's, February,
1877 (!).

27. Pocecetes gramineus, /3. confinis. No. 73,542. No date.

28. Passerculus sandvichensis, y. alaudinus. Nos. 73,071, April,
1877 ; 73,625-7. No date. (" Summit of Sierra Nevada, lat. 39°.")

29. Zonotrichia leucophrys. No. 73,543. No date.

30. Spizella socialis, j3. arizonae. Nos. 73,544, Soda Springs, Placer
County, September, 1877, 73,628, Calaveras County. No date ; also seen
January 6, 1878.

31. Melospiza fasciata, /3. guttata. No. 73,050, ^ ad. Murphy's,
March 20, 1879. No. 73,619. No date.

32. Melospiza fasciata, y. fallax. No. 73,621. No date.

33. Melospiza fasciata, fi. heermanni. No. 73,621, July, 1877.
Probably the resident form.

34. Melospiza lincolni. Nos. 73,540, 73,622-4. No dates.

35. Passerella iliaca, S. megarhyncha. No. 73,049, ^ ad. Big
Trees, May, 1877.

36. Myiarchus cinerascens. No. 73,546. Murphy's, April 17, 1877.

37. Sayornis nigricans. A very curious albinescent example of this
species (No. 73,611) is colored as follows : Prevailing color very pale pearl-
gray, fading to white on the abdomen and lining of the wing. Wing-
coverts tipped with creamy buff, forming two distinct narrow bands. The
specimen is a full-grown young one, as shown by the buff wing-bands and
the texture of the feathers. Slight indications of the normal plumage are
seen in a small black spot just above the posterior angle of the right eye,
and several black feathers among the lesser wing-coverts, while, according
to the collector, there was a spot of the same color on the breast, but this

EiDGWAY 071 Birds of Calaveras County, California. 67

was carried away by the shot. The specimen was obtained at Stoctou,
July, 1877.

38. Contopus richardsonl. No. 73,547. No date.

39. Empidonax pusillus. No. 73,044. Stocton, July, 1877.

40. Empidonax obscurus. No. 73,047. Murphy's, April 28, 1878.

41. Empidonax hammondi. Nos. 73,045-6. Murphy's, April 28,
1878.

42. Picus nuttalli. No. 73,033. Murphy's, Calaveras County (alt.
2,000 feet), April, 1877.

43. Picus pubescens. An adult male (No. 73,606), collected Decem-
ber 27, 1877, is absolutely typical P. pubescens. There is a large cluster
of white sjiots covering the lesser wing-covert region, while the gi-eater
coverts have a row of white spots at the base, more or less concealed by
the middle coverts ; the secondaries and tertials are likewise completely
crossed by bands of white spots. I have seen very many Western exam-
ples of this bird approaching the true pubescens, to a greater or less
degree, but this is the first I have seen having the row of spots at the base
of the greater coverts, and the conspicuous cluster of white spots, forming
an irregular broken patch on the middle coverts, — the essential charac-
ters of pubescens, as restricted.

44. Picus pubescens, /3. gairdneri. No. 73,607, $ ad. December,
27, 1878.

45. Sphyrapicus thyroideus. Nos. 73,548, $ ad. and 73,559, 9 ad.
No dates.

46. Colaptes auratus, )3. mexicanus. Nos. 73,603, and 73,605.
December, 1877.

47. Colaptes auratus, y. hybridus. Nos. 73,602-4, December, 1877.
This series is one of great interest. One specimen corresponds very nearly
to 0. " ayresii " of Audubon, having red " mustaches," gray throat, and
yellow shafts ; the latter, however, have a decided orange cast, while there
is merely a trace of the scarlet occipital crescent. The most interesting
specimen of all, however, is No. — , of which, unfortunately, the tail
only was sent. In this the rectrices are deep red, as in true mexicanus,
with the exception of the middle paii", which are pure gamboge-yellow,
without a trace of orange ; the contrast being thus very striking. An-
other specimen, of which the tail only was sent, is similar except that the
middle tail-feathers are pale-pinkish instead of yellow.

Records of the occurrence on the Pacific Slope of species formerly con-
sidered exclusively Eastern, have now become so numerous as to render
it extremely probable that, as the various districts of our Western domain
are more fully explored, the number of species common to both sides of
the continent will be considerably increased and the list of those peculiar
to the Eastern Province correspondingly diminished. The transfer from
the latter category to the former may be considered as established with
regard to several of the species enumerated above, as Dendraca coronata,

68 Cooper on Nest and Eggs of two Western Birds.

Helmintluyphaga ruficapilla, Lanivireo solitarms, Collurio ludoincianus, and
Zonotrichia leucophr]is. It shoiild be borne in mind, however, that every
species is very much more local in the West, where modifications in
topographical details are intricate, involving very great variations of cli-
mate and vegetation within a small compass of territory, than in the East,
where the whole country presents a great uniformity of surface, thus al-
lowing a much more general dispersion of vegetable and animal life.

NOTES ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF HUTTON'S VIEEO
{VIREO HUTTONI) AND THE GRAY TITMOUSE {LOPHO-
PHANES INORNATUS) WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR
NESTS AND EGGS.

BY WILLIAM A. COOPER.

Hutton's Vireo ( Vh'eo huttoni) breeds in the vicinity of Santa
Cruz, tliougli not in abundance. Retiring in habits, their nests and
eggs are rarely found. April 7, 1874, I found a nest placed ten
feet from the ground, suspended from a dead branch of a Negundo,
containing thi'ee eggs incubated about five days. March 30, 1875,
I found anotlier nest placed eight feet from the ground, suspended
from the small twigs of a Frangula. The bii'd showed little signs
of fear, and would not leave the nest till I almost touched her ;
then she flew to a tree near by, and uttered a single note, tivea, re-
peated every three or four seconds. When I took the nest she
hopped around me from twig to twig, venting her sorrow in a plain-
tive twik, twea ; tivik, twea.

The nest — a neat, compact structure, composed of fine vegetable
fibres, bits of paper, and grasses covered on the outside with green
and gi'ay mosses, lined with fine grasses — measures 3.25in ches in
diameter outside, 1.75 inside ; depth 2.25 outside, 1.50 inside.

The eggs, four in number, are white (a delicate blush-color be-
fore blown), marked with minute dots of reddish-brown, more nu-
merous toward the larger end. ^They measure respectively, .70 x .52,
.70 X .51, .09 X .51, .08x52. Two other nests were found, each
containing four eggs. They were placed, one in a Negundo, thirty
feet high, the other at the extremity of an oak limb, twenty-five feet
from the ground. Of the latter the female was so unsuspicious that
when caught and removed from the nest she immediately returned
to it.

Mearns's Description of Unusually Developed Species. (59

April 4, 1877, while collecting on the foot-hills fovir miles fiom
Watsonville, my undivided attention was drawn toward a Gray Tit-
mouse, whose scolding oiitcry, if not intended for me, was neverthe-
less so taken. Observing that the bird had a large insect in its bill,
I concluded it was about to feed its young, or possibly its mate.
Taking my station behind the trunk of a tree, I waited in vain for
nearly an hour for it to enter its nest. It flew from one branch to
another, favoring one part of the tree, uttering its cry continually.
My time being limited, I concluded to examine the tree, and was
agreeably rewarded by finding the nest immediately. This was
placed in a hollow in the end of a limb of an oak, five feet from the
gi'ound, the mouth of the hole very small. The female was on the
nest, and would not leave, fighting even unto death.

The nest is composed outwardly of grasses, the inner portion of
fur of rabbits and other animals, besides a few hairs and feathers.
It measures 7.50 inches in diapaeter outside, 2.50 inside ; depth, 2.50
outside, I inside.

The eggs, four in number, had been incubated about five days.
The ground-color is white, marked over the whole egg with minute
irregular spots of a pale reddish color. The most spotted egg has
a perceptible pinkish appearance. Measurements, .68 x .53, .68 x
.52, .64X.52, .64x52.

I anticipate finding, in additional sets of the eggs of this species,
deeper-colored and larger markings, with considerable variation of
size and shape, besides a larger number of eggs.

Santa Cruz, California.

A DESCRIPTION OF UNUSUALLY DEVELOPED INDIVID-
UALS OF THREE SPECIES, AND REMARKS ON UNCOM-
MON PLUMAGES IN SEVERAL OTHERS, TAKEN NEAR
WEST POINT, N. Y.

BY EDGAR A. MEARNS.

1. Geothlypis Philadelphia, (Wilson) Baird. Mourning Warbler.
— A specimen of this species (No. 1000 $, May 26, 1876, E. A. M.) is re-
markable for its high development. All of its markings are unusually
bright ; the chin, throat, and forepart of breast almost solid black ; the
feathers of the chin and upper part of the throat only exliibiting the

70 Mearns's Description of Unusually Developed Species.

faintest margins of ash. Professor Baird * has remarked : " It is quite
possible that in the full-plumaged male the entire throat may be black, as
there is a tendency to this in some specimens."

2. Setophaga ruticilla, (Linne) Swainson. Redstart. — A male of
this species, which I took here, is also remarkable for its high state of devel-
opment (No. 1003 $, May 17, 1876, E. A. M.). It is a fully adult and
highly pluraaged bird. Its chief peculiarity consists in the extreme
development of the orange-red on the ventral surface, and the restriction
of the black to the forepart of the breast, where its margin is quite
sharply defined, being abruptly intercepted by the orange-red, which oc-
cupies the whole under parts and sides of the body, with the exception of the
imder tail-coverts, which are white at base, the longest feathers being black-
ish. The orange-red at the base of the rectrices and reniiges is also much
less restricted than in the normally plumaged individual.

3. Ampelis cedrorum, (Linne) Sclater. Cedar-Bird. — I have been
so struck by the great variation in different specimens of this species, in
regard to the red wax-like appendages, that I have taken particular pains
to procure a large series of specimens illustrating this difference. In this
series I can scarcely detect any sexual difference in that respect, except
that the particularly well-developed specimens are all males. In the
normal plumage the waxen appendages are confined to the tips of the
secondary remiges, but in my cabinet are several specimens which have
them affixed to the primaries, and in several instances even to the rec-
trices ; but they are usually small and few in number. One specimen has
several of these attachments to the primaries, which are nearly as well
developed as those on the secondaries. But the most remarka1)le speci-
men is a handsome male (No. 545, ^ ad., April 11, 1875, Highland Falls,
N. Y., E. A. M.), having these ornaments attached, not only to each of
the secondaries and three of the primaries, but each of the rectrices is
embellished by a well-developed red appendage. Several other specimens
have large red tips to each of the rectrices ; and one (No. 1558 ^,
Feb. 23, 1878, E. A. M.) has five of its primary remiges (5th to 9th) tipped
with yellow. Professor Baird t says : " A specimen from Guatemala
(No. 50,455 ^) is almost identical with examples from the United States,
but differs in having a small spot of yellow at the tip of each primary ;
also there are red appendages on the tip of a few tail-feathers, as well as
the longest feather of the loiver tail-coverts." X

While speaking of this species, it may be well to add, that in specimens
taken in worn plumage, late in summer, the colors are very much bleached,
all of the colors being very much paler ; the white band across the fore-

* Birds of N. Am., by Baird, Cassin, and Lawrence (Vol. IX of Pacific Eail-
road Reports), p. 244, 1858.

t Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Birds N. Am., Vol. I, p. 401, 1874.
J Italics my own.

JNIearns's Description of Unusually Developed Species. 71

head is very much broadened, and the black of the chin much lightened.
The top of the head and neck has an ochraceous suffusion, and the cinna-
mon-color of the back extends into, and partially subdues the ash of the
rump.

4. Helminthophaga peregrina, (Wilson) Cabanis. Tennessee War-
bler. — I have a curious albinistic variety of this species (No. 92 ^,
May, 1874, E. A. M.). It was shot among the blossoms of a plum-tree,
where it was seen skipping about in the liveliest manner. Its head is
pure white, except a very slight sulphury suffusion on the crown ; the
residue of the plumage is much lightened, and with occasional patches of
sulphury-white feathers on the back.

5. DendrcEca pennsylvanica, (Linne) Baird. Chestnut-sided "War-
bler.— A spring female of this species (No. 1437 $, May 19, 1877,
E. A. M.) seems to have passed by its spring moult, since it is still in the
autunmal plumage, except for the appearance of a few black streaks on
the back. The plumage is worn and dingy, and exhibits no trace of the
chestnut side-stripe.

6. Corvus americanus, Audubon. Common Crow. — There is a
peculiarity of the plumage of the Crow, which I have noticed in a num-
ber of specimens shot during the breeding season, in May. All specimens
shot at this season do not exhibit this peculiarity, and some show it in
a more marked degree than others. These specimens are characterized by
the entire absence of the violet gloss on the wings and tail, those parts
being of a lustreless, purplish-brown color. Some specimens have the
concealed bases of the feathers of a fine, violet-glossed black, and the
residue of a rich bronze hue.

My attention was first attracted to this state of plumage by two birds
which I shot in the very act of devouring the eggs of the Night Herons,
in the heronry on Constitution Island, in the Hudson River, on the 23d
of May, 1877. These birds were extreme examples. This condition of
phimage may not be limited to the breeding season, for I have a specimen
shot in winter, which has one of the rectrices of a rich, purplish bronze-
color ; but I found this plumage prevailing in the greater number of speci-
mens shot during the last week in May.

7. Picus pubescens, Linne. Downy Woodpecker. — A female of
this species (No. 449 9 , February 26, 1875, E. A. M.) presents a very un-
usual appearance. It still retains a number of red feathers on both sides
of the nape. The red feathers on the crown are said to be characteristic
of the young female. It is interesting to know that the red feathers are
retained so late in the season. The red patches on the nape were so con-
spicuous in the living \Av(\ as to cause it to be shot.

8. Myiodioctes mitratus, (Gmelin) Audubon. Hooded Warbler. —
Mr. C. Hart Memam, in his late " Review of the Birds of Connecticut"
(pp. 25 and 29), rectifies an error in the recent descriptions of the females
of this species. I wish to add my testimony to his conclusions, " that the

72 Brewer's Notes on Junco Caniceps.

female bird, like the male, is several years — at least three — in attaining
its full plumage ; and that the two sexes, when fully adult, can only he
distinguished by the fact that, in the female, the throat, though strongly
tinged with black, is never 'pure black as in the male." Long ago I dis-
covered these facts, as the bird is an abundantly breeding summer resi-
dent here, where I have taken several of their nests in a single walk.
With a large series of specimens before me, I can fully indorse Mr.
Merriam's views. The females of the second summer are entirely with-
out any black iipon the head, and I have frequently found them sitting
upon their eggs in this condition. Males of the same age show very evi-
dent traces of black. Only in extreme examples does the black on the
hood and throat of the female approach the purity of those parts in the
male.

9, Siurus motacilla, (Vieillot) Coues. Large -billed Water-
Thrush. — I wish to call attention to the fact that the chin and throat of
this species are not " entirely immaculate," * as described in the books. On
the contrary, I have never seen a specimen, in the large number of birds
belonging to this species which I have handled, that lacked minute mark-
ings of brown on the chin and throat, though these are much less strcmg
than in S. ncevius. There is also a whitish stripe extending from the base
of the maxilla to the back of the eye, involving the under lid, and sepa-
rated, anteriorly, from the superciliary line, extending from the bill,
above the eye, to the nape, by a narrow dark band. This stripe is often
quite conspicuous.

NOTES ON JUNCO CANICEPS AND THE CLOSELY ALLIED

rOEMS.

BY T. M. BREWER.

Among a collection of nests and eggs received the past season
from Colorado, coming from the vicinity of Summit County, the
highest inhabited portion of that State, are three nests of the Junco
canicejis. They are assigned to the common resident Jxmco of that
region by Mr. Edwin Carter, who identified them ; the parents, in
each instance, having been shot on the nest, and ascertained to be
the bird there known as the Cinereous Snow-bird. Unfortunately
tlie individual parents were not preserved with their nests, so that
it is now impossible to verify these identifications. It therefore re-
mains an interesting question whether the eggs of the J%uico caniceps
exhibit such surprising variations as are shown in these sets, or

* Jjaird, Brewer, and Eidgway, Hist, of N. Am. Birds, Vol. I, p. 287, 1874.

Brewer's Notes on Junco Caniccps. 73

whether there is more than one species that breed in the high moun-
tain-regions of Colorado. I use the word " species " for the mere
convenience of expression, but not as assuming that the several
forms of cinerens, clorsalis, caniceps, etc. are hotia fide species.

There are in the Smithsonian collection well-identified sets of the
eggs of Junco ciuereus, dorsalis, and canicep!<, one set of each. Of
course this is not enough to establish the typical peculiarities of
their eggs. The set of Junco ciuereus were taken by Mr. Henshavv
in the mountains of Southern Arizona, at an altitude of 9,500 feet.
It was taken August 1st, the eggs were fresh, and it was probably
the second laying of the season. They appeared to me to be of an
unmixed greenish or bluish white. When taken they were said,
while almost immaculate, to show the presence of a few minute
punctate reddish-brown spots, irregularly disposed over the surface,
and Mr. Heushaw writes me, under date of February 18, 1878, " two
of the four eggs still show the minute reddish-brown punctulations
— they can scarcely be said to be spots — alluded to in my report,
though these are fainter than when first collected. There are per-
haps twenty of these isolated dots scattered over the surface ; with-
out a critical notice the eggs would be passed by as iminaculate.
The ground-color of these eggs is now a dead bluish-white, and
shows no trace of green." *

The set of Junco dorsalis was also taken by Mr. Henshaw in the
mountains near Camp Apache, Arizona. These four eggs had the
same pale greenish-white ground-color, and all exhibit, on careful
examination, brownish-red spots, very minute, and scattered over
the whole surface, — in one egg much more abundantly, — forming a
confluent curve around the larger end. The eggs of the two sets
are about equal in size, ranging from .84 to .77 of an inch in length,
and averaging about .63 in breadth.

" The set of Junco caniceps,^' Mr. Henshaw writes me, " were taken
in Colorado by Mr. J. H. Batty. There were originally five in the
nest. The measurement of the remaining four are .82 x .61, .83 x
.61, .78 X .60 .86 X .62 ; ground-color bluish-white (probably origi-
nally with a tinge of greenish), profusely overlaid with small ii*regu-
lar spots, and blotches of reddish-brown and lilac. The eggs of this
set vary considerably in the amount of markings and the manner
of distribution. In two these consist of minute punctulations that

* 111 his report Mr. Henshaw describes it as greenish-white.

74 Brewer's Notes on Jimco Caniceps.

over-cloud the ground-color. In the rest the markings are bolder
and very conspicuous at the larger end, where they are confluent in
a ring."

Of the three sets of the eggs of Junco caniceps, from Mr. Edwin
Carter, in one the eggs are almost entirely white, with a veiy slight
tinge of greenish, and measure .83 of an inch in length, and from
.59 to .61 in breadth. More or less diffused over the whole surface
of the eggs are very minute and quite obscure reddish dots. Around
the larger end in each case are fainter cloudings of purple, clearly
perceptible, if looked for, but liable to escape notice if not carefully
observed. This set, in its general characteristics, is very similar to
the eggs of Junco cinereus above mentioned, and intermediate be-
tween them and those of the Junco dorsalis. In regard to its iden-
tity there seems to be no doubt. Mr. Carter writes me : " Of the
set in your possession I am positive. I took it, June 23, 1873, hav-
ing walked four miles to secure it. On the same day, and in the
same locality, I found another nest, which was secured. Both birds
were startled from their nests and shot, without leaving my sight."

The second set mentioned is now in my possession, and is more
plainly and strongly marked than either of the sets referred to in
the Smithsonian, more so even than that of Junco caniceps. The
eggs, three in number, measure .82 x .GO, .80 x 61, .81 x .60. The
markings are a combination of rusty and purplish brown, often con-
fluent and concentrated in greater blotches about the larger ends,
while also more or less diffused over the whole surface of the eggs.

The third set, now in the Cambridge Museum, was taken by Mr.
Carter's partner, Mr. Wilkinson, in the high mountains bordering
tbe South Park. He flushed the parent from its nest and shot it,
b at unfortunately did not preserve it. For the following description
of this set, I am indebted to Mr. J. A. Allen : '" Cinereous Snow-
bird, South Park, Colorado, July 12, 1876. Nest on ground ; four
eggs.' The above is a full transcript of the collector's label. No
nest was sent. Coll. M. C. Z., No. 1685. Ground-color white, mi-
nutely sprinkled all over with reddish-brown surface-markings, and
deeper ones of a pale lilac. The markings are much more abundant
near the larger end, where they form a rather broad band ; in some
of the specimens the smaller end is merely sprinkled rather thickly
with minute dots, extending over the whole end. The reddish-
brown markings are much the coarser and more prominent, and on
one specimen form quite large blotches. The eggs measure, respec-
tively, .88 X .63, .88 X .62, .90 x .65, .89 x .62."

Murdoch on Migration of Birds. 75

Their large size and the peculiarity of their markings, so different
from those of any Junco that I have ever seen, suggested a suspicion
that they might be the eggs of the Junco aikeni, but this Mr. Car-
ter docs not regard as probable. The nests of the first two present
nothing peculiar in their construction. They are saucer-shaped,
and are merely loose aggregations of grasses and stems of plants,
lined with fine material of a like nature.

Mr. Carter is confident that he has never met with more than
three forms of Junco in Colorado, namely, caniceps, oregonus, and
aikeni ; the latter two he has known since 1859, when he first met
with them in large numbers near Central City, but his observations
have been mainly confined to the higher altitudes. He met with
aikeni in the greatest abundance on the eastern slope of the main
range, at an elevation of eight thousand feet, twelve years before
Mr. Aiken first brought it to the attention of naturalists. The lat-
ter's first specimens were procured in the lower and eastern limit of
their habitat, which will account for his speaking of their scarcity
and their straggling habits. The same winter (1871-72) Mr. Car-
ter, in his camp, a few miles west, and at an altitude greater by
some three thousand feet, met with these individuals every day, in
flocks of from a few individuals to those of a hundred or more.

Mr. Carter is also quite sure that all the adults of this species, of
both sexes, are always found to possess the white wing-bands well
defined, and that it is only the birds of the first year, in immature
plumage, that furnish what has been mistaken for an intermediate
form between this species and the typical Junco hyemalis. Mr.
Carter has never, to his knowledge, met with oregomis or aikeni in
Colorado during the breeding season, but thinks that they all move
farther north to nest.

EFFECTS OF THE WARM WINTER ON THE MIGRATION

OF BIRDS.

BY JOHN MURDOCH.

It is well known that in ordinary winters all our summer resi-
dents and autumnal visitors have taken their departure from the
neighborhood of Boston by the month of December. From the

76 Murdoch on Migration of Birds.

early part of September, when the Warblers and other gay summer
visitors begin to leave us, the fall is a season of successive depart-
ures, until, when the ground is fairly covered with snow, nothing
remains but those birds, like the Chickadee, who pass the whole year
with VIS, and our regular winter-guests from more northern districts,
who find oxxr winters, severe as they are, more genial than the rigors
of Canada and Labrador.

This winter, however, matters have been somewhat different. The
delightful autumn weather persistently continued, until one began
to doubt whether we were to have any winter at all. Up to the
30th of December there had not fallen an inch of snow, and the
ponds and streams were hardly frozen, while in many places the
grass was still green.

Naturally, some of our migratory birds took advantage of the
clemency of the season to avoid starting on their long and tiresome
journey, before they were actually forced to.

On December 29, while walking at a short distance fi'om my
house, in Roxbury, Mass., I was somewhat surprised to see a pair of
Bluebirds (Sialia sicdis) fly up from a fence, near at hand, and alight
upon a tree not far off. There was, of course, no doubt as to their
identity, as a Bluebii-d is not easily mistaken. This bird usually
leaves us by the early part of November. On the same day, in
Sharon, Mass., a friend of Mr. Ruthven Deane actually shot a Blue-
bird out of a small flock.

The Catbird [Mimus carolinensis) generally departs by the mid-
dle of October, but Mr. C. W. Townsend, a member of this Club,
informs me that one of these birds was taken by J. F. Carleton, in
a field at Woods Hole, Mass., on the 28th of last December.

Mr. Townsend also saw as late as the first of January small
flocks of the Yellow-rumped Warbler {Dendroeca coronata), in the
woods, near the shore, at Magnolia, Mass. This bird has been
known to linger as late as the early part of December on Cape
Cod, but never so far north of the Cape.

These instances all point to the probability that many of our
autumn visitors took advantage of the season to prolong their stay
beyond their usual custom.

Recent Literature. 77

Hercnt ititrraturr,

Sharpe's " Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum." —
Three volumes of this importujit work have now appeared. The first, de-
voted to the Diurnal Birds of Prey, was published in 1874 ; the second,
emljracing the Owls, in 1875 ; and the third, treating of several families
of Passerine birds, in 187Y.* These volumes are intended to embrace de-
scriptions of all the known species of the groups treated, and hence form
invaluable hand-books. The descriptions are generally very detailed,
embracing an account of the various stages of plumage through which the
different species pass, and copious bibliographical references are given.
While the labor bestowed upon these volumes is evidently very great,
they are not in all respects what we should like to see them. No generic
diagnoses, for instance, are given beyond what may be gleaned from the
" Keys to the Genera " of each subfamily, and generally no comparative
characters of the species, except those afforded by the "Keys" accom-
panying the genera. The keys themselves, both of the genera and
species, are a great help in determining the species, but do not always
fully serve their intended purpose. The species are generally described
without direct comparison with their near allies, and although the descrip-
tions are sometimes greatly extended, they too often fail to duly emphasize
important or distinctive points. By a judicious grouping of common
characters and contrasted diagnoses, the essential points of difference be-
tween closely allied forms would have been made more prominent, and
the amount of text rather lessened than increased. Our gratitude for
a general work on the birds of the world, containing so many points of
excellence as the present, ought perhaps to soften our criticism, especially
when it is remembered how few have either the courage, the endurance, or
access to the necessary material, for the great task Mr. Sharpe has so ener-
getically undertaken and is so ably carrying out.

The Raptorial Birds are treated as an order (Accipitres), with three sub-
orders, Fakones, Pandiones, and Striges. For the Diurnal Birds of Prey,
the old family divisions of Vulfuridce and FalconidcB are retained, except
that the Fish-Hawks (genera Pandion and Polioaetus) are removed from
the latter to form the wholly untenable "suborder" Pandiones. The

* Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Vol. I. Catalogue of the
Accipitres, or Diurnal Birds of Prey. By E. Bowdler Sharpe. 8vo. pp. xiii.
480, pis. xiv. London, 1874. Vol. II. Cataogue of the Striges, or Nocturnal
Birds of Prey. By the .same. 8vo., pp. xi, 326, pis. xiv. 1875. Vol. III.
Catalogue of the Coliomorpliae, containing the families Corvidse, Paradiseidse,
Oriolidifi, Dicruridse, and Prionopida;. By the same. 8vo, pp. xiii, 344, pis.
xiv. 1877.

7S Bicait Literature.

Owls {Strig^s) are all roforred to the family BuhoniJcr, exfept tlie genera
5^n".r and Phodilus, which alone constitute the fiiniily Strigidit.

Mr. Shsirpe gives the nuuibex of species of the Diurnal Birds of Prey as
thive hundivd and seventy-seven, of which twenty-there are i-egjirvled as
doubtful. Of the remainder three hundred and tweuty-tive are repre-
sented in the collection of the British Museum, the tot;U number of
specimens fjUling little short of twenty-five hundred.

Respecting the North American species, it may be noted that our com-
mon Rough-legged Hawk is considered as specifically distinct from the
European, the two bearing the ntunes rt?speotiveJy of Archibutfo sanctijo-
hanuis and A. lagopus. The Grolden Ej^gles (Aquila chn/saetus), the Pei^e-
grine Falcons {Falco communis), and the Fish-Hawks {Paudion haliaetus),
on the other hand, are regivrvled as identical. The generic term Carhneis
(Boie, 1S26) is adoptevi for the Spai-row- Hawks, of which several of Mr.
Ridgwt\y"s vtirieties are raised to the rank of species.

Of the Owls, alwut one hundi-ed and ninety species are recognized, of
which ten ai-e regaixleii as doubtful. They are representeil in the British
Museum by about eleven huudre^l specimens. The Snowy Owl {Xyctea
sciindiaca) of Nonh AmericiV, contrary to the opinion of some AmericiUi
writers, is held to be identical witli that of Europe, the two being con-
sidered as not separable even as races, Mr. Sharpe being unable to appre-
ciate any diflferences of color, but admitting a slight ditfei-ence in the amount
of feathering of the toes. The Long-eai-eii Owls (for which the generic
mune -4sk\ Brisson, 1766, is adopted) of America and Emvpe he admits
as subspecies of a circumpolar " Asio otus." The nearly cosmopolite
Short-eared Owl (called " Asio accipitrimts ") he divides into several races
or sul^species, of which the American (its habitat including both North
and South America) forms "/3. Asio cassiui.'^ Richanison's Owl is re-
garvled as identical with the European Tengmalm's Owl {Xuctali imitmal-
mi). Of the Barn-Owls (SfriJ- Jiammfa), while i"ecognizing a number of
'' striking foi'ms," he says : " My conclusion with reganl to the Rirn Owls
is, that there is one dominant type which prevails generally over the con-
tinents of the Old and New Worlds, being darker or lighter according
to different localities, but possessing no distinctive specific characters.
Insuhvr birvls vary, but cannot l>e specifically distinguished, as they can
always be appn">aclied by continental specimens in a large series."

In the thiivl volume Mr. Sharpe enters upon the great series of Passerine
Binis, of which he here treats the fjimilies Corvidce^ Paradis<:id(e, Oriolidcr,
Dicruridar, and Prionopidir, which he unites to form the group Coliomor-
phcr, equal to the Coliomorphir of Sundevall, with some genera addeti and
others excluded. The sjiecies here descril>etl by Mr. Sh;vri>e number thr^e
huudred and sixty-seven, jUI but aKnit fifty of which are repivsenteil in
the British Museum, the number of sivcimens being a little over two
thousand. Of these four families the Corn"<f<r, or Cwws and Jays, ai«
alone represented in America, the others being mdnly African, Indian, and

Recent Literature. 79

Australian. In respect to North American fipecies, the Raven (Corvvs
corax) is not separated even varietally from the Raven of the Old World,
Mr. Sharpe statinfj that the characters given by authors for tlieir separation
do not hohl good in his series of specimens. In respect to changes of
nomenclature among North American species, it may be noted that the old
genus Corvus is here much subdivided, so that our Fish-Crow stands as
C'olceus ossijrafjus, and the Common Crow as Corone americanus ; NurAfratja
(Brisson, 1760) appears in place of IHcicorvus for the Clarke's Crow, and
Cyanurus is regarded as a synonyme of Cijanocorax, our Blue-Jay (C'.cris-
tatus) being referred to the genus Cyanocitta. Nearly all of the numerous
fonns of Western Jays (genera Perisoreus, Cyanocitta, and Aphelocoma),
recognized as varieties by American ornithologists, are raised by Mr.
Sharpe to the rank of species, two of which (Perisc'reus capitalis and P.
obscurus) are figured. In this volume, in fact, very few "subspecies" are
recognized.

We are sorry to see in Mr. Sharpe's third volume several instances of
the use of the same name in a generic and specific sense for the same
species, with such ridiculous results as " Pica pica," " Pyrrhocorax pyrrho-
corax," etc., which is not only opposed to gofxl taste, to say the least, but
to a very generally accepted rule of nomenclature. Also that the value of
his very full bililiographical references is inipaired by his not adding the
date of publication. This was very unifonnly done in the first volume,
and to some extent in the second, and we sincerely hope he will see fit to
resume the practice in his later volumes. — J. A. A.

Rowley's "The Pied Duck." — Mr. G. D. Rowley's monographic
essay on the Labrador or Pied Duck (Somateria lahradoria) * is a timely and
exhaustive contribution to the history of a species believed to be rapidly
approaching extinction. Nearly all that relates to its literary history is
here bnjught together, the paper consisting largely of excerj)ts gathered
from the writing? of ail authors who have referred to the species. While
apparently of rather frequent occurrence along our Atlantic coast, as far
south at least as Long Island, New Jersey, and Delaware, fifty to thirty
years ago, it has of late been rarely observed and few specimens appear to
have been taken since 18G8. Its last-recorded capture, as appears from a
letter from Mr. George N. Lawrence, published in Mr. Rowley's paper,
seems to have occurred " in the fall of 1874," when a specimen was ob-
tained by Mr. J. Wallace, from Long Island, from which source the same
gentleman had obtained four or five others during the previous five years.
All were females or immature males, and only one adult male is known to
have been taken in the last twenty years.

• Somateria labradoria (J. F. Gmelin). The Pied Duck. By G. D. Eowley,
M. A., F. L. S., F. Z. S., etc., etc. Ornithological Miscellany, Vol. II, Part
VI, pp. 205-223, with 5 plates, 1877. London, Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly, W.;
Triibner k Co., Ludgate Hill, E. C; Pi. H. Porter, 6 Teuterden St., Hanover
Square, W.

80 Recent Literature.

Mr. Rowley here gives not only the literary history of the species, but
discusses its relationship to the Eiders. Although following Mr. A. New-
ton in placing it in the genus Somateria, he does it with some degree of
reservation. His paper is enriched with five plates, in which are figured
the sterna of all the ILiders {Somateria stelleri, S. spectahilis, and S. mollis-
sima), with that of the present species, and the bill and feet of this sjiecies
and of the common Eider. A beautifully colored plate is also devoted to
the illustration of the adult male, female, and young male. He has,
liowever, to lament his ignorance of the nest and eggs, of the nestling
plumage of both sexes, as well as of some of the subsequent immature
stages, and calls the attention of American ornithologists to the impor-
tance of securing a scientific examination of the body of any specimen
which the future may afford, notes of the color of the soft parts, and the
preservation of the skeleton.

The paper also contains extracts from letters from Professors S. F.
Baird and the late James Orton, and Messrs. D. G. Elliot and George N.
Lawrence, concerning the recent occurrence of this bird along the Atlantic
coast of North America, and closes with a list of all the specimens known
to the author to be extant. These number only thirty-three, of which
about twenty are preserved in different collections in the United States,
and the remainder in European museums. About one half are adult
males, and most of the remainder adult females. The localities, so far as
known, are Long Island, New York, thirteen specimens ; Calais, Me.,
two ; Halifax Harbor, one ; " Labrador," one, and one is recorded from
Delhi, Michigan ; eighteen in all, leaving fifteen from unknown localities.
— J. A. A.

Streets's Notes on the Birds of Lower California and the
Hawaiian and Fanning Islands. — Dr. Thomes H. Streets's report of
his Natural History explorations made in connection with the United
States North Pacific Surveying Expedition of 1873-75* includes notes
on about fifty species of birds, of which rather more than one half were
collected on the coast of Lower California and adjoining portions of the
Mexican coast. The author acknowledges his indebtedness to Dr. Elliott
Coues, U. S. A., for the identification of the birds, and adds that he has
*' kindly furnished the notes accompanying that portion of the ornithological
collection from the Californian Peninsula." The collection contains two
specimens of Mr. Lawrence's rare Passerculus guttatus (known previously,
from a single specimen from San Jose del Cabo), which, though formerly
regarded as a variety of the P. rostratus, is here provisionally accepted as

* Contributions to the Natural History of the Hawaiian and Fanning Islands
and Lower California, made in connection with the United States North Pacific
Sui-veying Expedition, 1873-75. By Thos. H. Streets, M. D., passed Assistant
Sui'geon, U. S. Navy. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 7,
p. 172 (Birds, pp. 9-33), Washington, 1877.

Recent Literature. 81

a good species. It also embraces specimens of the rare Kuhl's Parrot
{Coriphilus kuhli) of the Fanning Islands, the precise habitat of which is
now for the first time determined, and three new species, one of which,
Puffinus (Nedris) nativitatis, from Christmas Island, is here for the first
time described. The others are a Gallimile {Gallinula sandvicensis, Streets,
Ibis, 1877, p. 25) from the Hawaiian Islands, and a Duck (Chaulelasmits
couesi, Streets, Bull. Nut. Orn. Club, Vol. I, 1876, p. 46) from Washing-
ton Island. The breeding habits and eggs of Graver's Auk {Brachyrham-
phus craveri) are also described, and there are many valuable biographical
and other notes on several hitherto little known species. — J. A. A.

Bexdire's Notes on the Birds of Southeastern Oregon. — In a
list embrac'.ng one hundred and ninety-one species and varieties, Captain
Bendire * gives the results of field observations made in the vicinity of
Camp Harnej'^, Oregon, covering a considerable period. Aside from some
former notes by the same author,t which treated more especially of the
winter birds of this locality, we have here our first detailed information
respecting the ornithology of the immediate region under consideration.
Camp Harney, the central point, is situated on the southern slope of one of
the western spurs of the Blue Mountains, and has an altitude of about
four thousand eight hundred feet. The country to the northward is moun-
tainous, and well forested with pine, spruces, and fir, intermixed with
groves of aspen and juniper ; in all other directions it is open, consisting
of desert wastes of sagebrush and greasewood, with here and there more
fertile tracts covered with nutritious grasses. As would be naturally ex-
pected, fully one half of the species are emphatically Western, or are
represented by Western varieties. The fauna is distinctly, however, that
of the Middle Province, although a few forms usually considered as con-
fined to the Pacific slope are here represented. The list is enriched with
copious biographical notes, including descriptions of the breeding-habits,
nests, and eggs of a large number of the less well-known species, and
forms a most important contribution to the ornithology of the West. —
J. A. A.

Kidgwat's Report on the Ornithology of the Fortieth Par-
allel. — This long-delayed work :J: has by no means lost its importance

* Notes on some of the Birds found in Southeastern Oregon, particularly in
the Vicinity of Camp Harney, from November, 1874, to January, 1877. By
Captain Charles Bendire, U. S. Army. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol.
XIX, pp. 109-149, Nov. 1877.

t Notes on Seventy-nine Species of Birds observed in the Neighborhood of
Camp Harney, Oregon, comjiiled [by Dr. T. M. Brewer] from the Correspond-
ence of Captain Charles Bendire, 1st Cavalry U. S. A. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat.
Hist., Vol. XVIII, pp. 153-168, Nov. 1875.

t Report of Geological Explorations of the Fortieth Parallel. Clarence King,

vol. III. 6

82 Recent Literature.

through its late appearance, due to circumstances wholly heyond the con-
trol of its author. Based on field-work extending from about June 1,
1867, to the middle of August, 1869, and restricted to a comparatively
limited field, not previously to any great extent explored, we have just
what all the circumstances of the case would seem to warrant one in ex-
pecting, a thorough and exhaustive account of the ornithology of an in-
teresting belt of country. The observations were mainly limited to that
portion of the Great Basin included between the thirty-ninth and forty-
second parallels, and extending from the Sierra Nevadas to the Wahsatch
Mountains. First is given an account of the route of the survey, with a
list of the camps. Then follows a short account of the physical features
of the region, with a discussion of its " local avifaunae," especial reference
being had to the station of the diff'erent species represented. The term
" avifauna " is hence here used in a rather unusual sense, reierring rather
to the habits of the species than to geographical areas. Thus we have
(I) an " Arboreal Avifauna," subdivided into five categories of species, in
relation to whether they frequent (1) the upper coniferous forests, (2) the
cedar or nut-pine groves, (3) the aspen groves or copses, (4) the caiion
shrubbery, and (5) the wooded river-valleys ; (II) a " Terrestrial Avi-
fauna," consisting pf (1) birds of the sagebrush, (2) birds of the mountain
meadows or peaks, and (3) birds of the lowland meadows ; (III) a " Mural
Avifauna," embracing (1) species strictly saxicoline, (2) species saxicoline
only in nesting habits, and (3) species nesting in earth-banks ; and, (IV)
an " Aquatic Avifauna," consisting of aquatic species. These divisions are
of course serviceable in indicating the station and habits of the different
species, but do not, of course, strictly characterize faunal areas, in their
usual geographical signification. " Descriptions of the localities where
collections or observations were made," numbering forty-three, then fol-
low, including lists of the species observed at each of these, where much
time was spent. " General remarks on the Avifauna of the Great Basin,"
with an analysis of the species in reference to their geographical range,
conclude the introductory portion of the Eeport, which forms, altogether,
nearly ninety pages of exceedingly interesting matter. The " Report

Geologist in charge. Vol. IV, Part III, Ornithology. By Robert Ridgway.
4to. pp. 303-670. 1877.

[As an important bibliological matter to be remembered, it should be stated
that current literature for a few years has contained repeated anticipatory cita-
tions of such a work as being then "in press," — these citations sometimes in-
volving (juestions of precedence ; but the work, which was stereotyped in 1870,
was entirely remodelled, and never apj)eared in its original form. The stereotype
plates were melted in 1876, and no perfect copy of the original report exists
though a single mutilated set of proofs is, or was, in possession of Dr. Cones,
The matter was reset in 1876 or 1877, and the entire remodelling of the subject
renders previous citations of the original suppressed report frequently inapplica-
ble. — E. C]

Recent Literature. 83

Proper " consists ol a general list of the species, with limited biblio-
graphical refeiences, and copious biographical and other notes, including
lists ol" the specimens obtained, their measurements, color of bill, feet,
iris, etc., as recorded from the fresh specimen before skinning, with a record
of nests and the number of eggs found in each. Many of the biographical
notices are quite extended, and add greatly to our knowledge of the species
to whicli they pertain. The Report, as a whole, is quite free from strictly
technical matter, and hence attractive to general readers and amateurs, as
well as of great value to specialists. Space forbids particular reference to
even tlie more noteworthy portions of this part of the Report, but we can
scarcely omit calling attention to the account of the Western Kingbird
(Tyranntis verticalis), in which is detailed the wonderful intelligence and
aflFection of several young birds of this species reared as camp pets, and
which became thoroughly domesticated.

Although many of the ol)servations and results of Mr. Ridgway's field-
work with the Survey of the Fortieth Parallel are not now for the first
time placed before the public, the Report seems to have lost little of its
freshness. Although originally prepared, and even stereotyped, as early
as 1870, it has been so recast that in point of nomenclature it represents
the authoi"'s later views. — J. A. A.

Recent Lists of the Birds of Central New York. — In "A
Directory of the Ornithologists of the United States," published at Utica,
N. Y., 1877, by S. L. Willard, Esq., sixteen pages are devoted to " A List
of the Birds of Central New York." The author's remarks in the way of
a prelude are thus briefly expressed : " The following is a complete list of
the birds of Central New York, with notes on their abundance." This
might lead one to expect a valuable contribution to our science, but a
perusal of the "iiist " proves this supposition to be erroneous. Two hun-
dred and sixty-seven species are enumerated, and among them are mentioned
Lophophanes hicolor, Polioptila ccerulea, Protonotaria citrcea (" occasional in
Central districts ; rare in Northern districts "), Helminthopliaga celata,
" Seiuriis ludoviciamis," Oporornis agilis, Stelgidopteryx serripennis, Vireo
philadelphicus, Ammodromus cmulacutus, Melospiza lincolni, Chondestes
grammaca, Guiraca cferulea, Cardinalis virginianus (" summer resident "),
Quiscalus major, Corvus " caj^ivorws" (" resident"), Empidonax acadicus,
Campephilus principalis, Strix pratincola, Cathartes aura, Meleagris gallo-
pavo var. americana, Tetrao canadensis (" resident in Northern districts "),
Cupidonia cujndo, Lagopus alhus, jEgialitis wilsonius, Micropalama himan-
topus, Ardea egretta, A. candidissima, A. ccerulea, Fuligula collaris, His-
trionicus torquatus, Ehynchops nigra ("occasional winter resident"), and
many others of equal interest. But the author gives no data whatever
concerning the dates and localities at w-hich the specimens were procured ;
nor does he, in a single instance, mention an authority in connection with
the occurrence of a species, thus holding himself responsible for all state-

84 Recent Literature.

ments made, a much graver responsibility than our young friend imagined
when he undertook the task. Being somewhat familiar with the region
to Avhich this list pertains, I was requested to review it for the Bulletin,
which circumstance led me to make inquiries of its author concerning
about seventy of the species therein mentioned. Of this number he had
the candor to admit that about thirty were included upon no grounds
whatever, while some twenty more were taken from Dekay (and some of
these were not known by DeKay, according to his own statements, to
occur at all in New York State, and nearly all the others were known to
him only from the vicinity of the coast, — far beyond the limits of " Cen-
tral New York "). Quite a number of others rest on the strength of state-
ments made by wholly unreliable boys, who thoxight they had " seen " the
bird in question ! On the other hand, some few species were inserted on
the authority of perfectly reliable collectors (Komeyn B. Hough of Low-
ville, and Fred. J. Davis of Utica) ; but since the author did not see fit to
mention authorities, it is impossible to discriminate between truth and
error, and he must be held responsible for the whole. Above are the facts;
I refrain from comment. It is due the author, however, to state that the
" List " was prepared in great haste while the " Directory " (in which it ap-
pears) was passing through the press. He is noAV but " too well aware of
its imperfections," and when next he favors us with a contribution it will,
no doubt, be worthy of a far different criticism from that which it has
been my duty to give in this instance.

A word about local lists in general : There is, I fear, among our
younger and less experienced collectors a strong and lamentably conta-
gious tendency to rush into print before having become sufficiently famil-
iar with the habits, distribution, and relative abundance of our birds, to
be capable of preparing a creditable paper. Thus it is that very truthful
and well-meaning people are sometimes led to display their ignorance in a
most unnecessary and unfortunate manner. And it sometimes happens
that less conscientious observers, who have not yet learned the impor-
tance of substantiating their own statements, or failing to recognize the
value of exact data, so far forget themselves as to yield to the temptation
of swelling their lists by the addition of species concerning which they
know absolutely nothing. Mistakes are always liable to occur in human
productions, and are to be expected — yes, may even be looked for, per-
haps, with no inconsiderable degree of confidence — in works pertaining to
this particular line of research ; therefore, when found, they should be
corrected in a spirit of scientific charity and lenient good-will. But when
a man sits down, and in cold blood writes a list of birds on the authority
of his own fertile imagination, he must expect to take the consequences.
"Bad lists," writes Mr. J. A. Allen, " are, of course, far worse than none at
all, and if incompetent aspirants to fame in this direction will make such
ventures, it is best, I think, not only for science, but for them personally
to show them that such things are not to be done with impunity."

Recont Literature. 85

The Rathbuu-Fowler list of the Birds of Central New York has already
been noticed in this journal (Vol. Ill, pp. 34, 35). Its title is " Complete
List of the Birds of Ca3'uga, Seneca, and Wayne Counties." Like Wil-
lard's list, it assumes too much. Ornithologists of larger experience are
more modest, and seldom employ the term " complete " in connection
with tlieir own works. The paper in question, however, was evidently
prepared with some caution, and when carefully revised (in which task its
author is now engaged) will certainly constitute a valuable contribution to
the Ornithology of the State.

In the "Auburn Daily Advertiser" of September 3, 1877, under the
heading " Ornithological," T. J. Wilson, M. D., remarks : " I would
make the following annotations to Mr. Frank R. Rathbun's ' List ' from
my oion observ^ations." He then goes on to mention sixteen sjiecies ; and
among other equally instructive sentences, occur these : " Tardus muste-
linus. Fotmd breeding in great numbers on Howland's Island." " Parus
atricapillus. Found breeding along the river in numbers, in June
'76." " Gcothbjpis trichas. Breeds commonly on Howland's Island, but
leaves for the South in July." " Collurio borealis. A not uncommon
winter visitor. I have one now taken by my brother in '76." Unfortu-
nately the author does not deem it necessary to mention, dii'ectly, to what
portion of the State his list pertains (though " Central New York " is evi-
dently implied), but if " Howland's Island " and " the river" fall within
the limits of the United States, the above information is certainly of great
value ! He also states that " Rallus crepitans " was taken on Seneca River
in August, '75, but, if not too presumptuous, I would beg leave to suggest
that the bird may prove to be R. elecjans. The finding of a nest (two eggs)
of the Black Rail {Porzana jamaicensis) " in the reeds below Cayuga, May
30, '75," is likewise mentioned, and, if correct, is reallj"^ a valuable note.

By far the best of these recent lists which I have seen, is that of " The
Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N. Y.," by Theo-
dore Roosevelt, Jr., and H. D. Minot. Though not redundant with infor-
mation, and mentioning but ninety-seven species, it bears prima facie
evidence of reliability, — which seems to be a great desideratum in bird-
lists nowadays. Based on the sound principle of exclusion, it contains
only those species which the authors have themselves observed there, and
consequently furnishes that which was most needed, i. e. exact and thor-
oughly reliable information concerning the most characteristic birds of the
limited region (Franklin County) of which they treat.

For the benefit of those who have not had experience in this matter,
and who may be contemplating publication, I would suggest the observ-
ance of four simple general rules, which, if adhered to, will place the
authors of future " Local Lists" beyond unpleasant 'criticism, and save
much ill-feeling.

1. Never mention a species unless you have positive proof that it has
actually been killed in the region under consideration.

86 Recent Literature.

2. Never mention the less common species, without stating date and lo-
cality of capture, and name of" collector.

3. Always give the authority for all statements which you are not per-
sonally responsible for.

4. Never trust to the identification (much less mere opinion) of an inex-
perienced collector, but make it a rule to see for yourself, and fully iden-
tify each species. If the slightest doubt remains concerning the identity
of a bird, it is far better to send it at once to some acknowledged authority
than run the risk of error. — C. H. M.

Barrows's "Catalogue of the AlcidvE." — Of the twenty -one species
of Alcidce recognized by Mr. Barrows,* nine appear to be unrepresented in
the Society's collection ; of the remaining twelve short original descriptions
are given, sufficiently detailed for the easy recognition of the species. Mr.
Barrows does not think the family can be subdivided into groups of a
higher than generic value. The true affinities of the species he believes
can only be determined by a thorough study of their embryological devel-
opment. The character of this paper indicates that in Mr. Barrows we
have a valuable accession to our corps of ornithological students. — J. A. A.

Feilden's " List of Birds observed in Smith Sound," etct — In
this list Captain Feilden, R. A., enumerates twenty-four species observed
by the recent British Arctic Expedition " in Smith Sound and northward,
between the seventy-eighth and eighty-third degrees of north latitude,"
all of which are well-known Ai'ctic forms. The laud birds are Falco can-
dicans, Nyctea scandiaca, Phctroplianes nivalis, Corvus corax, and Lagopus
rupestris. The waders embrace Strepsilas interpres, u:^gialitis hiaticula,
Calidris arenaria, Phalaropus fulicaria, and Tringa canuta. The swim-
ming birds include Sterna macrura, Pagophila ehurnea, Rissa tridactyla,
Larus glancus, Stercorarius longicaudatus, Procellaria glacialis, Uria grylle,
Mergidus alle, Alca bruennichi, Golymhus {septentrionalis ?), Harelda glacia-
lis, Somateria mollissima, S. spectabilis, and Bernicla brenta. Most of
them were repeatedly met with at different localities, some of them in
considerable numbers, and many were observed breeding. The quite de-
tailed notes respecting the sjiecies of this list render it a paper of unusual
interest. — J. A. A.

* Catalogue of the Alcidae contained in Museum of the Boston Society ot
Natural History, with a review and proposed classification of the Family. By
W. B. Barrows. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. XIX, pp. 150-165, No-
vember, 1877.

t List of Birds observed in Smith Sound, and in the Polar Basin during the
Arctic Expedition of 1875-76. By H. W. Feilden. Ibis, Fourth Series, Vol.
I, pp. 401 - 412, October, 1877.

Recent Literature. 87

On the Moult of the Bill and Palpebral Ornaments in Fra-
TERCULA arctica.* — The remarkable changes which the bill and eyelids
of the Common Puflin undergo after the breeding season have been
hitherto unknown. The author's exposition of the matter reveals a
phenomenon as yet unparalleli'd among birds. Temminck acknowl-
edged (Man. Om. 2d ed. ii, 932) his inability to describe the various con-
ditions of this common bird, and the efforts of subsequent naturalists to
supply the required information have been unavailing. The Puffin is a
bird which must ))e studied alive. Discovering that two islands off Brit-
tany, one in the Channel and the other at sea, harbored hundreds of these
birds during the breeding season, the author found the material for his
investigations.

In the spring, when the birds come to breed on these islands, they are
all alike in plumage and ornamentation : the cheeks are grayish-white ;
the bill is high and thick opposite the nostrils ; there is a boss or bead
(ourlet, a " hem ") along the base of the upper mandible ; the gonys is

* De la Mue du Bee et des Ornaments Palpebraux du Macareux arctique,
Fratercula arctica (Lin.) Staph, apres la saisou des amours. Par le Docteur
Louis Bureau. Extrait du Bulletin de la Societe zoologique de France, 1877.
8vo. Paris, 1878. pp. 1- 21, pll. IV, V.

The translator presents tliis remarkable 'and most important paper nearly en-
tire, though with the utmost condensation in language, to bring it within
limits. As reviewer, he need only witness the care and fidelity with which Dr.
Bm-eau's investigations were evidently conducted, and the clearness with which
the novel results are brought out. The paper is illustrated with several figures
on two plates, one of th°m colored and fuinished with movable pieces gummed
on, on raising which both the process of the moult and its results are seen at a
glance. How much we learn — how little we know ! Here is a bird that
sheds part of its bill, and we only just now find it out, though the bird has
been "known" forages. The author's happy experience should provoke new
inquiry into the various curious North Pacific species, some of which may yield
up similar secrets. " Sagmatorrhina lathavii," the " Saddle-billed Auk " was
made a new genus of, thougli now known to be nothing more or less than Ltcnda
cirrlmta. The remarkable case of Ceraforhina " suckhyi," — C. nonoccrata,
now seems less singular, though we do not yet know the details ; perhaps the
"horn " may be moulted. Plychorhamphus aleuticus has a wrinkled membrane
at base of the bill, which may be something different at other times. Simo-
rhynchus cristctallus, as known to us in full dress, has a curioiis horny formation
at the angle of the mouth, wanting in the so-called .S". "diibius " and S. ^'tetra-
cuhcs." Simorhynchus microceros has a curious knob or caruncle on the base of
the culmen, not seen in the so-called S. ^'pusilhcs." M. Bureau's discovery
puts the family in an entirely new light. Besides its special application, it has,
what the author might have signalized, an interesting bearing on the homology
of feathers with other epidermal productions ; we maj'^ now speak of the
"moulting" of the horny covering of the beak, as well as of the feathers. —
Tkaxslator.

88 Recent Literature.

regularly convex ; the eyelids are vermilion red, and furnished with two
horny plates, and there is a large yellow rosette at the angle of the mouth.
The young are reared by the middle of July, and by tlie end of this
month, or early in August, the birds go to sea ; after which not one is to *
be seen on the rocks so lately full of life. Autumn advances ; the Puf-
fins are scattered over the waters, and a blank in their history ensues.
But soon the wintry winds grow violent, and after some storm, hundreds
of Puffins are washed ashore, dead or dying of inanition. These victims
are mainly young birds ; but adults share the same fate if the storm
occurs during the moult, when the loss of the quills reduces the wings to
mere stumps. Three times in the winter of 1873, after storms, M. Mar-
mottan found thousands of dead Puffins rolling in the sand. Willugliby
and Baillou have recorded similar observations. The Puffins which are
thus washed on the French coast in winter are emaciated to the last
degree, and are different in plumage from those we kill in the breeding
season. The orbital region is more or less blackish ; there is no red ring
round the eyes, nor horny plates on the lids, nor rosette at the angle of
the mouth. Still more curiously the hill itself is differently formed ; it has
neither the same size nor shape nor color ; the horny covering even is
not the same. The bill is small, without any boss at the base, and fur-
nished opposite the nostrils with a soft grayish skin instead of a solid and
bluish horny plate. Authors considered such Puffins as the young, until
M. Vian, recognizing adults among them, described them as a new spe-
cies, Mormon grabce (Bull, de la Soc. Zool. de France, l"'^ annee, 1876,
p. 4). Neither one nor the other of these conclusions is admissible. The
first supposition, of immaturity, falls before the facts the author presents ;
in view of which, Vian himself has abandoned his position.

The author devotes a couple of pages to the steps of the investigation by
which he was led to discover the metamorphosis he had already suspected,
being at length rewarded with actual witness of the transformation. He
continues : The covering of the bill of these birds, which in spring forms
a solid homogeneous horny sheath, loosened and fell a^Mvt like the pieces of
a coat of mail; the rosette at the angle of the movith shrivelled and grew
pale ; the horny plates about the eye had fallen in some specimens and
were loosened in others ; the red feet became yellow ; and finally the
change of plumage began in some specimens. In a word, the adult Lar-
ventauscher * grew under his eyes into what some have considered as the
young of Mormon arctica, and into what has been called M. grabce.

* Brehm (Handb. der Naturg. Vog. Deutschl.) once calls the Puffin Larven-
tatischer, elsewhere invariably writing Xrtrrcjitoi<c7tc?\ If the first ortliogiaphy
is correct, we may conclude that the moult of the bill was known to the fisher-
men of the Baltic long before M. Bureau discovered it. For der Larventausdier
is, in effect, der Kegel der seine Larve tauscht, I'oiseau qui change son masque,
the bird that unmasks. As to der Larvcntanch-er, it properly signifies der Tail,-

Recent Literature. 89

To get an idea of these remarkable changes (which the author illustratet;
as already described) it is first necessary to understand the composition of
the bill in tlie adult in spring and in Avinter. Fraterctda arctica, adult, in
spring has the bill high at the base, with the under outline regularly
curved from base to tip. The bill is divided into two very distinct parts :
one posterior, which is moulted ; the other anterior, and persistent.

1. The hind part is made up of a set of nine sutured horny pieces which
come apart and fall off after the breeding season. Those of the upper man-
dible are : (1) the horny basal boss, 2) the nasal buckler, (3, 4) the two
(one on each side) subnasal lamella), (5, 6) the two (one on each side)
transparent lamellse, which cover the hind part of the first ridge ; and of
the under mandible, (7, 8) the two (one on each side) horny selvages
(corresponding to the boss on the upper mandible), and (9) the mental
buckler.

2. The fore part, which is persistent, shows three ridges and three
grooves, designated, from base to tip, as the first or great ridge, the sec-
ond or middle ridge, the third or lesser ridge ; the first or great groove,
the second or middle groove, the third or lesser groove ; the bill ending
with a smooth space, forming A triangle with curvilinear base, and termed
the point of the bill.

At the angle of the mouth a thickened skin, folded and scalloped, forms
a large orange-yellow rosette. The ornaments of the eyelids consist of a
thick vermilion-red edge, and two dark gray horny appendages, the upper
one triangular, the lower elongate.

Let us now see what the appearance is in winter, or after the breeding
season. The aspect is entirely difi'erent. The bill is smaller, as if cut
away at the forehead, especially the under mandible, the oiitline of which
is broken instead of forming a regular curve. We still find the two well-
distinguished parts already indicated in the breeding adult ; the fore
part is intact, but the hind part is strangely modified by loss of the nine
horny pieces. It has lost its thickness and its firm texture ; it is covered
with a thick skin, which presents on the upper mandible (1) the membra-
nous boss ; (2) the nasal membrane ; and on the lower mandible (3) the
membranous selvage, and (4) the mental matrix. The commissural msette
is reduced to a narrow pale yellow band. The eyelids are uncolored, and
have lost the horny appendages.

cher mit einer Larve versehen, le Plongeon a masque, the inaslccd Diver, — a
very suitable name, though any German reader will perceive that its comjjosi-
tion is not very happy. It is therefore not impossible that the true vernacular
name was the first ; though ornithologists, not understanding the allusion to
the change of the "mask," would see in the ^w&l-tauscher nothing but the Ger-
man name of Diver, Taucher. If der Larventauscher, Changeur de masque,
Unmaskcr, is the real name of Fratercula arctica, it might be well restored, as
none could possibly be more appropriate or expressive.

90 Recent Literature.

Understanding then the conformation of the bill, both in the breeding
season and in the winter, it remains to show how the change is effected.
The bird acquires its full breeding array in three ways : (1) by hypertro-
phy, (2) by horny growths, (3) by coloration ; and, conversel}^ loses it in
three ways, (1) by atrophy, (2) by loss of the horny growths, (3) by de-
coloration.

The transformations of the bill relate exclusively, as already said, to the
hinder part. A. Upper Mandible : 1. The horny boss is that forked
piece which surrounds the base of the upper mandible. It is perforated
with many little holes in regular oblique series, through which rudimen-
tary perforating feathers pass out. In May, at the height of the breeding
season, it is transUicent, of a sort of flesh-color difficult to describe, more
or less tinged with yellow or violet, rather variable in shade in different
specimens. In falling off it loses this coloration, and becomes horn-yel-
low, like any claw about to be shed. It generally comes off whole, but
miay break apart at the top, or towards the middle of either of its forks.
Its fall leaves exposed the viembranous boss, in which the perforating
feathers are implanted, and which, the following season, reproduces a new
horny boss. 2. The nasal buckler, situated in front of the horny boss, is
forked like the last, and saddled on the upper mandible, having two broad
triangular sides united. It falls off in three pieces, — one large and two
small. The two little pieces (one on each side) called the subnasal lamel-
Ice are always detached first ; the large saddle-shaped piece follows ; but it
is so fragile that it is generally broken near the top before it finally falls
off. The author, however, succeeded in securing one nasal buckler intact,
this " pre'cieuse piece corne'e" coming from a wounded Puffin held by the
wings, who clawed it off in trjdng to defend himself. The nasal buckler
has the effect of causing a hard horny protuberance of the nasal region,
and thus thickening the base of the bill. Its loss uncovers the nasal mem-
brane, which in winter shrinks away from the forehead, and the following
spring produces a new buckler. 3. The pre-nasal fissure establishes the
sejjaration between the nasal buckler and the first or great ridge ; in win-
ter it is wanting, being replaced by the corresponding temporary groove.

4. The transparent lamella is a horny pellicle of a beautiful orange-color,
which covers the hinder part of the first or great ridge, and is so closely
blended therewith as to be only distinguished in spring by its coloration.
This lamella grows transparent when about to fall, and is detached by ex-
foliation, exposing the first or great ridge, which is entirely red in winter.

5. Ridges and groor>es. These are subject to no other changes than those
resulting from simple destjuamation and partial decoloration. B. Lower
Mandible. Its transformations are still more curious and note-
worthy'. 1. The horny selvage is of the brightest orange in the breeding
season. Its fall exposes the memhranous selvage, which, yellow at first,
soon loses its coloration. 2. The mental biicJcler represents both the nasal
buckler and the transparent lamella. It comes ofi' whole, its two sides joined

Recent Literature. 91

below. The fall of this large piece exposes the mental matrix, and a mem-
branous triangular space, susceptible of being retracted or drawn in.
This is the Triangle of atrophy (le Triangle atrophiqiie) to which special
attention should be paid.

The strangest change is certainly that produced in the dejoth and shape
of the lower mandible. In the adult, in siiring, the base of the lower
mandible is produced (downward and backward), and the outline of the
gonys is a regular curve. In winter the base is narrowed or constricted,
and the lower border forms two straight lines meeting at an angle. It
looks as if the lower corner of the bill had been chopped off; and the w.iy
this comes about is as follows : Loss of the mental buckler exposes the
yellowish membranous " triangle of atrophy," which gradually shrinks,
and is withdrawn, into the fossa formed by the slight divergence of the
forks of lower jaw (i. e. into the interramal space). In some speci-
mens the process of retraction is not accomplished at once ; for after the
loss of the mental buckler, the atrophic triangle is often covered with a
delicate horny pellicle which exfoliates and soon falls. This disappearing
triangle can only be studied on the living subject ; and ornithologists
should be on their guard lest they fall into error in examining speci-
mens in course of transformation, either after complete drying or before
the secondary and final exfoliation just mentioned. In default of exami-
nation of the living subject a good idea may be gained by getting a speci-
men in full breeding array, with a bill so thin as to be translucent at this
part. In a very favorable specimen in the author's possession examined
by transmitted light, the bony part of the jaw formed the shadow, the
atrophic space the penumbra, while the horny tip was translucent. It is
supposed that such specimens might easily be secured in April or early
May, before the horny pieces are fully developed. Another good way,
open to any one, is to remove the horny sheath of the mandible by pro-
longed maceration ; when the atrophic part, thus uncovered and softened,
is seen in its normal condition. The horny sheath of either mandible
will come off whole by maceration, — the separation of the several pieces
of which it is composed being a vital process onlj^ accomplished at the
time of the moult.

The commissural rosette, in spring a thick naked rugous skin of a
beautiful orange-color, afterwards wastes away and turns pale. The
transformations of the parts about the eye seem very simple after what
has gone before. The red border of the lids shrinks and loses color. The
horny protuberances fall off, leaving a naked skin which rapidly shrinks
and disappears.

The author concludes this remarkable paper with some pertinent and
suggestive observations on other species of Fratercula, and on Lunda cir-
rhata. — Elliott Coues, Washington, March 15, 1878.

92 General Notes.

General f!crte^»

Habits of the Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon). — The following observa-
tions are communicated by Mrs. Mary Treat, Green Cove Spring, Florida :
" A Kingfisher whose feeding-ground is just in front of my windows fislies
from a private wharf, where he is seldom disturbed, and has become so
tame that he pursues his avocations wdthout concern, though I may be
standing within a few feet of him. I learned that he ejects from the
mouth the bones, scales, or other indigestible portions of his food, just
like a bird of prey. When the water is so rough that it is difficult
for him to procure fish, instead of seeking some sequestered pool he
remains at his usual post, occasionally making an ineffectual effort to se-
cure his customary prey, until, nearly starved, he resorts to a sour-gum
tree (Nyssa aquatica, L.) in the vicinity, and greedily devours the berries.
Returning to his post, he soon ejects a pellet of the large seeds and skins
of the fruit. I have saved some of these pellets, as well as those composed
of fish-bones and scales." The remains of fish which are found in the
bird's breeding-holes, giving rise to a very general impression that the nest
is constructed of these materials, are probably deposited in this way. The
interesting instance of the bird's feeding on fruit brings out the relation-
ship between the truly piscivorous species and certain exotic non-aquatic
representatives of the family. — - Elliott Coues, Washincjton, D, C.

The Painted Lark Bunting (PlectropJianes pictus) in Texas. —
On November 23, 1876, I saw a flock of Plectrophanes, which I thought
w^ere different from either P. maccowni or P. ornatus, and shot one,
which proved to be different. On December 20 I shot another, and
on December 22 three others. One of these, being sent to Mr. Robert
Ridgway, of the Smithsonian Institution, he has kindly identified it for
me as Plectrophanes pictus, and states that this is its first record south
of Illinois. They are less easily taken than P. maccowni, as they do
not fly so compactly as does that species. Their note while on the wing
is a simple chirp, while the flocks of P. maccowni keep up constant chat-
ter while on the wing. Whether P. pictus is an accidental or a regular
winter visitor to Texas, I am unable to state. They were quite plentiful
here last winter (1876-77), but may have been driven farther south than
usual by the uncommonly cold weather, which had driven away the Robins,
Harris's Sparrow, and even Plectrophanes ornatus, all of which were abun-
dant the previous winter. — G. H. Ragsdale, Gainesville, Texas.

Notes on a few Birds observed in New Mexico and Arizona in
1876. — 1. Turdus migratorius. Winters abundantly in New Mexico ;
a few summer in the high mountains.

General Notes. 93

2. Mimus polyglottus. Abundant in summer. Nesting in. low
bushes, f^rape-vines, etc.

3. Harporhynchus crissalis. I saw this species on the Gila in New
Mexico, and in Arizona, in l^nishy broken localities. Not common.

4. Sialia mexicana. Abundant in winter. A few stay in the lii<,di
mountains all summer.

5. Sialia arctica. Very scarce in winter. I saw not more than a
dozen in the season. They frequent the low valleys.

6. Auriparus flaviceps. Sparingly found in summer in broken
localities along the Gila in New Mexico, usually in the mouths of caiions at
the edge of the river bottom. In Arizona frequents the mesquit. Nests
in a low bushy tree, called there " hackberry." The nests are bulky, com-
posed of thorny twigs on the outside, and lined with grass, with a small
hole in one side. June 2 I found a nest containing four young birds able
to fly ; June 16, another nest containing three eggs. The eggs were green,
much blotched with brown. Very young birds have the head uniform in
color with the back.

7. DendrcBca blackburniae. I killed a female, near Fort Bayard,
N. M., in May.

8. Vireo vicinior. Rare. Found in rough broken localities in the
bluffs bordering the Gila, keeping in the scrub oaks. They are very shj\
Their song is similar to that of V. plumbeus, biit the pauses between the
notes are not as distinct.

9. Vireo pusillus. Common on the Gila. Nests in willow thickets,
the nest being placed in a fork of a twig, usually about two feet from the
ground.

10. Hesperiphona vespertina. Sparingly found in piny districts in
New Mexico, botli summer and winter.

11. Pipilo aberti. February 11, I saw several birds of this species in
the cottonwoods on the Gila bottom near old Fort West, N. M. They
were clinging to the bark of the larger trees like Nuthatches, searching
for insects in the crevices. I never saw these birds away from the imme-
diate bottom of the Gila or its larger tributaries. They usually nest in
the thick willows, although I found one nest in a cottonwood-tree, thirty
feet or more from the ground, concealed in a thick bunch of the mistle-
toe, so common in such trees. They are abundant, Ijut very shy at all
times.

12. Pipilo megalonyx. Very abundant all through New Mexico and
Arizona, in brushy districts.

13. Pipilo fuscus. Common over the same region as the last, but
more partial to rocky localities.

14. Pipilo chlorurus. Observed on the Gila during the early spring
migration.

15. Junco oregonus. This species, and var. annedens, are plenty in
timber everywhere.

94 General Notes,

16. Junco cinereus var. dorsalis. Common in the high mountains.
July 16, I found a nest under a tuft of grass, which contained three eggs,
perfectly fresh. The eggs are, when blown, white, slightly tinged with
green, speckled sparsely all over, except at the smaller end, with small
brownish dots. They measure .58x.74, .62 x .76, and. 63x.77. I took
young birds of the year in the early part of July.

17. Corvus americanus. I saw a flock of a dozen or so on the Rio
Mimbres in April, and killed one. These were the only ones I had seen
since leaving Kansas, except three seen in South Park in October, 1873,
one of which I killed.

18. Myiarchus crinitus. I killed a male in the cottonwoods along
the Gila, New Mexico, June 12.

.19. Scops asio var. maccalli. On April 19 I heard a screaming noise
proceeding from a Woodpeckei''s hole in a pine. I climbed the tree, and
pulled out a female McCall's Owl, and immediately after a male Sparrow-
Hawk flew out. The Owl was apparently breeding, but the hole con-
tained no eggs.

20. Cyrtonyx massena. April 14 I nearly stepped on a pair of Mas-
senas, in a trail. I stopped, and was hesitating whether to put my hat
over them or step back and shoot them, when they settled the matter by
flying away, both my barrels missing fire. May 12, as I was riding
through the timber, I heard a Partridge fly up behind the horse. Look-
ing back, I saw that it was a female Massena. I stopped the horse, and,
without getting off, looked for the mate, and saw it lying flat in the grass
within eight inches of the track of the horse's hind foot. The female will
not lie as close as the male, but both lie so close that it is only by acci-
dent that they are ever seen. — F. Stevens.

Capture op -^gialitis meloda var. circumcincta, Ridg., on Long
Island. — While collecting April 30, 1873, on the outer beach, near
Rockaway, Long Island, I shot several specimens of the Piping Plover.
One, an adult male, had the pectoral band complete across the jugulum, a
peculiarity I could not discover in any others. The band is unusually
broad, curving anteriorly somewhat, and is slightly enlarged in the mid-
dle toward the throat, giving it the outline of a top of a shield, whereas
in those specimens which have the markings on the neck nearly meeting,
the lines converge to a point in an hour-glass shape. The dimensions are,
6.77 X 14.25 X 4.65 ; tail, 2.10 ; bill, .55 ; tarsus, .90, male adult, agreeing in
the main with Mr. Ridgway's type (breeding plumage, male adult, July 8,
Loup Fork of the Platte, Am. Nat., VIII, 1874, 109) excepting length,
which he gives as 6^ inches, which is much below the average. The
same day I shot a female with just a faint line of dusky uniting the dark
patches of the neck, formed by the edgings only of two or three feathers,
all the way across. I doubt whether this should be regarded as the fe-
male of var. circumcincta, however. — C. H. Eagle.

General Notes. 95

Nest and Eggs of Selasphorus platycercus. — The following inter-
esting observations are communicated by Mr. Edwin A. Barber, of West
Chester, Pa. : "While stationed in the e.\treme southwestern comer of
Colorado, near the head-waters of the Rio la Plata, with a liranch of the
United States Geological Survey, during the summer of 1875, I was so
fortunate as to observe large numbers of the Broad-tailed Humming-Bird.
Our i)arty was encamped on a small spring-rill, alcjng the banks of which
a thick hedge of dwarf willows had sprung up, and through and over this
thicket these little birds were darting and chattering all day long. On
July 26 I searched the bushes for nests, and in a couple of hours I discov-
ered five, each containing two diminutive white eggs. Mr. W. H. Holmes
found two more. I contented myself with securing two sets, picking
out those which represented extremes of form. Both nests were composed
of vegetable cotton and thistle-down, and were covered externally with
lichens and bark-fibre, so that in color they resembled the twigs to which
they were attached. The color and form of the two nests, however, dif-
fered materially, — one was broad, shallow, with . thick walls, and of a
brown color ; while the second was narrow, elevated, and of a light yel-
lowish hue. Each of the nests was built not more than three to five feet
above the ground, and not one of them was festened to the main trunk or
larger limbs of the shrubs, like the nests of our Rixby-throat. On the
contrary, they Avere all suspended by slender swaying twigs, often directly
over the flowing water. One was attached to a little piece of curled bark,
which presented a horizontal resting-place, just large enough for the nest.
The eggs are not distinguishable from those of Trochilus colubris, except
that, in some instances, the former may be a trifle larger than the latter.
The fact that the nests were found containing eggs in the latter part of
July would indicate that two broods of young are raised during the sea-
son. All of my specimens of eggs had been laid for the space of about a
week, as the embryos were all advanced to about the same stage of develop-
ment, and I had great difficulty in blowing them. I believe there is no
other case on record where the eggs of this species have been found in
such numbers wdtliin a limited space." — Elliott Coues, Washington,

D. a

Nesting op Vireo olivaceus. — Mr. W. L. Collins, of Frankford,
Philadelphia, Pa., wiites : " Whilst walking in a grove I found a nest of
this species, upon which the female was sitting, although the framework
was barely completed. Watching awhile, I presently saw the male fly to
the nest with some soft substance in his bill, which he gave to his mate
to arrange on the nest while he went in search of more. On then looking
into the nest, I was surprised to find that it contained three eggs. Three
or four days afterward, I again visited the spot, and found that the struc-
ture had been completed in the interval. Thus the female had begun to
lay some time before the nest was ready for the reception of eggs." —
Elliott Coues, Washington, D. 0.

96 General Notes.

Californian Prairie Chickens. — It is always safest for naturalists
to salt down newspaper extracts on scientific subjects, and usually best to
leave them permanently in pickle, as the proverbial " grain of salt " is
rarely sufficient to correct their bad savor. The severe attempts to cater
to the marvelling tastes of their readers lead editors of newspapers to cor-
rupt the foundation of facts on which stories sometimes rest, until we
scarcely know whether they have any real foundation. Thus, as quoted in
the " Naturalist," for February, p. 124, the " Salinas Index" of California
tries to make out that the Prairie Chicken has followed the Central Pacific
Railroad-track from Nebraska Avest to Winnemucca, and from there strik-
ing " off the track," reached Surprise and Shasta valleys, California. I can
scarcely believe that Dr. Coues or any well-posted ornithologist should let
such a- blunder go uncorrected, but as it is, it needs only a few references
to set it right.

In Vol. VI of Pacific R. R. Reports, p. 94, Dr. Newberry, in 1857, wrote
that he found Tetrao phasianellus from Canoe Creek, fifty miles north-
east of Fort Reading, Cal., more and more abundant toward the northeast
into Oregon. It was, indeed, from its abundance in the Upper Columbia
River country, that Ord, as long ago as 1815, named it T. columbianus,
now retained as the name of this variety as compared with the true T.
phasianellus of British America, both being chiefly Western birds, though
extending east to Wisconsin, perhaps to Illinois, where they are con-
founded with the more eastern Prairie Chicken,

All this was clearly set forth in the latest work on Californian Ornithol-
ogy, published in 1870, and even the southern limit near lat 39° in Ne-
vada indicated.*

If the species had any tendency to spread in California with the in-
crease of agriculture, it has now had more than twenty years to do so, but
from the account quoted does not seem to have made much if any prog-
ress. Attempts to naturalize it just north of San Francisco Bay have been
made, but though it may succeed there, the climate of most other parts of
California does not appear well suited to it. — J. G. Cooper, M. D., Hay-
wood, Cal.

Report of the Second Capture of the Orange-crowned War-
bler (Helminthophaga celata) IN New Hampshire. — Mr. Edward G.
Gardiner, of Boston, informs me that a specimen of this rare Warbler was
taken at the Isles of Shoals, September 9, 1877, by two young collectors,
Messrs. Outram and Edward A. Bangs. The bird was a female, aad was
in company with a small flock, supposed to be of the same species, though
no more were captured. Three specimens of this bird have been recorded

* Ridgway, in Bull. Essex lust. 1874, gives only " Upper Humboldt Valley,"
near lat. 41°, but it was found near Salt Lake City, by Nelson, in 1872.

General Notes. 97

from Massachusetts and one from New Hampshire.* — John Murdoch,

Eoxhury, Mass.

Robins' Eggs, Spotted. — My friend, Mr. Oliver Lockhart, of Lake
George, early in June, found a Robin {Turdus migratorius) building in a
pine-tree near his house. When the nest was completed, and the bird had
laid her eggs, he was surprised to find them spotted. One, which he kindly
■sent me, was marked very much like a Scarlet Tanager's (Pyranga rubra)
egg, the greater number of spots being at the larger end ; the rest of it
was sparingly spotted ; otherwise it was a normal Robin's egg. — A. K.
Fisher, Sing Sing, N. Y.

Some New Traits for the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes
erythrocejihalus). — A remarkable instance of foresight in several birds of
this species in " looking out for a rainy day ahead " has been communi-
cated to me by my friend Mr. G. S. Agersborg of Vermilion, Dakota Ter.,
and I cannot do better than quote extracts from his letter : " I have for-
gotten to mention to you an interesting fact about Melanerpes erythroceph-
al IS. Last spring in opening a good many birds of this species with the
object of ascertaining their principal food, I found in their stomachs noth-
ing but young grasshoppers. One of them, which had its headquarters
near my house, was observed making frequent visits to an old oak post,
and on examining it I found a large crack where the Woodpecker had in-
serted about one hundred grasshoppers of all sizes (for future use, as later
observations proved), which were put in without killing them, but they
were so firmly wedged in the crack that they in vain tried to get free. I
told this to a couple of farmers, and found that they had also seen the
same thing, and showed me the posts which were used for the same pur-
pose. Later in the season the Woodpecker, whose station was near my
house, commenced to use his stores, and to-day (February 10) there are
only a few shri\^elled-up grasshoppers left. I have now not seen this bird
for over two weeks."

A similar habit is related of the California Woodpecker {Melanerpes for-
micivorus) by Dr. Heermann in California, and Mr. J. K. Lord in British
Columbia ; the food in this instance being acorns, which were wedged
tightly in crevices, and in some cases the hollow stems of reeds were used.t
— H. B. Bailey, New York City.

Spurious Primaries in the Red-eyed Vireo. — On September 3,
1877, At Bar Harbor, Me., I shot a Red-eyed Vireo {Vireo olivaceus)
which is curiously abnormal in having well-developed spurious first pri-

* See note by William Brewster, with references, Bulletin of the Nutt. Orn.
Club, Vol. I, No. 4, p. 94.

t See Baird, Brewer, and EiJgway, History of Birds of North America, Vol.
n, pp. 568, 569.

98 General Notes.

maries, which measure 1.16 inches in length, the wing measuring 3.15
inches. Through the kindness of Mr. J. A. Allen, I have examined the
Vireos of this species in the collection of the Museum of Comparative
Zoology, and find in a series of about seventy specimens four more cases of
the same variation. They are as follows : No. 23,281 (Coll. M. C. Z., from
Coalburg, "W. Va.) with spurious primaries on Loth wings measuring 1.17
inches (wing, 3.23) ; No. 23,274 (Coll. M. C. Z., same locality), with a
spurious primary only on the left wing, measuring 1.10 inches (wing, 2.92) ;
No. 4285 (Coll. M. C. Z., from Newtonville, Mass.), with spurious primaries
on both wings, measuring 1.09 inches (wing, 3.02) ; and No. 4793 (Coll. M. C.
Z., same locality) with a spurious primary on the left wing, measuring 1.15
inches, the wing measuring 3.21. It may be well to say that they are not
the first primary coverts, but are true spurious primaries, lying in the same
plane as the other primaries, and difl^ering from the spurious primaries of
other species of this family only in being somewhat smaller. This varia-
tion seems particularly interesting from the fact that the presence or ab-
sence of a spurious primary has been to some extent taken as a basis of
classification in this family. — Charles F. Batchelder, Cambridge, Mass.

The European Widgeon (Mareca ijenelope) in the United States. —
I take great pleasure in noting the capture on the Atlantic coast of the
United States of two specimens of Mareca penelo])e, which I am assured
have not been recorded.

One is in the collection of Mr. Geo. N. Lawrence, who has kindly given
me the facts concerning its capture, as far as known ; the other in my
own. The first, which is a fine adult male, Mr. Lawrence said he pro-
cured from a gunner who captured it on the coast of Virginia, in 1855.
My specimen, an immature male, I procured in Fulton Market, N. Y.,
January 6, 1873, and as far as I could ascertain, it came from Southamp-
ton, L. L — N. T. Lawrence, New York.

The Sharp-tailed Finch (Ammodramus caudacutus) in Maine. —
Dr. Brewer strangely misquotes me on page 48 of the present volume of
the " Bulletin," in reference to the Sharp-tailed Finch {Ammodramus cau-
dacutus). In my note to which he refers, no mention is made of the cap-
ture of a "single" specimen in Scarboro', Me., nor indeed of tlie caj^ture
of any specimen at all. What I did say (see Bulletin, Vol. II, p. 27)
was that I had found the species a rare inhabitant of a part of Scarboro'
Marsh.

Late in October, 1876, I observed a few individuals of this species on
Pine Point, — a sandy strip of land which forms the seaward extremity of
the great Scarboro' Marshes. Aside from the fact that this Avas consider-
ably to the east of their previously known range, I was surprised to find
them here, for I had carefully examined the Point and its vicinity, at
other seasons of the year, without detecting a single sjsecimen. Accord-

General Notes. 99

ingly, during the season of 1877, I made the Sharp-tailed Tinch the ob-
ject of almost daily expeditious, from early spring until late autumn ;
but, in confirmation of my suspicions, not a bird was to be found until
about October 1. At that date great numbers appeared on the marshes
and sea beaches adjacent to Pine Point, and for a couple of weeks they
fairly swarmed in their favorite haunts. They were noticeably less
numerous during the latter part of the month, and by November 1, only
stragglers remained. I captured the last of the season on November 15.

To the best of my knowledge, then, although abundant during the
autumnal migration, the Sharp-tailed Finch is not to be found in this
vicinity during the spring and summer months. — Nathan Clifford
Brown, Portland, Me.

The White-Throated Warbler {Hdmintho][)haga leucobronchialis)
IN CoNNECTiccT. — Through the kindness of Mr. Charles M. Carpenter
of Providence, R. I., I have lately had the pleasure of examining a speci-
men of this recently described Warbler, which was shot by that gentle-
man at Wauregan, Conn., May 25, 1875. The locality was a wild hill-
side covered with scrub-oaks and a sprinkling of young pines. Mr.
Carpenter's attention was first drawn to its presence by its song, which at
the time he mistook for that of the Golden-winged Warbler (H. chrysop-
tera), though he thinks that it differed in being somewhat higher and
shriller. The sex of this bird was not determined by dissection, but it is
unquestionably a male. It agrees closely in every particular with my
type of the species, as does also Mr. Wood's specimen, which I have like-
wise seen at Philadelphia. Indeed, it would be difficult to select three
individuals of any species which vary so little inter se. The olive-green
wash which is spread over the upper parts, with the exception of the
nape, where an area of unmixed bluish-ash forms a narrow collar, is a
marked feature in all three specimens, though the silky white of throat,
cheeks, and lower eyelids, with the narrow restricted black line through
the eye, may be regarded as the most salient points. The validity of this
distinctly characterized species must now be regarded as established, but
further facts relating to its habits and distribution remain to be elicited
by future investigation. — William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.

The Occurrence of Myiarchcs crinitus var. erythrocercus,
Sclat., at Fort Brown, Texas.* — This bird appears to be a rather abun-
dant summer visitor in the vicinity of Fort Brown, and during the last
two summers I have taken specimens at intervals from April 1 until the
latter part of September. It bears a close resemblance to var. crinitus,

* In justice to the author it should be stated that this note was received
for publication December 5, 1877, and was unavoidably omitted from tlie January
number. Compare Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Survey of the Terr., Vol.
IV, No. 1 (Feb. 5, 1878), p. 33, fifth paragraph. — Ens.

100 General Notes.

and I was not aware of its being a distinct variety for a considerable time.
I cannot at present say certainly whether var. crinitus breeds here, but am
inclined to think that it occurs only in the spring and autumn.

A set of eggs, identified by the capture of one of the parents, was taken
on the 10th of May, 1877. The nest was placed in the end of a broken
branch of an anacahuite tree, about ten feet from the ground ; it was made
of locks of wool and hairs, and contained five eggs slightly advanced.
These measure .94 x .69. Besides this identified nest two others were
found, but, thinking at the time that they were of true crinitus, I did not
shoot the parents. Of these, one was taken, May 14, in an old excava-
tion of Centurus aurifrons, and contained three fresh eggs. They are larger
than those of the first set (1.01X0.70), the ground-color darker, and the
markings heavier. The third nest was in a hollow stump less than two
feet from the ground, and on June 4 contained six young.

It is worthy of note that no snake-skins were used in the construction
of these nests. — J. C. Merrill, M. D., Assistant Surgeon, U. S. A.,
Fort Broivn, Texas.

[I have carefully compared the two sets of the eggs of M. erythroceriis,
here referred to, with sets of M. crinitus, M. cinerascens, M. coopcri, and
M. stoUdus. These all have a strong family resemblance, those of the
erythrocercus being distinguishable by larger size and much greater abun-
dance of large confluent blotches of lilac and purplish brown. The eggs
described in North American Birds (Vol. II, p. ,339) as those of M. cine-
rascens undoubtedly are really eggs of this species. — T. M. Brewer.]

The Golden Eagle in the Hudson Highlands. — This splendid
bird, which was formerly quite characteristic of this wild mountainous
region, is now becoming quite scarce. It was formerly known to nest upon
the clitfs on the west side of the Hudson, north of West Point ; and it is
still a problem whether at least one pair do not still breed there.

I have never been able to discover any nest, though I have carefully ex-
amined each of the three principal ledges lying between West Point and
Cornwall ; but tliese cliff's are so vast and inaccessible, that it is impossible
to examine them satisfactorily from either top or bottom, even with the
aid of a good glass. As I have seldom undertaken these fatiguing excur-
sions during their breeding season, I have not ascertained the fact of their
presence there at that season ; but in winter I have occasionally seen a
single individual flying near the top of the mountains.

Several years ago, a Golden Eagle was shot opposite those clitfs by a
farmer at Cold Spring, while in the act of destroying a goose belonging to
the farmer,

A few days since, through the kindness of my friends. Professor Eobert
Donald and Mr. Sanford R. Knapp, of Peekskill, I examined a finely
mounted specimen of this Eagle, in the possession of the latter gentleman.
It was in the plumage of the young male (the basal two-thirds of the tail

General Notes. 101

being white), and measured seventy-eight inches in expanse. It was shot
by a farmer three miles east of Peekskill, on the 16th of November, 1877.
A third specimen was taken in the Palisades of the Lower Hudson in
October, 1875. This was a fine adult specimen. The sportsman who shot
it said that " he saw it in a tree over his head, and killed it with a charge
of No. 9 shot."

I have seen this Eagle on several occasions, but never in summer. In
March, 1876, two Golden Eagles were found in a certain spot in Put-
nam County for several weeks, but I did not succeed in shooting them.
In April, 1872, I saw one twice, whose tail was all white, save a narrow
terminal bar of black.

An aged hunter, Mr. William LeForge, positively asserts that Eagles
nest upon the cliffs north of West Point. In support of this statement, he
related to me, in substance, the following circumstance : A few years ago,
(about ten ?) on the occasion of the death of an old man, who lived the
life of a hermit, near the summit of a mountain between " Cro's Nest "
and " Storm King," the remains had to be carried down to the foot of the
mountain to the river. On their way down the company (conducted by
LeForge) halted at the foot of a ledge, where their attention was attracted
to the " hissing " of some young Eagles on the rocks above them. — Edgar
A. Mearns, Highland Falls, N. Y.

Meaning of the Word " Anhinga." — Correspondence of interest
respecting etymologies of ornithological names with W. C. Avery, of
Contentment, Ala., elicits the following derivation and meaning of the
strange-looking word " Anhinga," as applied to the Snake-birds (species of
Plotus).

"Thinking it probably Spanish, I sought it in Leone's Dictionary,
where I found, not Anhinrja, hut Anhina, 'an aquatic bird of prey in
Brazil, called the Darter, PlotusJ Anhina is undoubtedly the Spanish or
Portuguese word ; but how has it been corrupted into Anhinga ? In a
French Encyclopaedia I find the following : ' Anhinga, nom bresilien de

ces oiseaux La longueur demesuree de leur cou, jointe a sa minceur,

leur donne una figure etrange .... on dirait des canards qui out pour cou
un long serpent.' Hence the name ' Snake-bird,' Portuguese Anhina,
from the Latin Anrjuina 1 (Anguis, a snake)." This derivation seems to be
undouljtedly correct, Anhinga being corrupted from Anhina. — Elliott
CouES, Washington, D. G.

Late capture of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in Massachu-
setts. — IVIr. W. B. Barrows informs me that on November 29, 1876, he
took a male Empidonax flaviventris, at Reading, Mass. The day was so
cold that ice was forming rapidly in the shade ; yet the bird had the
same motions which characterize it in June, and though it had an empty
stomach, was very fat and apparently in the best of spirits. It Avas, how-
ever, silent so far as was observed. I also learn from Mr. H. A. Purdie

102 General Notes.

that a specimen of this species was taken by Mr. W. W. Eager in Newton,
Mass., December 1, 1876. These are certainly late dates for the cap-
ture of any species of the genus Empidonax in Massachusetts. — J. A.
Allen, Cambridge, Mass. ,

The Ipswich Sparrow (Passerculus princeps) on Long Island, N. Y.,

— On the 1st of January, 1878, I took a fine specimen of the Passerculus
princeps at Rockaway, Long Island. The bird when taken was in com-
pany with Savanna and Tree Sparrows (Passerculus savanna and Spizell a
monticola), and was found among a low range of sandhills that skirt
the main shore of the bay at Far Rockaway. Another was observed the
same day, but, being very wild, I was unable to procure it. This makes
the fifth specimen that has been taken in the same locality : the first in
December, 1870, the second and third in November and December, 1872,
the fourth, November, 1874, and the fifth, January, 1878. — N. T. Law-
rence, Neio York City.

The Stilt Sandpiper (Micropalama himantopus) at Portland, Maine.

— Mr. H. A. Purdie, in his review of a recent " Catalogue of the Birds of
New England," stated (this Bulletin, Vol. I, p. 73) that Micropalama
himantopus is migratory along the whole New England coast. This
elicited the rather sweeping assertion from the author of the Catalogue
that the bird had " not been found in any part of that coast from St.
Andrews to Kittery " (Bull., Vol. II, p. 48). I desire to contribute my
evidence in support of Mr. Purdie's statement. M. himantopus has been
repeatedly taken on the marshes and sandbars in the vicinity of Poi'tland,
Me., during the early part of autumn. — Nathan Clifford Brown,
Portland, Me.

Nesting-Habits of Parus montanus.* — The nest was built at the
bottom of a seam in a very rotten stump. The top of the seam was
two feet from the ground, the bottom about a foot below the entrance.
The bird had slightly and irregularly enlarged the passage to the nest,
which was composed of fibrous roots, lined with wool gathered from the
bushes where sheep had grazed, and contained seven white eggs.t

I visited the nest daily for some time, and finally found the female
sitting. As I neared the stump I was somewhat startled by a loud hiss-
ing noise, and looked in at the nest expecting to find a snake, but discov-
ered only the owner, who, with wings outspread, mouth open, and eyes
glistening, hissed almost continually. I desired to see the nest, and tried
to drive her from it by violently striking the stump, but she was not to be
dislodged so easily, and I left her, hoping to find her not at home next

* Communicated by R. Ridgway.

t It would be interesting to know vvhetlier the eggs are spotted or not ; if
unspotted, they form a notable exception to tlie rule in this genus. — R. R.

General Notes. 103

morning. Upon my next visit, the day after, she greeted me again with
hisses and other demonstrations of anger ; and after watching her several
minutes, during which time she kept up her attitude of defiance, I again
left her mistress of the situation. The next morning she saluted me
as before, but being by this time determined to examine the nest I
inserted a stick, at wliich she advanced, ])ocking and hissing vigorously.
She fought long and well, but might finally prevailed, and she slipped
out, as she could have done at any time if so inclined, and flew to a
neighboring tree, from which she watched me with much interest and in-
dignation. She returned to her nest soon after I had left it. After the
rough treatment of this occasion, she would invariably leave the nest at
my approach, doubtless hearing my footsteps, as she could not possibly
see me.

Some days after this, I found a pair of these birds building in a low
stump which stood in a meadow, but I did not remain in the neighbor-
hood long enough to learn the mmiber of eggs or test the courage of the
female while incubating. — L. Belding, Marysville, Cat

Persistency in Nest-bcilding by a Pair of City Robins. — Mr. H.
H. Clark of this city has kindly placed at my disposal some very interest-
ing observations made by him last season relative to the perseverance dis-
played by a pair of Robins (Turdus migratorius) at nest-making under
difficulties. A pair of these birds selected for a nesting-site a place in his
garden so frequented by cats — the great enemy of town-breeding birds —
that it seemed certain the young, if not, indeed, the mother-bird, would be
destroyed by them if the birds were allowed to build in the place they had
chosen. So, in order to avoid the threatened danger to the brood, as Avell
as the pain of witnessing their destruction, Mr. Clark resolved to inter-
cept their work, hoping thereby to force them to choose a safer nesting-
place. He accordingly pulled down their partly formed nest. The next
morning there was a great outcry from the birds over their loss, and
no little commotion among the other Robins of the neighborhood. To his
surprise the birds immediately set to work to rebuild the nest, aided by
several of their sym))athizing neighbors, who brought materials faster than
the architect seemed able to properly bestow them, so that in a single
morning considerable progress was made with the new structure. The
next morning the birds found their nest had been again destroyed. Not a
whit discouraged, they resumed their labors, building again in the same
spot as before, but this time without help. The nest was now constructed
with greater care, being securely f;istened l)y strings passed round the branch
on which it rested, which were also carried up and made fast to a limb
above. These precautions availed them nothing, for this nest shared the
fate of the others. An act begun in a spirit of kindness toward the birds
was now continued in the interest of scientific investigation. A fourth
time the persistent birds rebuilt their nest at the same spot, with to them

104 Gciural Notes.

the same sad result. For the fifth time they began to rebuild the nest ;
this was too much for my informant's feelings to resist, and he resolved to
let them carry out their plans. To his surprise, however, they soon began
to destroy the structure themselves, taking the materials to a branch
higher up, as if divining not only the source of their troubles, but the rea-
son that had prompted the repeated removal of their nest ; but after a
morning's work the nest was abandoned, and another site for it was se-
lected some rods away in a safer position. Here again, however, they
later came to grief, their eggs being taken by a ruthless boy, an habitual
robber of bird's-nests.

The interesting points here brought out are the tenacity with which this
pair of Robins adhered to their chosen nesting-place ; the concerted action
of their sympathizing neighbors in aiding them at first to rebuild ; the
later greater care they displayed in more firmly attaching the nest to its
resting-place ; and finally the apparently intelligent recognition of the
source and cause of their troubles, and voluntary choice of a safer location.
— J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Mass.

Deadly Combat between an Albino Robin and a Mole. — The
following interesting and curious incident is quoted from a letter received
by me from Miss Maria R. Audubon, granddaughter of the celebrated
naturalist, dated Newark, N. J., February 4, 1878. — Ruthven Deane.

" We have had a Robin of the albino type which for two years has built its
nest in the same tree, and devoured an immense number of worms from the
lawn around the house. It became quite tame, and we naturally felt a sort of
ownership in it. One morning I saw something moving or jumping on the
gi-ound just under the tree, and on investigation it proved to be the Robin
engaged in deadly combat with a mole. I tried to drive the Robin away, and
found the mole had it firmly held by the wing. I set it free, and poked the
mole off with a stick to some distance

The Robin flew to a branch of the tree, did not seem much hurt, plumed
itself, and finally disappeared among the foliage ; the mole, too, made off in an
unknown direction. I could find no reason for this unusual battle ; no corpses
of young Robins could be seen to make feasible the suggestion that a fledi^ding
had fallen from the nest and been attacked by the mole, thereby bringing
down the wrath of the parent bird ; we knew the mole had not climbed the
tree, and we had never heard of a Robin eating a mole.

" Neither party was seen again that day till towards evening, when the
Robin was again on the lawn as usual. The next morning I passed the tree
about the same hour as on the previous day, and there lay the mole and the Robin,
' beautiful in death,' to use a poetic license, for they really looked very unpleas-
ant. Their bodies were not cold ; the Robin very much ruffled as to plumage
and bloody about the throat and under the right wing ; the mole with his glossy
coat ' all the wrong way,' and severely pecked about the head and throat.
There was no life in either after I found them."

BULLETIN

NUTTALL OENITHOLOGICAL CLUB.

Vol. III. JULY, 1878. No. 3.

THE EAVE, CLIFF, OR CRESCENT SWALLOW {PETROCHEL-
IDON LUNIFEONS).*

BY DR. ELLIOTT COUES, U. S. A.

DiscovERY of this notable Swallow, commonly attributed to Say,
■was made long before Long's expedition to the Rocky Mountains,
though the species was first named in the book which treats of that
interesting journey. The bird may have been discovered by the
celebrated John Reinhold Forster ; at any rate, the earliest note I
have in hand respecting the Clifi" Swallow is Forster's, dating 1772,
when this naturalist published in the Philosophical Transactions
" An Account of the Birds sent from Hudson's Bay ; with Observa-
tions relative to their Natural History ; and Latin Descriptions of
some of the most Uncommon," — a rather noted paper, in which
seven new species, viz., Falco spadiceus, Strix nebnlosa, Emberiza
[i. e. Zonotrichia^ leiico2)h7-i/s, Fringilla [i. e. Junco'\ hudsonias, Mus-
cicapa [i. e. Dendrceca^ striata, Parus hudsonicus, and Scolopax [i. e.
Niimenias^ horealis, are described, with references to various other
new birds by number, such as *' Turdas No. 22," which is Scoleco-
phagus ferrugineus, and " Hirundo No. 35," which is Petrochelidon
lunifrons. The next observer — in fact, a rediscoverer — was,
perhaps, Audubon, who says that he saw Republican or Cliff Swal-
lows for the first time in 1815 at Henderson, on the Ohio; that he
drew up a description at the time, naming the species Hirundo re-
pid)licana \sic'\ ; and that he again saw the same bird in 1819 at
Newport, Ky., where they usually appeared about the 10th of

* By permission, from advance sheets of the " Birds of the Colorado Valley,"
Vol. L

VOL. III. 8

106 CouES on the Uave, Cliff, or Crescent Sioallow.

Api'il, and had that year finished about fifty nests by the 20th of
the same month. The next year, namely, 1820, Major Long and
Sir John Franklin found these birds again, in widely remote re-
gions, — the first named during his expedition to the Rocky Moun-
tains, and the latter on the journey from Cumberland House to
Fort Enterprise, and on the banks of Point Lake, in latitude 65°,
where its earliest arrival was"" noted the following year on the 12th
of June. Dr. Richardson says that their clustered nests are of
frequent occurrence on the faces of cliffs of the Barren Grounds, and
not uncommon throughout the course of the Slave and Mackenzie's
Rivers ; and that their first appearance at Fort Chipewyan was on
the 25th of June, 1825. Major Long's discovery was named
Hirundo lunifrons by Say in 1 823 ; and the following year Audu-
bon published his hitherto MS. name resjmhlicana in the Annals of
the New York Lyceum of Natural History, with some remarks on
the species, in connection with some observations of Governor De
Witt Clinton, who called the bird Hirundo ojnfex. Meanwhile,
Vieillot had described the West Indian conspecies as Hirundo
fidva ; and the future Prince Bonaparte adopted this name for our
species in 1825. Thus in the short space of two yeai's, 1823 - 25,
the interesting Anonyma, " No. 35," before known only by num-
ber, like the striped inmates of some of our penal establishments,
suddenly became quite a lion, with titles galore in the binomial
haul ton. But it was not till 1850 that it was actually raised to
the sublime degree of Petrochelidon, though it had. long been taken
and held to be a master-mason.

The Cliff Swallow has been supposed by some to be an immigrant
of comparatively recent date in the Eastern United States ; but it
does not appear that any broad theory of a general progressive
eastward extension is fairly deducible from the evidence we possess.
On the contrary, much of the testimony is merely indicative of the
dates, when, in various parts of the country, the birds began to
build under eaves, and so established colonies where none existed
before ; and some of the evidence opposes the view just mentioned.
The Swallows, as a rule, are birds of local disti'ibution in the breed-
ing season, notwithstanding their pre-eminent migratory abilities ;
they tend to settle in particular places, and return year after year ;
and nothing is better known than that one town may be full of
Swallows of several kinds unknown in another town hard by. I
suppose the real meaning of the record is " only this and nothing

CoUES 011 the Fare, Cliff, or Crescent Sicallo^u. 107

more." Nevertheless, these accounts are interesting, and all have
their bearing on the natural history of this remarkable bird. It
was unknown to Wilson. In 1817, between Audubon's times of
observation in Kentucky, Clinton says he first saw Eave Swallows
at Whitehall, New York, at the southern end of Lake Champlain.
Zadock Thompson found them at Randolph, Vt., about the same
time. Mr. G. A. Boardraan tells me that they were no novelty at
St. Stephens, New Brunswick, in 1828. Dr. Brewer received their
eggs from Coventiy, Vt., in 1837, when they were new to him ;
but the date of their appeai'ance there was not determined. They
are said by the same writer to have appeared at Jatfrey, N. H., in
1838; at Carlisle, Pa., in 1841 ; and the appearance of a large
colony which he observed at Attleborough, Mass., in 1842, in-
dicated that they had been there for several years. During tlie
last-mentioned j'ear they were present, apparently for the first
time, in Boston and neighboring metastatic foci of the gloV)e. The
record also teaches that these birds do not necessarily change from
"Cliff" to "Eave" Swallows in the East, for in 1861 Professor
Verrill discovered a large colony breeding on limestone cliffs of An-
ticosti, remote from man, and in their primitive fashion. That the
settlement of the country has conduced to the general dispersion
of the birds during the breeding season in places that knew him
not before, is undoubted ; but that any general eastward migration
ever occurred, or that there has been in recent times a progressive
spread of the birds across successive meridians, is less than doubt-
ful, — is almost disproven. Birds that can fly like Swallows, and
go from South America to the Arctic Ocean, are not likely to cut
around vid the Mississippi or the Rocky Mountains, houses or no
houses. Moreover, the scarcity or apparent absence of these birds
in the Southern States, or most portions thereof, may be simply
due to the ineligibility of the country, and only true for a part of
the year. It cannot be that the breeding birds of Pennsylvania,
New York, and New England come and go by other than a direct
route ; and if not detected in the Southern States, it must be be-
cause they fly over the country in their migrations, and do not stop
to breed. It is authenticated that they nest at least as far south
as Washington, D. C, where Drs. Coues and Prentiss found them
some twenty years ago to be summer residents, arriving late in
April and remaining until the middle of September, though they
were not as abundant as some of the other swallows.

108 CouES on the Eave, Cliff, or Crescent Svjallow.

It may be remembered in this connection that a happy conjunc-
tion of circumstances is required to satisfy these birds. Not only
are cliffs or their substitutes necessary, but these must be situated
where clayey mud, possessing some degree of adhesiveness and plas-
ticity, can be procured. The indication is met at large in the West,
along umiumbered streams, where the birds most do congregate ;
and their very general dispersion in the West, as compared with
their rather sporadic distribution in the East, is thus readily
explained. The great veins of the West, • — the Missouri, the Co-
lumbia, and the Colorado, — and most of their venous tributai'ies,
returning the humors from the clouds to their home in the sea, are
supplied in profusion with animated congregations of the Swallows,
often vastly more extensive than those gatherings of the feathered
Sons of Temperance beneath our eaves, where the sign of the order
— a bottle, neck downward — is set for our edification.

All are familiar, doubtless, with the architecture of these masons;
if any be not, the books will remove their ignorance. But there
are many interesting details, perhaps insufficiently elucidated in our
standard treatises. It is generally understood that the most per-
fect nest, that is, a nest fully finished and furnished with a neck,
resembling a decanter tilted over, — that such a " bottle-nosed "
or " retort-shaped " nest is the typical one, indicating the primitive
fashion of building. But I am by no means satisfied of this. Re-
membering that the Swallows are all natural hole-breeders, we may
infer that their early order of architecture was a wall, rampart, or
breastwork, which defended and, perhaps, enlarged a natural cavity
on the face of a cliff. Traces of such work are still evident enough
in those frequent instances in which they take a hole in a wall,
such as one left by a missing brick, and cover it in, either with a
regular domed vestibule or a mere cup-like rim of mud. It was
probably not until they had served a long apprenticeship that they
acquired the sufficient skill to stick a nest against a perfectly smooth,
vertical support. Some kind of domed nest was still requisite, to
carry out the idea of hole-breeding, a trait so thoroughly ingrained
in Hirundine nature, and implying perfect covering for the eggs ;
and the indication is fully met in one of the very commonest forms
of nest, namely, a hemispherical affair, quite a " breastwork " in
fact, with a hole at the most protuberant part, or just below it.
The running on of a neck to the nest, as seen in those nests we con-
sider the most elaborate, seems to merely represent a surplusage of

CouES on the Eave,- Cliff, or Crescent Swalloio. 109

building energy, like that which induces a House Wren, for example,
to accumulate a preposterous quantity of trash in its cubby-holes.
Such architecture reminds me of the Irishman's notion of how cannon
are made, — by taking a hole and pouring the molted metal around
it. It is the rule, when the nest is built in any exposed situation.
But since the Swallows have taken to building under eaves, or other
projections aifording a degree of shelter, the bottle-necked, even the
simply globular nests seem to be going out of fashion ; and thou-
sands of nests are now built as open as those of the Barn Swallow,
being simply half-cups attached to the wall, and in fact chiefly dis-
tinguished from those of Barn Swallows by containing little or no
hay. I suppose this to be a piece of atavism, — a reversion to prim-
itive ways. The Barn and Eave Swallows are our only kinds that
do not go into a hole or its equivalent ; and the indication of shelter
or covering, in all cases indispensable, being secured by the roof
itself beneath which they nestle, the special roofing of each nest
becomes superfluous. Hence the open cups these Swallows now
construct.

Considering how sedulously most birds strive to hide their nests,
and screen themselves during incubation, it becomes a matter of
curious speculation why these Swallows should ever build beneath
our eaves, in the most conspicuous manner, and literally fly in the
face of danger. Richardson comments on this singular and exces-
sive confidence in man, too often betrayed, and which cannot, on
the whole, be conducive to the best interests of their tribe. He
speaks of a colony that persisted in nesting just over a frequented
promenade, where they had actually to graze people's heads in pass-
ing to and from their nests, and were exposed to the curiosity and
depredations of the children ; yet they stuck to their first choice,
even though there were equally eligible and far safer locations just
at hand. Sir John wonders what cause could have thus suddenly
called into action such confidence in the human race, and queries
what peculiarity of economy leads some birds to put their ofi'spring
in the most exposed situation they can find. We have all seen the
same thing, and noted the pertinacity with which these and other
Swallows will cling to their caprices, though subjected to every an-
noyance, and repeatedly ejected from the premises by destruction
of their nests. I have two notable cases in mind. At Fort Pem-
bina, Dakota, a colonj^ insisted on building beneath the low portico
of the soldiers' barracks, almost within arm's reach. Being noisy

110 CouES 071 the Have, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow.

and untidy, they were voted a nuisance, to be abated ; but it was
" no use " ; they stuck, and so did their nests. In the adjoining
British province of Manitoba, at one of the trading-posts I visited,
it was the same thing over again ; their nests were repeatedly de-
molished, on account of the racket and clutter they made, till the
irate lord of the manor found it cheaper in the end to let the birds
alone, and take his chances of the morning nap. I think such ob-
stinacy is due to the bird's reluctance to give up the much-needed
shelter which the eaves provide against the weather, — indeed, this
may have had something to do with the change of habit in the be-
ginning. The Cliff Swallow's nest is built entirely of mud, which,
when sun-baked into " adobe," is secure enough in dry weather, but
liable to be loosened or washed away during a storm. In fact, this
accident is of continual occurrence, just as it is in the cases of the
Chimney-Swifts. The birds' instinct, — whatever that may mean ;
I despise the word as a label of our ignorance and conceit, — say,
rather, their reason, teaches them to come in out of the rain. This
may also have something to do with the clustering of nests, commonly
observed when the birds build on the faces of cliffs ; for obviously
such a mass would withstand the weather better than a single
edifice.

It is pleasant to watch the establishment and progress of a colony
of these birds. Suddenly they appear, — quite animated and enthu-
siastic, but undecided as yet ; an impromptu debating society on
the fly, with a good deal of sawing the air to accomplish before final
resolutions are passed. The plot thickens ; some Swallows are seen
clinging to the slightest inequalities beneath the eaves, others are
couriers to and from the nearest mud-puddle ; others again alight
like feathers by the water's side, and all are in a twitter of excite-
ment. Watching closely these curious sons and daughters of Israel
at their ingenious trade of making bricks, we may chance to see a
circle of them gathered around the margin of the pool, insecurely
balanced on their tiny feet, tilting their tails and ducking their
heads to pick up little " gobs " of mud. These are rolled round in
their mouths till tempered, and made like a quid into globular form,
with a curious working of their jaws ; then off go the birds, and
stick the pellet against the wall, as carefully as ever a sailor, about
to spin a yarn, deposited his chew on the mantel-piece. The birds
work indefatigably ; they are busy as bees, and a steady stream
flows back and forth for several hours a day, with intervals for rest

CouES 071 the Have, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow. Ill

and refreshment, when the Swallows swarm about promiscuously
a fly-catching. In an incredibly short time the basement of the
nest is laid, and the whole form becomes clearly outlined ; the mud
dries quickly, and there is a standing-place. This is soon occupied
by one of the pair, probably the female, who now stays at home to
welcome her mate with redoubled cries of joy and ecstatic quivering
of the wings, as he brings fresh pellets, which the pair in the closest
consultation dispose to their entire satisfaction. In three or four
days, perhaps, the deed is done ; the house is built, and nothing
remains but to furnish it. The poultry-yard is visited, and laid
under contribution of feathers ; hay, leaves, rags, paper, string —
Swallows are not very particular — may be added ; and then the
female does the rest of the " furnishing " by her own particular self.
Not impossibly, just at this period, a man comes with a pole, and
demolishes the whole affair ; or the ei^fant terrible of the premises
appears, and removes the eggs to enrich his sanded tray of like
treasures ; or a tom-cat reaches for his supper. But more probably
matters are so propitious that in due season the nest decants a full
brood of Swallows, — and I wish that nothing more harmful ever
came out of the bottle.

Seeing how these birds work the mud in their mouths, some
have supposed that the nests are agglutinated, to some extent at
least, by the saliva of the birds. It is far from an unreasonable
idea, — the Chimney -Swift sticks her bits of twngs together, and
glues the frail cup to the wall wMth viscid saliva ; and some of the
Old World Swifts build nests of gummy spittle, which cakes on dry-
ing, not unlike gelatine. Undoubtedly some saliva is mingled with
the natiiral moisture of the mud ; but the readiness with which
these Swallows' nests crumble on drying shows that saliva enters
slightly into their composition, — practically not at all, — and that
this fluid possesses no special viscosity. Much more probably, the
moisture of the birds' months helps to soften and temper the pellets,
rather than to agglutinate the dried edifice itself.

In various parts of the West, especially along the Missouri and
the Colorado, where I have never failed to find clustering nests of
the Cliff Swallow, I have occasionally witnessed some curious asso-
ciates of these birds. In some of the navigable canons of the Colo-
rado I have seen the bulky nests of the Great Blue Heron on flat
ledges of rock, the faces of which were stuccoed with Swallow-nests.
How these frolicsome creatures must have swarmed around the

112 Henshaw on the Nest and Eggs of the Blue Crow.

sedate aud imperturbable Herodias, when she folded up her legs
and closed her eyes, and went off into the dreamland of incubation,
undistui'bed in a very Babel ! Again, I have found a colony of
Swallows in what would seem to be a very dangerous neighborhood,
— all about the nest of a Falcon, no other than the valiant and.
merciless Falco polyagrus, on the very minarets and buttresses of
whose awe-inspiring castle, on the scowling face of a precipice, a
colony of Swallows was established in apparent security. The big
birds seemed to be very comfortable ogres, with whom the multi-
tude of hop-o'-my-thumbs had evidently some sort of iinderstanding,
perhaps like that which the Purple Grackles may be supposed to have
with the Fish-Hawks when they set up housekeeping in the cellar
of King Pandion's palace. If it had only been a Fish-Hawk in this
case instead of Falco polyagrus, we could understand such amicable
relations better, — for CliflF Swallows are cousins of Purple Martins,
and, if half we hear be true, Progne was Pandion's daughter.

NEST AND EGGS OF THE BLUE CROW (GYMNOKITTA
CYANOCEPHALA).

BY H. W. HENSHAW.

The Blue Crow, or Maximilian's Jay, is one of the most notable
and characteristic of the birds inhabiting the Interior Region, to
which it is very closely confined, and of the limits of which its pres-
ence may be accepted as an almost certain indication. Notwith-
standing the fact that upon the Pacific slope are found in greatest
abundance the same trees from which the bird derives the main
part of its subsistence, the yellow pine, pinon, and juniper, it
shuns the west side of the Sierras, and occurs only within the
limits of the great interior basin and upon the eastern slope of the
Rocky Mountains. As its powers of flight are most ample, it is
within this area confined to no special limits of locality. By the
Mexicans it is called the Pinonario or Pinon Bird, and most appropri-
ately is it named ; for, wherever within the limits assigned this
tree is found, there, at any season of the year, but especially in fall.

Henshaw on the Nest and Eggs of the Blue Crov). 113

may the presence of this bird be confidently expected. Although
having no liking for the heavy coniferous forests, it being the very
rare exception to find the species therein, it yet shares with the
Clarke's Crow a fondness for the seeds of the yellow pine, and in
winter, the supply of pinon nuts failing, and where the country is
but sparsely timbered, it will often be found plundering these trees
of their nutritious seeds.

Finally, juniper berries may be mentioned as making the third
most important item of fare. But doubtless diiring a bad year any
of the smaller seeds are acceptable, and pei'haps berries do not
come amiss. Certainly I have more than once seen these Jays
massing into flocks on the ground and feeding greedily upon grass
seeds, and others report a similar experience.

To none of our species can the terra " resident " be applied with
more exactness than to the present bird. Although its roving dispo-
sition is perfectly .apparent at all seasons, and although, except dur-
ing the limited period of parental duties, its excursions are constant
and wide, yet in no part of its wide range does it appear to be
migratory, as the term is correctly understood. I have never my-
self found it living among the high mountains, and believe this is
contrary to its more usual habits. But in Arizona, according to Dr,
Cones, it is so found, and there, as he suggests, it doubtless does
migrate to the extent of forsaking them in winter for the more con-
genial lower districts. Usually, however, no change of habitat with
varying season takes place, and, wherever it occurs in summer, it
is also to be seen in winter ; although the ever-restless bands cover
in their journeyings a radius of many miles, being seen here to-day,
to-morrow there, according as their tastes suggest a change of diet,
or as mere caprice may urge. Thus they may often appear to have
migrated fi'om a district which in reality they have left only to re-
turn to in a few days. Its gregarious disposition is one of its most
marked and constant traits, and has been recorded by all who have
ever seen the species in the field. This close association of many
individuals appears to persist throughout the year, as well during
the breeding as at other seasons.

Although so common and, in many respects, so well known a bird,
the acquaintance of most of its many observers has ceased with the
beginning of the nesting period, and it has been only within a com-
paratively short time that any information of its habits at this sea-
son has reached us. Mr. Ridgway was the first to supply any exact

114 Henshaw 071 the Nest and Eggs of the Blue Croiv.

facts ; but his experience was limited to the discovery of the nests
and young, which he found fully fledged as early as April 21. This
was in 1868, and the eggs remained undescribed till 1875, when
Mr. Aiken secured a nest with its complement in Colorado.

For additional information concerning the nests and eggs of this
curious bird we are indebted to the zeal of Mr. H. G. Parker of Car-
son City, Nev., who during the past spring has visited a breeding
colony on the same range of low pinon-covered hills where nine
years ago Mr. Ridgway obtained his facts respecting their nests.
This is a locality perfectly typical of the tastes of the bird, and here
they have maintained their hold for an indefinite term of years, and
reared many successive generations of young. Mr. Parker visited
the locality during the latter part of March, and foimd the pairs
then leisurely at work making their nests. On the 5th of April he
found the females sitting, and took two nests, one with three, the
other with four eggs. One of the nests with its coibplement, pre-
sented by Mr. Parker to the Smithsonian Institution, is now before
me, and offers the following description : To begin with, it is a
really handsome structure, and indicates a higher order of construc-
tive ability than is usual in the Jay family. It is strongly made,
and though somewhat bulky and Jay-like externally, is more com-
pact and deeper, with higher sides than is ordinarily seen. As a
matter of course, the piiion-tree being almost the only living thing
found on these dry and desolate hills, the nest is made up largely
of twigs from this tree, which were evidently, as shown by the fresh
ends, broken off by the birds, not gathered from the ground. These
are interlocked firmly, so as to afford an admirable supporting base
for the nest proper. Here again the birds have had recourse to the
pifion, and have utilized long sti'ips of the tough, fibrous, but soft
bark which make up the bulk of the lining. Fine shreddings of
the same and a few straws nicely arranged complete the interior.
The external diameter of the nest is nine and one half inches ; in-
ternal, four ; depth, three. The eggs are of a greenish-white color,
profusely spotted everywhere with small blotches of light brown
and purple. In one specimen the brown shows a faint reddish
tinge. Towards the larger ends the markings become more numer-
ous, and near the apex show a decided tendency, so usual in spotted
eggs, to form a confluent ring. They measure 1.27X.87, 1.27X.88,
1.27X.87, 1.23X.87. They thus appear to Correspond very closely
with Mr. Aiken's set, and show only slight variations in size. They

Brewster's Descriptions of First Plumages. 115

hardly need comparison with the eggs of any other of the Jays,
having a much purer white ground-color and a very different style
of spotting.

The nest above described was found on the horizontal branch of a
nut-pine, toward the top, but only nine or ten feet from the ground.
Both our other observers' accounts indicate a similar position for
the nests, and it is probable that very little variation in this respect
is to be looked for.

Later Mr. Parker writes that he has since found a second colony
in another portion of the same range of hills, where " thousands "
breed. Unfortunately he was too late for the eggs.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FIRST PLUMAGE IN VARIOUS SPE-
CIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

BY WILLIAM BREWSTER.

, IIL*

48. Vireo olivaceus.

First plumage : male. Remiges, rectrices, and greater wing-coverts as
in adult ; rest of upper surface, including the lesser wing-coverts and
rump, light cinnamon, tinged with ashy, and upon the interscapular
region washed faintly with dull green ; cheeks pale buff. Supra-orbital
line and entire under parts silky white, with a delicate wash of pale
brown on the sides. From a specimen in my collection taken at Upton,
Me., July 30, 1874.

49. Vireo gilvus.

Autumnal pluTnage : young female. Crown precisely as in spring
adult ; interscapular regicm much more strongly tinged with olive-green.
Primaries and secondaries tipped with ashy-white. Anal and abdominal
regions silky-white. Rest of under parts creamy-buff, lightest on throat
and crissum, most pronounced on the pectoral region, and intensifying
into rich, though dull, brownish-yellow on the sides. From a specimen
in my collection, shot at Concord, Mass., September 12, 1877.

50. Vireo flavifrons.

First plumage: male. Remiges and rectrices similar to those of the
adults, but with the primaries and secondaries tipped and edged broadly

For Parts I and II, see this volume, pp. 15 - 23, 56 - 64.

116 Brewstee's Descriptions of the First Plumage

with white. Rest of upper parts uniformly hlue-gray, tinged with cinna-
mon. Throat, cheeks, and pectoral region anteriorly, very pale yellow.
Rest of under parts silky-white. From a specimen in my collection ob-
tained at Cambridge, Mass., June 30, 1871.

51. Vireo solitarius.

First plumage : female. Upper parts dark ashy, becoming lighter on
the rump, and washed strongly with olive-green on the interscapular re-
gion. Abdominal region and throat soiled white, the latter with a faint
ashy tinge. Sides and crissum pale greenish-yellow. A V-shaped patch
of fawn-color on the lower pectoral region. From a specimen in my col-
lection shot at Upton, Me., August 23, 1873.

This bird is in transitional dress, being slightly past the first plumage.

52. Vireo noveboracensis.

First plumage : female. Entire upper parts brownish-olive ; wing-bands
pale fulvous. Throat, cheeks, and breast fulvous-ash. Central portions
of abdominal and anal regions soiled white. Sides and crissum pale yel-
low, tinged with buff. Otherwise similar to the adult. From a specimen
in my collection obtained at Cambridge, Mass., July 20, 1871.

53. Pinicola enucleator.

First plumage : male. Forehead, crown, cheeks, and throat dull yel-
lowish-brown, lightest on the throat, with a few blood-red feathers inter-
mixed on the forehead and cheeks. A dusky line through the lores.
Occiput and interscapular region purplish olive-brown ; nape a lighter
shade of the same color ; tail-coverts and rump dull yellowish-red ; wing-
bands and edging of secondaries light wood-brown ; entire under parts
reddish-brown, lightest on abdomen, most pronounced on breast and sides.
From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me., August 27, 1874.

Young birds in the second or autumnal plumage exhibit almost endless
variations of coloring. The males may be distinguished in most cases by
the coppery-red on the crown and rump ; but some females have the
ordinary Isrownish-yellow on those parts, strongly tinged with red. One
young male in my collection exhibits a broad pectoral band of light rose-
color mixed with reddish-yellow.

54. Carpodacus purpureus.

First plumage : female. Above dark brown, shading to lighter on the
rump, each feather edged with light reddish-brown. The forehead and
supra-loral line streaked with grayish. Under parts dull white, thickly
streaked everywhere, except on crissum and anal region, with very dark
brown. From a specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, Jul)'^ 9,
1873. Although this bird is in strictly first plumage, it differs scarcely
appreciably in coloring from autumnal specimens.

in Various Sjyecics of North American Birds. 1.17

55. Lozia leucoptera.

A male and female of this species, received from Mr. J. G. Rich, and
shot by him at Upton, Me., some time in April, dift'er widely in color-
ing from any specimens which I have previously examined. The male is
very brilliant carmine, nowhere streaked or obscured except on the sides,
abdomen, and forehead. The wings, tail, and scapulars are very clear
glossy-black ; the white wing-bands unusually broad and clearly defined.
The female is similarly marked, with pale orange replacing the carmine
of the male. The rump and breast exhibit large areas of the purest
orange, which, however, is scarcely less jironounced on the back and
crown, although there somewhat obscured by a dusky pencilling. Whether
these specimens represent some regular seasonal phase of plumage, or are
simply aberrant types, I am unable to decide. Both are ai:)parently adult
birds.

56. Lozia curvirostra americaua.

First pluvuige : female. Upi^er sui-face generally brown, each feather
edged and tipped with dull gray. Interscapular region washed with
greenish-olive ; rump yellowish-white, with a greenish tinge ; a few only
of the feathers with darker centres. Beneath dull ash, lighter on the ab-
domen, washed with greenish across the breast, each feather with a central
streak of dark brown. From a specimen in my collection obtained at
Upton, Me., June 25, 1873. In general aspect this specimen is much
darker than the adult female. It was moulting, and had acquired a few
feathers of the autuimial plumage.

57. Chrysomitris pinus.

First plmnage: female. Strong mustard-yellorv, tinged on the upper
parts with brownish-olive, every feather, excepting those on the abdomen,
streaked with dark brown. Wing-bands and outer edging of secondaries
fulvoiTS. From a specimen in my collection, shot at Upton, Me., Au-
gust 18, 1873. The first plumage of this species is certainly most remark-
able. The yellow is by no means a mere wash or tinge of color, but pure,
strong, and uniformly distributed. In a series of five or six specimens
collected at about the same time, several exhibit a brownish cast, espe-
cially on the upper parts, while scarcely any two agree as to tlie relative
amount and color of the dusky streaks. In one example they are very
broad and almost black, in another, tear-shaped and of a dull brown.

58. Chrysomitris tristis.

First plumage : male. Crown, interscapular region, and rump light
reddish-brown, tinged with olive. AVing-bands and a broad edging upon
the secondaries intense fawn-color. Forehead and entire under parts
fulvous-j'ellow, most prominent on the sides. From a specimen in my
collection, shot at Upton, Me., August 29, 1873.

118 Beewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

59. Plectrophanes ornatus.

First plumage : female. Above light reddish-brown, every feather
streaked centrally with very dark brown, most heavily so upon the crown.
Greater and middle wing-coverts pale ashy, tinged with reddish. Lores
and superciliary stripes dull gray, the latter minutely dotted with brown.
Under parts pale fulvous, streaked somewhat finely with brown upon the
breast and jugulum, with a maxillary series of spots of the same color.
From a specimen in my cabinet, -collected by Dr. Coues, September 3^
1873, at Souris River, Dakota.

60. Fasserculus savanna.

First 'plumage : male. Above light brownish cream-color, streaked
thickly and finely on the top of the head and nape, more broadly on
the back, with dark brown. Beneath dull white, strongly tinged ante-
riorly with brownish-yellow, finely streaked everywhere excepting upon
the abdominal and anal regions with dull black. Wings paler than in
adult, with the greater and middle coverts tipped with fulvous. From
a specimen in my collection, shot at Upton, Maine, August 11, 1873.

61. Coturniculus henslovri.

First plumage. Top of head, neck, upper parts of back and rump, oliva-
ceous brown ; crown with a broad black-spotted stripe on each side.
Feathers of interscapular region with heavy central spots of dull black.
Beneath pure delicate straw-color, lightest on the abdomen, deepest, with
a strong bufi"y tinge, on the throat, breast, and sides ; no spots or markings
of any kind on the under parts. Outer edging of primaries and secondaries
dull cinnamon ; wing-coverts buff. Lores and spot upon the auriculars
dusky. Bill colored like that of the adult. From two specimens in my
cabinet, collected at Concord, Mass., June 19, 1878. With the single ex-
ception of Chrysomitris tristis, this is the only species of the Fringillidce,
80 far as I am aware, in which the young in first plumage are entirely
immaculate beneath.

Autumnal plumage : youug female. Bill hlack. Crown, cheeks, and su-
perciliaryline, anteriorly, reddish-buff. A narrow maxillary and inframax-
illary stripe and a small spot behind the auriculars, black. Top of head
with two broad stripes of dark brown upon the sides. Post-orbital space,
neck, nape, and back anteriorly dull olive-green, the nape dotted finely with
dusky. Tertiaries, upper tail-coverts, and feathers of interscapular region
with broad, rounded, central spots of black, shading round their edges
into dark chestnut, and tipped narrowly with ashy-white. Outer surface
of wing similar to the adults, but paler. Under parts pale reddish-buflf,
fading into soiled white upon the abdomen. A broad continuous band
of black spots across the breast, extending down the sides to the crissum.
Throat flecked faintly but thickly with dusky. Chin, jugulum, and
central abdominal and anal regions unspotted. From a specimen in

in Various Species of North American Birds. 1.19

my cabinet, collected at Osterville, Mass., November 6, 1874. In the
absence of suthcient material for comparison, I am unable to say whether
this s])ecinien represents the typical autumnal plumage or not. The
black bill is, to say the least, a remarkable feature, and one not found in
either the adult or young in first plumage. •

62. Coturniculus passerinus.

First pluma(/e : male. Upper surface, including sides of neck, dark
brown, each feather edged and tipped with pale fulvous, — no chestnut
marking. Sides of head ochraceous, spotted finely with dusky. Super-
ciliary line pale buff. Greater and middle wing- coverts dull white. Be-
neath dull white (in some specimens with a decided yellowish cast).
Sides with a few dusky streaks. A broad continuous band of ovate black
spots across the breast and jugulum, running upward in a narrowing line
to the base of the lower mandible. Several specimens in my cabinet, col-
lected at Nantucket, Mass., in July, 1874. This species in the first plu-
mage may be at once separated from C. henslowi in the corresponding stage
by the conspicuous band of spots upon the breast, and by the darker
and more uniform coloring of the upper parts.

63. Ammodromus maritimus.

First plumage. Above light olive-brown, with dusky streakings, broad-
est upon the interscapular region, narrower and more uniformly distrib-
uted upon the occiput and nape. A broad superciliary stripe of fulvous
extending backward to the occiput, finely spotted with dusky upon its
posterior half. Sides of head dull olive, with irregular patches of fulvous.
Wing-bands of pale fulvous upon the greater and middle coverts. Beneath
pale brownish-yellow, fading to soiled white posteriorly. Sides, and a
broad continuous band across the breast, spotted with dull brown. From
a specimen in my collection, taken at Bath, Long Island, September, 1872.

64. Ammodromus caudacutus.

First plumage : male. General coloring, both above and beneath, bright
reddish-brown, nearly as in the superciliary stripe of the adult. Feathers
of interscapular region streaked centrally with dark brown ; nape brownish-
olive, unspotted. Two broad stripes of dark brown on the sides of crown.
Wings and tail scarcely more reddish than in adult. Sides of head with
fewer dark markings. Sides of breast somewhat thickly streaked with
dusky ; otherwise unmarked. From a specimen in my collection, taken
at Rye Beach, N. H., August 20, 1869. It is not a little remarkable that
in a family whose young are nearly without exception more thickly
streaked or spotted than their parents, — and often, indeed, conspicuously
marked in this manner, when the parent is entirely plain, — this bird in
first plumage should exhibit less streaking beneath than the adult, which
has not only a continuous band of dusky markings across the breast.

120 Brewstek's Descriptions oj the First Plumage

but also the sides thickly marked in a similar manner. In view of
this fact, the further development of the young is most interesting.
When the autumnal plumage is acquired, the dusky streakings upon the
sides of the breast are entirely lost, and do not again appear until after the
spring moult, when, as previously stated, they are distributed over much
larger areas. A nearly analogous case of development is afforded by the
Arctic and Wilson's Terns, whose young have the bill and feet at first pale
red or yellow, afterwards dusky or nearly black, and again, when fully
adult, deeper and clearer red than when first from the nest.

65. Melospiza palustris.

First plumage : female. Crown blackish, each feather obscurely tipped
with lighter. Rest of upper parts reddish-brown, every feather streaked
centrally with dull black. Beneath dull ferruginous-brown, fading to
soiled white on the abdomen, streaked thickly but narrowly with dull
black everywhere excepting on the abdomen. Sides of head dusky, with
irregular patches of dark brown. No appreciable ashy anywhere. From
a specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, Mass., June 24, 1872.
Specimens in first plumage show considerable variation in the amount of
streaking beneath. Some are so faintly marked that at a little distance
they appear entirely plain. They may be at once distinguished from ex-
amples of M. melodia in corresponding plumage by the much darker cast
of the upper surface (especially of the crown) and by the finer character of
the markings beneath.

66. Melospiza melodia.

First plumage : male. Above similar to the adult, but with the crown
less rufous, and the markings of the feathers upon the interscapular region
decidedly darker. The sides of the head are also more buffy and the
markings fainter. Beneath light yellowish-brown, streaked -and spotted
everywhere, excepting upon the throat and abdomen, with dusky brown,
of a much lighter and duller cast than in the adult. From a specimen in
my collection shot at Cambridge, Mass., June 24, 1872.

67. Junco hyemalis.

First plumage : male. Upper parts dark browTi, everywhere suffused
with ashy, but most appreciably so upon the top and sides of head ; every
feather marked obscurely with dull black. Greater and middle coverts
tipped with reddish-brown, producing two rather indistinct wing-bands.
Throat, and breast anteriorly, ferruginous-ashy, nearly obscured by
streakings of dull black. Rest of under parts dull ashy-white, with a
faint buffy tinge, spotted everywhere excepting on the abdomen with
dusky. Crissum pale fulvous. From a specimen in my cabinet collected
at Upton, Me., August 25, 1874. Considerable variation is exhibited by
the series of specimens in first plumage before me. Some have the upper

in Various Species of North American Birds. 121

parts dull reddish-brown, with the streakings but faintly indicated, and
scarcely any appreciable ashy either above or beneath. The first plumage
is worn by the young of this species for an unusually long time.

68. Spizella socialis.

First plumage : male. Above light reddish-brown, lighter and with an
ashy tinge on the nape and rump, every feather streaked centrally with
dark brown. Superciliary line and a poorly defined median stripe upon
the crown pale fulvous. Beneath ashy-white, spotted and streaked every-
where, excepting on throat, anal region, and crissum, with dull black.
From a specimen in my collection shot at Cambridge, Mass., July 9, 1873.

69. Spizella pusilla.

First plumage : male. Above olivaceous-ashy, the feathers of the inter-
scapular region with central streaks of dark brownish-chestnut. Crown,
occiput, and nape unmarked. Entire under parts, including sides of head,
light brownish-ashy, paler posteriorly. A broad band across the breast
of fine, faint, but distinct spots of reddish-brown. From a specimen in my
collection taken at Belmont, Mass., July 30, 1875. Young of this species
in first plumage are readily separable from those of S. socialis by the plain
crown and finer spottings of the under parts.

70. Zonotrichia albicollis.

First plum/xge : male. Above bright reddish-brown, darkest upon the
crown, the feathers of the interscapular region with obscurely defined dark
brown centres. Superciliary stripe, and a poorly defined median stripe
upon the crown, brownish-white ; no decided yellow anterior to the
eye. Beneath brownish-white, with dusky streakings everywhere ex-
cepting upon the abdomen. From a specimen in my collection taken at
Upton, Me., July 30, 1874.

71. Zonotrichia leucophrys.

First plwmage. Throat, breast, sides, and interscapular region streaked
thickly ^vith dull black, most broadly so on the back ; on the throat these
streaks are reduced to mere spots ; lateral stripes of crown dark brown ;
central stripe dirty white. Anal and abdominal region immaculate. Cris-
sum faintly spotted. Otherwise like adult. From specimen in the col-
lection of J. Murdoch, obtained by him at Labrador, July, 1876.

72. Chondestes grammica.

First plumage. Cro^vn dark brown, faintly tinged with chestnut. A
median and two lateral stripes of pale brownish-yellow. Eest of upper
pai-ts similar to the adult, but with the rump obscurely spotted, and the
streaking on the feathers of the interscapular region much broader. Lores

VOL. III. 9

122 Brewster's Descriptions of First Plumages.

dull black. Beneath soiled white, thickly streaked everywhere, excepting
upon the abdomen, with dull black. From a specimen in my collection
obtained at Columbus, Ohio, by Dr. J. M. Wheaton.

73. Euspiza americana.

First plumage. Above pale fulvous, Avith broad markings of dark brown
upon the feathers of the interscapular region, and narrower fainter ones
of lighter brown upon the crown. Bend of wing, middle and greater cov-
erts, fulvous. Under parts delicate fawn-color, deepest upon the breast.
No markings beneath, excepting a faintly indicated line of dusky spots
upon the sides of the breast. From a specimen in my cabinet collected
at Columbus, Ohio, by Dr. J. M. Wheaton. This bird is very young,
scarcely large enough to fly.

74. Cyanospiza cyanea.

First plumage : female. Above dark reddish-brown, slightly tinged
with olive, a few of the feathers upon the interscapular region with very
obscure dusky central markings. Beneath pale reddish-brown, deepest
upon the abdominal and anal regions ; streaked distinctly on the sides
and across the breast with dusky brown. From a specimen in my cabi-
net collected at Cambridge, Mass., July 15, 1872.

75. Pyrrhuloxia sinuata.

First plumage : male. Above light ashy-brown, palest on crown and
nape. Two rather indistinct wing-bands of fulvous ashy. Crest similar
to that of adult, but of a lighter red ; bill much darker than in adult.
Breast and sides brownish-ash with a few scattered feathers of faint crim-
son on the median line of the breast and abdomen. From a specimen in
my collection obtained by Dr. H. B. Butcher on the Rio Grande in Texas,
August 29, 1866. This specimen was moulting, and had already acquired
many feathers of the fall dress. The red feathers of the crest and under
parts would probably be wanting in very young birds.

76. Pipilo erythrophthalmus.

First plumage : male. Above dull reddish-olive, the feathers of the
interscapular region with dusky brown centres. Greater wing-coverts
and outer edges of two inner tertiaries, deep fulvous. Beneath pale red-
dish-brown, deepest upon sides and crissum, shading into brownish-white
upon the abdomen, thickly spotted and streaked everywhere (excepting
on a small space upon the abdomen) with dull black. From a specimen
in my collection shot in Cambridge, Mass., June 21, 1874. In a large
series of young in first plumage much individual variation occurs. Some
specimens are thickly and finely streaked beneath with dull chestnut in
place of black, while the upper parts are dull rufous ; others, taken during
the progress of the first moult, exhibit nearly every conceivable variation
of marking in reddish-brown, chestnut, white, and black.

Merriam 071 Birds of Lewis County, Neio York. 123

77. Molothrus ater.

First phimage ; female. Above olivaceous-brown, the primaries, secon-
daries, greater aiitl middle coverts, and every featlier upon the nape and
interscapular region, edged with light sugar-brown. Superciliary line
and entire under parts delicate brownish-yellow. The throat and lower
area of abdomen immaculate ; everywhere else thickly streaked with
purplish-drab. From a specimen in my cabinet taken at Cambridge,
Mass., August 4, 1875. A male in first plumage differs in being much
darker and more thickly streaked beneath. Specimens in process of
change into the autumnal plumage are curiously patched and marked
with the light brown of the first plumage and the darker feathers of the
fall dress. All the reniiges and rectrices are moulted with the rest of the
first plumage during the first moult.

REMARKS ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OF LEWIS COUNTY,
NORTHERN NEW YORK.

BY C. HART MERRIAM.

(Continued from p. 56.)

Melanerpea erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — This

handsome bird, the most beautiful, to my eye, of all our Woodpeckers,
may be regarded as a common resident in Lewis County ; for since my
earliest recollection — and the bird has always been a favorite with me —
it has been plentiful throughout the entire year, excepting only during
those winters which followed unusually small yields of beechnuts.

Like the Yellow-bellied and Golden-winged Woodpeckers, and to a cer-
tain extent the Red-bellied also, it is generally considered a truly migra-
tory species wherever it occurs at all (in the Eastern Province) north of
the Southern States. In 1862 Dr. Coues gave it as a ." summer resident " in
the District of Columbia, stating that it *' arrives in spring usually the
last week in April ; leaves about the middle of September." * TurnbuU
says (1869) that in East Pennsylvania and New Jersey it is "plentiful,
arriving in the latter part of April, and departing in September or begin-
ning of October." t Again, in 1868, Coues gives it as a "rare summer
visitant "J to New England, and De Kay tells us (1843) that it " arrives in

* List of Birds ascertained to inhabit the District of Columbia. By Elliott
Coues and D. Webster Prentiss. From Smithsonian Report for 1861, 1862,
p. 403.

t Birds of East Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By William P. Turubull,
LL. D. Glasgow (Cuts), p. 15, 1869.

J Proceed. Essex Inst., Vol. V, p. 263, 1868.

124 Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, New YorJc.

this State from the South in the early part of May, and, after breeding,
leaves us again in September ; occasionally a few remain during the win-
fer." * Hence it is not to be wondered at that when, during the winter of
1871 - 72, 1 mentioned to one of our leading ornithologists the fact of their
wintering with us in Northern New York, my statement was received
with surprise and, as I thought, no little incredulity. I therefore wrote
to my friend, Mr. C. L. Bagg, asking him to send me a lot of Ked-headed
Woodpeckers as soon as possible, and in a week's time received a box con-
taining over twenty specimens, — all killed in Lewis County and when
the snow was three feet deep I This was proof positive. Notes kept by Mr.
Bagg and myself during the past six years show that they were abundant
here during the winters of 1871 - 72, 1873 - 74, 1875 - 76, and 1877 - 78 ;
while they were rare or did not occur at all during the winters of 1872 - 73
and 1876- 77. Their absence was in no way governed by the severity of
the winters, but entirelj' dependent upon the absence of the usual supply
of beechnuts. While the greater portion of nuts fall to the ground and
are buried beneath the snow far beyond the reach of the Woodpeckers,
yet enough remain on the trees all winter to furnish abundant subsistence
for those species which feed on them.

I have previously called attention to the fact that in this locality " they
subsist almost exclusively on beechnuts, of which evidently they are ex-
tremely fond, eating them, apparently with equal relish, whether green or
fully matured. It is truly a beautiful sight to watch these magnificent
birds, together with their equally abundant cousins, the Yellow-bellied
Woodpeckers {Splujraincus varius), creeping about, after the manner of the
Warblers, among the small branches and twigs, which bend low with their
weight while picking and husking the tender nuts, — the bright crimson
of the head, neck, and breast, the glossy blue-black back and creamy- white
belly, together with the scarcely less striking colors of their yellow-bellied
companions, contrast handsomely with the deep green foliage," * — a scene
suggestive of the oft-dreamed-of avian paradise amidst the rich verdure
of the tropics rather than the cold forests bordering the Canadian Fauna.
Then, as they spread their beautiful wings and in graceful undulatory
flight pass from wood to wood, their bright plumage glistening in the sun,
and, alighting on the farther side of some convenient tree, peep cautiously
about to see if intruders are near, one is so wrapped in admiration that he
wishes the days of sorcery and magic had not yet gone, tliat he might be
transformed into one of these splendid birds.

They are suspicious creatures, and if danger threatens, utter a hoarse
rattling cry, not at all in harmony with their pretty exterior, and are ofif
in an instant. If slowly and stealthily approached, they sometimes hesi-

* Ornithology of New York, p. 185, 1844.
t Birds of Connecticut, p. 66, 1877.

Merriam on Birds of Leicis County, New York. 125

tate 'before taking flight, and run up the trunks muttering to them-
selves in a grumbling, dissatisfied sort of a way, but taking good care to
keep the tree well between them and the intruder, at whom, meanwhile,
they take an occasional peep, exposing little more than the bill and one
eye, however, so that it is no easy matter to shoot them.

During the autumn the scattered pairs for several miles around usually
congregate in some suitable wood, containing a plenty of beech-trees, and
here spend the long cold winter in company, chattering and chasing one an-
other about among the trees to keep warm, and to help while away the time.
" Coe's woods," in this immediate vicinity, has long been famous as the
great winter resort for the Red-headed Woodpeckers of the neighborhood,
and it is certainly the most suitable place for their purposes to be found
for many miles around. This piece of woods, not over an eighth of a
mile in extent, contains, besides hundreds of beeches (Fagus ferruginea),
a large number of elms ( Ulmus americana), and white ash-trees (Fraxinus
americana) of great size, most of the tops of which are now dead. What
more favorable location than this woods could a Woodpecker desire ?
Here they have beechnuts in abundance and a bountiful supply of dead
limbs and tree-tops far above the reach of the small charges commonly
used by bird-collectors.

The Red-headed Woodpeckers have a very provoking way of keeping
on the upper side of a very high limb, so that, from below, one can get
little more than an occasional glimpse of the bird's head, and an expect-
ant gazing upward at this is very apt to prove unsatisfactory and to result
in a stiff neck. At such times, as if in defiance, their harsh rattling note
is constantly repeated, and they are rarely quiet unless taken by surprise
at close quarters, when they generally slide quickly to the opposite side
of the tree, and after running up a short distance, take flight. Still they
are by no means so noisy as the Yellow-bellied fellows, who, not content
with stretching to the utmost their vocal powers, take especial delight in
drumming on hard resonant trees, eave-troughs, and tin roofs.

Though not particularly quarrelsome in disposition, they evidently
enjoy an occasional row, both among themselves and with other inhabi-
tants of the forest. But a short time since (May 14), while passing
through Coe's woods, I heard a great commotion among the Woodpeckers,
and found a couple of Melanerpes worrying a pair of Downy Woodpeckers
(Ficus pubescens), who had made their nest in a hole in the dead beech,
which was the seat of the difficulty. They chased and dove at one
another for some time, the Red-heads being the aggressive party, and made
considerable bluster and noise, but, so far as actual fighting was concerned,
neither party seemed to make much headway ; and I put an end to the
affray by shooting the Melanerpes, who were so excited that they did
not notice me at all. At another time, in midwinter (January, 1876), my
attention was called, by the noise they made, to a pair of Red-headed
Woodpeckers who were diving at something on one of the highest limbs of

126 Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, New York.

a large elm. A near approach showed the object of their malice to be a
handsome black squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis var. leiicotis, Allen), who
had been unfortunate enough to excite their ire by climbing a tree in
broad daylight. The squirrel at first evaded their attacks from above by
clinging to the under surface of the limb, and dodged their lateral shoots
by a quick side shift, but this was temporary. The Woodpeckers,
realizing that they were not tormenting the squirrel to a satisfactory ex-
tent, alighted for a brief council, during which the squirrel took occasion
to commence a hasty retreat. But the birds were at him again in an
instant, this time changing their tactics, and both dove together, the one
following closely behind the other, so that as the squirrel dodged the first
he was sure to be struck by the second. The blows from their hard bills
were so severe and so painful that the poor squirrel had not been struck
half a dozen times when he let go his hold and fell to the ground, but
was off and up another tree before I could reach the spot. I witnessed a
similar attack upon a gray squirrel (color-variety of same species) last
August, but this time the squirrel succeeded in getting into a hollow limb.
The time of year at which the above instances occurred precludes the pos-
sibility that the cause of the diflSculty arose from an intrusion on the
nesting-grounds of the "Woodpeckers, for the first took place in midwinter,
and the second after the young were fully fledged and had left the nest.
Neither is it at all likely that the trouble was due to an old grudge which
might have arisen from a habit, on the part of the squirrel, of robbing the
Woodpeckers of their eggs, for the size of the animal is such as to prevent
his ready entrance into the Woodpecker's hole, and should he even succeed
in getting in he would doubtless pay the penalty with his eyes if not his
life. Hence it seems fair to conclude that the disposition of the bird is not
altogether in keeping with its pretty plumage, but that it sometimes plays
the part of tyrant over those who, from lack of wings or inferiority of size,
are unable to offer adequate resistance.

•. During the summer months, when beechnuts are striving to become
young trees, and insects are particularly abundant, they feed largely on
the latter ; and in autumn, in some parts of the countrj', destroy large
quantities of fruit, "ripe cherries and pears seeming to be a favorite
repast." *

Like other Woodpeckers they procure larvae by puncturing dead limbs,
and mature insects by searching crevices in the bark, but, unlike other
members of the family, they also capture their prey in mid-air, after the
manner of the true Flycatchers. Thus occupied, I have several times seen
them from fence-posts, and twice from the dead top of " the old gum-tree "
(a large spruce), make frequent sallies into the air after passing insects,
which were almost invariably secured, so accurate was their aim. Atten-
tion has already been called to their fly-catching proclivities by Mr.

* J. P. Giraud, Jr. Birds of Long Island, p. 180, 1844.

Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, New York. 127

Samuel Calvin * and others.t In Humboldt County, Iowa, they must
be badly demoralized, for Mr. Charles Aldrich states that there they some-
times amuse themselves by braining young poultry. He says : " On
watching carefully to ascertain the cause, a Red-headed Woodpecker (Mela-
nerpes erythrocephalns) was caught in the act. He killed the tender
duckling with a single blow on the head, and then pecked out and ate the
brains ! " :J:

In the last number of the Bulletin Mr. H. B. Bailey published a letter,
relative to the food of this species, from Mr. G. S. Agersborg, of Vei-milion,
Dakota Ter., which is of such unusual interest that I take the liberty of
reproducing part of it here : " Last spring, in opening a good many birds of
this species with the object of ascertaining their principal food, I found in
their stomachs nothing but young grasshoppers. One of them, which had
its headquarters near my house, was observed making frequent visits to an
old oak post, and on examining it I found a large crack where the Wood-
pecker had inserted about one hundred grasshoppers of all sizes (for future
use, as later observations proved), which were put in without killing them,
but they were so firmly wedged in the crack that they in vain tried to get
free. I told this to a couple of farmers, and found that they had also seen
the same thing, and showed me the posts which were used for the same
purpose." §

Gentry says that in Union and Northumberland counties, in Pennsyl-
vania, "no later than the 10th of August," he has " seen immense flocks,
numbering hundreds, in orchards, gleaning among the trunks and branches
of apple-trees, for the insects which lurk in their creviced bark. So tame
and confiding were they that it was possible to approach within a few
paces of them without exciting suspicion or creating alarm." || Not being
a migratory species with us, in Northern New York (unless forced to leave
by scarcity of food), they are never met with in large flocks, and their
wariness depends, of course, upon the amount of persecution to which they
are subjected. Well do I remember a winter, about twelve years ago, when
in Coe's woods • Mr. Bagg and I used to hunt them on snow-shoes with
bow and arrow. Then they would often alight close to us, and occasion-
ally paid dearly for their audacity.

During the summer and early autumn they are generally more easily
approached than when in winter-quarters.

Yesterday (May 29), while passing a dead stub, I noticed a Red-headed

* American Naturalist, Vol. XI, No. 8, p. 471, August, 1878.

+ Harper's Magazine, and Forest and Stream, Vol. IX, No. 24, p. 451, Jan.
17, 1878.

:;: American Naturalist, Vol. XI, No. 5, p. 308, May, 1877.

§ Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. Ill, No. 2, p. 97, April, 1878.

II Thos. G. Gentrj'. Life Histories of the Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania,
Vol. II, p. 148, 1877.

128 BiCKNELL on the Carolinian Fauna

Woodpecker fly from a hole in its side about twenty feet from the
ground. On shaking the stub I could distinctly hear young birds within,
which greatly surprised me, for many of them are not yet breeding, as shown
by the size of their ovaries. The parent bird immediately returned,
flying about overhead, and sometimes alighted on the stub, uttering, every
now and then, her characteristic ker-r-r-ruck, ker-ruck-ruck-ruck.

EVIDENCES OF THE CAROLINIAN FAUNA IN THE LOWER
HUDSON VALLEY. PRINCIPALLY FROM OBSERVATIONS
TAKEN AT RIVERDALE, N. Y.

BY EUGENE P. BICKNELL.

The restrictionary causes circumscribing geographical divisions of
animal and vegetable life, though as yet but imperfectly under-
stood, are well known to bear little relation to absolute latitudinal
parallels, but to be largely independent of these equidistant surface
divisions, and likewise to a certain extent uncomformable with iso-
thermal lines. The boundaries of faunal areas are usually of an
extremely irregular nature, and in their territorial relations con-
tiguous faunae often present a series of mutual interpenetrations,
the apparent invasion by one province of an adjoining district of
course being coincident with an opposite extension or penetration
of the invaded territorj'.

Thus from near the northeastern boundary of the Carolinian
Fauna two main branches emanate, — one striking up into the valley
of the Hudson; the other extending along the Connecticut coast
and into the Connecticut valley, through which reaching the Mas-
sachusetts border.* The relations between these two tributaries
at their junction with the main body of the fauna to which they
belong, or their consolidation before reaching that point, is at pres-
ent but very superficially understood ; but from what knowledge
we have in the matter it would appear that their interception
occun-ed somewhere near the mouth of the Hiidson, thus includ-
ing New York City and vicinity in the angle formed by their
divergence.

The northern limit of the Hudson River branch is as yet unde-

* A Review of the Birds of Connecticut. By C. Hart Merriam, p. 1, 1877.

in the Zoivcr Hudson Valley. 29

termined ; but at Riverdale, where, unless otherwise stated, the
following observations were taken, the Carolinian Fauna is well
represented by the .regular occurrence of such characteristic species
as Helmitherus vermivorus, Helminthophaga piiius, Icteria virens,
Mt/iodiodes mitratus, Stelgidojiteryx serripennis, .and Empidonax
acadiciis, and the occasional occurrence of other equally character-
istic Carolinian forms, notices of which follow.

Mimus polyglottis. Mocking-Bird. An individual of this species
was seen on October 28, 1877, and on November 21, of the same year, a
specimen was shot from a fence by the roadside, by a friend, and kindly
presented to me. The bird had been observed near the same place on
the previous day feeding on the berries of a cedar (Juni2}ems virginiana).
It proved to be a female, and was in good condition, the stomach contain-
ing cedar berries, and also those of the common poke or pigeon berry
{Phytolacca). I am aware of two specimens having been seen in the Cen-
tral Park within the last few years, probably wild birds ; and two have
recently been killed on Long Island by Newbold T. Lawrence.*

Lophophanes bicolor. Tufted Titmouse. On November 29, 1874,
one of these birds appeared in a certain piece of open woodland in the
vicinity, and for several weeks thereafter was occasionally noticed about
the same spot, and without doubt remained during the winter, as 1 am
almost certain of having heard it in January, and the following Mar-h it
was often seen or heard about the same woods, being then in full song.
It disappeared after March 28. Mr. Geo. N. Lawrence informs me that
some years ago, late in the fall, he noticed a number of these birds near
Williams Bridge, but a few miles from Eiverdale.

Thryothorus ludovicianus. Carolina Wren. A specimen was
taken in the late fall several years ago by Mr. W. E. Babcock, on a par-
tially wooded slope extending toward the river shore. Two instances of
its occurrence on Manhattan Island are recorded by Mr. Lawrence,t and De
Kay (p. 55) speaks of having had specimens from Westchester and Rock-
land Counties, taken as late as the middle of December.

Helmitherus vermivorus. Worm-eating Warbler. This species
is not uncommon during the summer, usually arriving the second week in
May (May 2, this year) ; and, in 1876, I knew of at least five pairs that
reared their broods in the immediate vicinity. In the previous year I
secured a nest with complement of five eggs, partially incubated on J une
13, and have found young birds able to fly on the 27th of the same
month. In very young birds, scarcely able to fly, the olive of the adult
is only apparent on the remiges, the remainder of the plumage being of a

* Forest and Stream, Vol. X, No. 13, p. 235, May 2, 1878.
+ A Catalogue of the Birds observed in the Vicinity of New York. By Geo.
N. Lawrence. 1866, p. 283.

130 BiCKNELL on the Carolinian Fauna

general brownish and deep buffy suffusion, very similar to the color of dead
leaves, especially on the breast, and rendering their detection when among
the leaves of their favorite haunts very difficult. Does not this adaptation
of color to environment in the case of these helpless young appear to be an
instance of protective mimicry ?

Helminthophaga pinus. Blue-winged Yellow Warbler. Com-
mon during the summer, and regularly breeding. Arrives after the first
week in May (May 2, in 1878), and incubation commences by the last of
the month.

Helminthophaga chrysoptera. Golden-winged Warbler. —
Though this species must be of somewhat regular occurrence, I have but
one record from the immediate vicinity, a male seen on May 11, 1875.

Oporornis formosus. Kentucky Warbler. — Have taken but one
specimen in the vicinity, an adult male on May 30, 1875. Mr. J. Wal-
lace informs me that this species occurs during the breeding-season, at Fort
Lee, N. J., and that some years since a nest and five eggs with the female
bird was taken at that locality. Has been found breeding at Sing Sing,
by Mr. A. K. Fisher, N. Y.*

Myiodioctes mitratus. Hooded Warbler. — Within the confines of
a tract of somewhat elevated though diversified woodland, this species
may be seen or heard every day in the early summer after the middle of
May, though only on rare occasions has it been noted at other places in
the vicinity. In these woods the ground reaches an elevation of (approxi-
mately) two hundred and fifty feet, very nearly as high as any land in the
vicinity, and here these birds may be found breeding indifferently on the
open or wooded summits, or at their base near the low swampy growth
bordering the woods. Owing to the encroachment of the Cow Buntings,
but a single bird was reared between two nests which I discovered in
1875. I have females in my collection representing well the state of plu-
mage recently spoken of by Mr. Merriam,t and by Mr. E. A. Mearns,t of
Highland Falls. In one of these birds the black, though well defined in
the region of the occiput, is scarcely detectible on the throat ; while another,
though less definitely marked, represents an almost opposite phase. This
bird also breeds abundantly at Fort Lee, N. J., in company with H. ver-
mivorus and H. jnnus, and all three also occur at West Farms, N. Y. §

Stelgidopteryx serripennis. Rough-winged Swallow. — This spe-
cies is a regular summer visitor, arriving about the last week in April,
and though not uncommon in the spring, but few remain to breed. By
the first week in August, however, the species again appears, apparently

* Am. Nat., Vol. IX, p. 573.

+ Review of the Birds of Conn., pp. 25, 26.

t This Bulletin, Vol. Ill, pp. 71, 72.

§ W. G. Stevens. Forest and Stream, Vol. VI, p. 215.

in tlie Lower Hudson Valley. 131

on its southern migration, and becomes much more abundant than in the
spring. On August 5, last, I noticed numbers of these birds in flocks
of from ten to thirty individuals lining the fences along the roadside and
outnumbering any of the other species with which they were associating.
After September 9 none were observed. The greater abundance of
this species in spring and late summer than in the intermediate season
would seem to indicate a more northern range, and this, taken in connec-
tion with the proximity to the Connecticut State line, and the fact that the
course of migration at this point tends towards the northeast, would ap-
pear to render their regular occurrence there almost assured.

Cardinalis virginianus. Cardinal Redbird. — A male specimen
■was taken on Manhattan Island in February, 1867, by Mr. George Bird
Grinnell, it having alighted near his house during a snow-storm, and on
October 12, 1874, I saw a pair at Riverdale, where I also obsen'ed a male
on June 8, 1872. Mr. Akhurst tells me that on Long Island one or more
of these birds are taken almost every year, and further states that he has
often found them about Sandy Hook, and knew of a pair breeding years
ago near Jersey City.

Corvus ossifragus. Fish Crow. — As \vill be seen from the following
remarks, there is no doubt that a pair of these birds have been in the vi-
cinity during the past season. I first noticed them on February 24, being
attracted by their small size, and for several weeks thereafter they were
often seen, their peculiarities of note and habit at once distinguishing
them from the common Crow.

Their favorite resort seems to be a growth of tall and partially decayed
locusts bordering a fresh-water pond, and on two of these trees, standing
together somewhat apart from the others, the birds were to be found al-
most every morning, but, owing to their shyness and the openness of the
ground, I was unable to approach within gunshot. In alighting they
usually chose the very topmost branches of the trees, and when approached
manifested their suspicion by a restless and excited motion of the wings,
which appeared to be more pointed than in the more stovitly built
C. americanus. Their note was an abrupt, expressionless croak, usually
delivered singly and at regular intervals. Though other Crows were often
seen in the vicinity, this pair kept aloof by themselves, and several times
I saw them chased by a clamorous party of their larger relatives. Latterly
they have been rarely noticed, and then always singly, thus indicating that
they are breeding in the vicinity.

Empidonax acadicus. Acadian Flycatcher. — Arrives the last
week in May, and is not uncommon during the summer, frequenting cool
shaded glens or retired woodland usually near a running stream. In any
such favorable location in the vicinity these birds may be found every
summer, though I have never found more than a single pair occupying
any one locality, and know of perhaps six such pairs which are with us

132 BiCKNELL on the Carolinian Fauna.

every season. The almost proverbial inconstancy and variableness of these
birds in the construction of their nests in different parts of the country, is
even apparent at a single locality. Indeed, two nests in my collection,
which were taken within a mile of each other, are so entirely dissimilar
that were they not positively identified, it would be difficult to believe that
they belonged to the same species. This mutability exhibited by the
species in question is not confined solely to the construction of their nest ;
for in one of the above-mentioned nests the three eggs were almost incu-
bated on June 18, while in the other the last of three eggs was deposited
on June 28, showing a difference of at least three weeks in their time of
laying. It is worthy of remark that the first nest found was much more
warmly and compactly constructed than the latter, possibly the result of
foresight on the part of the bird.

Strix flammea americana. Barn Owl. — Mr. H. B. Bailey informs
me, that late in the afternoon of April 5, last, when passing up Fulton
Street, New York City, his attention was directed by a crowd of gaping
" citizens " to one of these birds perched upon a house-top, over the street.
The bird did not offer to fly, and was left where it had been found, a distinct
view of course rendering the identification absolute. Mr. Akhurst has
"repeatedly" observed it about Snake Hill, N. J. ; and two specimens
taken by him on Staten Island are now in the collection of the Long
Island Historical Society.

Numerous other of our more southern birds have been recorded from
the vicinity of New York City, which lack of space will prevent my men-
tioning here. With regard to Goniaphea ccerulea, however, it might be
well to state that besides the specimen recorded by De Kay,* as having
been taken on Manhattan Island, Mr. Akhurst in a single day, many
years ago, noticed several specimens about Snake Hill, N. J., and again
on Long Island, both instances being in the spring. The same gentleman
is aware of several (five or six or more) specimens of Cyanospiza ciris hav-
ing been taken on the coast of Long Island, near the Narrows, and he took
two specimens near Brooklyn. All of these birds were in fine plumage,
and bore no evident signs of having been caged, agreeing in this respect
with a male specimen taken at Riverdale on July 13, 1875, which, how-
ever, was in somewhat worn plumage. In the " Elliot collection " at the
Central Park Museum, I recollect having seen a fine male specimen labelled
"New Jersey." It is within the range of possibility that some of these
birds may have wandered northward out of their proper habitat, but the
popularity of this species as a cage bird, together with the absence of any rec-
ords from along the Atlantic Coast north of its known range, would render
such a supposition improbable. On the other hand, however, the condi-
tion of plumage in which the birds were taken, as well as the appearance
of the bill and feet, are evidence which would argue in favor of their be-
ing wild.

* Birds of New York, p. 146.

Brewster o?i Large-Billed Water- Thrush. 133

NESTING OF THE LARGE-BILLED WATER-THRUSH
{SIURUS MOTAGILLA [Vieill.] Bp.).

BY WILLIAM BREWSTER.

Until very recently we have had little or no reliable information bear-
ing upon the nidification of the Large-billed Water-Thrush. Audubon
speaks of its nest as " placed at the foot and amongst the roots of a tree,"
and describes the eggs as " flesh-colored, sprinkled with darker red on the
larger end " ; but as he failed to distinguish this bird from its northern
congener (S. ncevia), his account is decidedly unsatisfactory. Mr. T. M.
Trippe saj's * briefly : " It forms a very neat nest of twigs and grass, which
it usually conceals under the roots of a tree overhanging a steep bank or
ravine," but he tells us nothing concerning the eggs. In June, 1873, a nest
with four fresh eggs was taken at Franklin Station, New London County,
Conn., by Mr. Ernest Ingersoll, and fully identified by the capture of
the female parent. Of the nest he says : t " It was rather loosely and care-
lessly constructed of fine grass and some little dead fibrous moss ; but
beneath, a few, and about the outside, particularly in front, many dead
leaves were put, as a sort of breastwork to decrease the size of the entrance
and more thoroughly conceal the sitting bird. It was imderneath the
edge of a perpendicular bank eight or ten feet from the water." The eggs
were " lustrous white," and " were more or less profusely spotted all over
with dots and specks, and some obscure zigzaggings, of two tints of red-
dish-brown, with numerous faint points and touches of lilac and very pale
underlining red."

The writer had the good fortune to secure two fully identified nests
of this species in Knox County, Indiana, during the past spring. The
first, taken with the female parent May 6, contained six eggs, which had
been incubated a few days. The locality was the edge of a lonely forest
pool in the depths of a cypress swamp near White River. A large tree
had fallen into the shallow water, and the earth adheiing to the roots
formed a nearly vertical but somewhat irregular wall about six feet in
height and ten or twelve in breadth. Near the upper edge of this, in a
cavity among the finer roots, was placed the nest, which, but for the sit-
uation and the peculiar character of its composition, would have been
exceedingly conspicuous. Its presence was first betrayed by the female,
which darted off as one of our party brushed by within a few feet. She
alighted on a low branch a few rods distant, uttering her sharp note of
alarm, and vibrating her tail in the usual characteristic manner, but other-

* Notes on the Birds of Southern Iowa. Proe. Best. See. Nat. Hist, Vol.
XV, 1873, p. 234.

+ Aiuer. Nat., Vol. VIII, p. 238.

134 Brewster on Large-Billed Water- Thrush.

wise evincing no particular anxiety or concern. The nest, which is before
me, is exceedingly large and bulky, measuring externally 3.50 inches in
diameter, by 8 inches in length, and 3.50 inches in depth. Its outer wall,
a solid mass of soggy dead leaves plastered tightly together by the mud
adhering to their surfaces, rises in the form of a rounded parapet, the outer
edge of which was nicely graduated to conform to the edge of the earthy
bank in which it was placed. In one corner of this mass, and well back,
is the nest proper, a neatly rounded, cup-shaped hollow, measuring 2.50
inches in diameter by 2.50 inches in depth. This inner nest is composed
of small twigs and green mosses, with a lining of dry grasses and a few
hairs of squirrels or other mammals arranged circularly. The eggs found
in this nest are of a rounded-oval shape and possess a high polish. Their
ground-color is white with a fleshy tint. About the greater ends are
numerous large but exceedingly regular blotches of dark nmber with
fainter sub-markings of pale lavender, while over the remainder of their
surface are thickly sprinkled dottings of reddish-brown. But slight vari-
ation of marking occurs, and that mainly with regard to the relative size
of the blotches upon the greater ends. They measure, respectively, .75 X
.63, .78X.64, .75X.63, .76X.62, .76X.62, .75x61.'

The second nest was taken May 8, on the opposite side of the same pond,
in a precisely similar situation. Attention was first called to its proximity
by the presence of the old birds, which were sitting on a mossy log a few
yards off, the male pouring forth an almost uninterrupted strain of gushing
melody to his mate. Enlightened by previous experience, the writer went
directly to the only fallen tree in the vicinity, and almost at the first glance
among the earth-laden roots looked in upon the eggs. This nest was very
prettily sheltered from the rains, and concealed from prying eyes above, by
a large white fungus, about the size and very nearly the shape of a shingle,
which projected directly over it from the wall of earth behind, barely
leaving sufficient space beneath to admit the passage of the bird. In gen-
eral character this nest is nearly identical in every respect with the one
already described. It has the same rounded outer wall of closely impacted
dead leaves, with, however, an admixture of dry mosseSj cypress twigs, and
strips of bark. In shape it is nearly square, measuring externally 6.50
inches in diameter by 3.54 inches in depth. The inner nest measures
2.73 inches in diameter by 2.50 inches in depth, and is lined with dry
grasses, leaf-stems, and a few white hairs. The eggs were four in number and
perfectly fresh ; probably more would have been laid had the nest been
left undisturbed. They agree closely in shape with those of the first set,
and have an equally high polish, but are somewhat more heavily and
handsomely marked. The color is creamy-white with heavy blotches of
umber-brown generally distributed, but occurring most thickly at the
greater ends ; fine dottings of lighter brown, and a few spots of pale lav-
ender, fill in the intermediate spaces. They measure, respectively, .71 X
.60, .71X.60, .72X.60, .72X.6I. In each of these two sets the eggs show
unusually little variation inter se.

Trotter on a Hyhrid Sicalloir. 135

On May 12, a third nest, containing five young birds, well feathered
and nearly able to fly, was found by my friend Mr. R. Ridgway, on
the shore of an isolated little woodland pond. The site, in this in-
stance, was at the foot of a huge stump, the nest being placed in a
cavity in the rotten wood. Still another nest was found by the
writer, April 29, under the bank of White River, among the earth and
roots, and well sheltered by the projection of the bank above. In general
construction, as well as situation, this nest was so nearly identical with
those already spoken of that any further description would be superfluous.
The female was apparently sitting upon the empty nest, and was shot as
she flew from it. Upon dissection an egg of full size but without a shell
was found in her oviduct, and others in different stages of development in
the ovaries. From the above record it may be inferred that the Large-
billed Water-Thrush breeds very irregularly, at least in the locality where
these observations were made. It seems not unlikely that this may be
largely due to the varying height of the water in the diff'erent localities
which it frequents, the banks of the large rivers and the shores of the
ponds connected with them being more subject to inundations in the early
spring than the isolated pools and streams among the hills.

DESCRIPTION OF A HYBRID {HIRUNDO EORREORI-LUNI-
FRONS) BETWEEN TWO NORTH AMERICAN SWALLOWS.

BY SPENCER TROTTER.

The bird from which the following description is taken was shot
at Linwood, Delaware County, Pa., May 22, 1878, by Mr. C. D.
Wood, whose attainments as an ornithological collector are well
known. Unfortunately he did not carefully determine its sex by
dissection, though he believed it to have been a male. My atten-
tion was first called to it by his informing me that he had shot
a cross between the Barn and the Cliff Swallow ; and from the fol-
lowing description it will be seen that the bird presents the more
strongly marked features of both Hirundo horreorum and Petroche-
lidon hinifrons. This blended likeness stamps it as a hyhrid between
the two above-mentioned species. The specimen has been exam-
ined by several competent ornithologists, who all pronounce its
hybrid nature as unquestionable. The bird is remarkable not only
as being the result of a mesallicmce between two different species,
but between two different genera, and it curiously combines the

136 Recent Literature.

characters of both ^in a most marked degree. I have therefore
nariicd the bird Hirundo horreori-lunif7-ons, this name suggesting
the nature of the hybrid in question.

Description. — Bill similar to that of the Barn Swallow (Hirundo erythro-
gastra var. horreorum), but rather stouter. Nostrils opening laterally, par-
tially overhung by membrane, though not so much so as in the above-named
species. Tarsi about as long as middle toe without the claw, feathered at
the .ipper end on the inside. Toes cleft as in horreorum; the lateral claws
reach to base of middle. Tail forked for about one fourth of its length,
with white spots on the rectrices, but not so strongly marked as in horreor
rum, and the outer feathers are not lengthened and linear as in that spe-
cies. The wings, when folded, reach nearly to end of tail. Head and
back steel-blue with a chestnut-brown frontlet, as in horreorum, the chest-
nut extending farther back on the head than in that species. Eump
reddish-white, the color paler than in the Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon
lunifrons). Wings similar to those of horreorum. Throat and breast
chestnut-brown, with a slight central black patch, as in lunifrons, and a
pe toral band as in horreorum. Sides under the wings and under parts
generally of a shade varying between that of horreorum and lunifrons.
Crissum reddish-white, the longer feathers with a slight smoky tinge.
Lores dusky ; rictus slightly bristled. Cheeks steel-blue, as in horre-
orum, but with a slight tendency to chestnut, as in lunifrons. Dimen-
sions (from the dried skm) : length, 5.88 ; wing, 4.63 ; tail, 2.69.

^tttxit iliteratttrr.

Ornithology of the Wheeler Expeditions of 1876 and 1877.
I. Report for 1876.* — Notice in the Bulletin of this important paper of
Mr. Henshaw's upon the ornithology of California was quite accidentally
omitted at the time of its appearance in 1877. The report embodies the
results of Mr. Henshaw's investigations into the ornithology of California
during the summer and autumn of 1875. Field-work began on June 1,
and was prosecuted unremittingly up to October 15. The localities most
carefully examined were the islands of Santa Cruz, in the Santa Barbara

* Annual Report upon the Geographical Surveys West of the One-Hundredth
Meridian, etc. By George M. Wheeler, First Lieutenant of Engineers, U. S. A.
Beins Appendix JJ of the Annual Reports of the Chief of Engineers for 1876.
Wasliington, Government Printing-Office, 1876. Report on the Ornithology of
the T'ortions of California visited during the Field Season of 1875. By Mr.
H. W. Henshaw. pp. 224 - 278.

Recent Literature. 137

Channel, at wliich locality the first two weeks of June were spent ; Santa
Barbara, where the party remained until July 13 ; the rej,'ion about Mt.
Whitney, visited in September ; and, lastly, Kernvi lie and Walker's Basin,
where the season was ended in October. When it is taken into consider-
ation that much, if not nearly all, of the ground traversed had been pre-
viously more or less carefully worked up by ornithological explorers, it is
not to be wondered at that comparatively few discoveries are chronicled
in the present paper. Among the more important results are the exten-
sion, either southward or westward, of the previously recorded range of
many species of birds. Several rather tangled problems of seasonal dis-
tribution are likewise satisfactorily solved ; as in the case of the two
Thrushes, Turdus Swain^oni xistulatus and T. pallasi nanus, the former
being ascertained to be the species which breeds in California, while the
latter occurs only as a migrant from regions farther north. Spizella brew-
eri i.s, we notice, accorded specific rank, and on apparently substantial
grounds ; but in the case of the Fox Sparrows (genus Passerella) we believe
the authoi''s more recent investigations havQ failed to confirm the arrange-
ment settled upon in the present paper. The biographical annotations are
often full, and always exceedingly interesting ; especially so is the account
of the breeding " rookery," of the Red-and-white Shouldered Blackbirds
{Agelctus tricolor) in a nettle-bed, and the description of the habits of the
little-known Wandering Tatler (Heteroscelus incanus).

Mr. Henshaw was misinformed respecting the nest of Empidonax trailli
pusillus " built in the hollow of a tree." The nest referred to is in the
writer's possession, together, with the parent birds, which are Empido-
nax flaviventris difficilis. The by far too frequent typographical errors
which occur throughout the report somewhat mar its otherwise fair ap-
pearance, but we understand that this was unavoidable, as the author was
absent and inaccessible at the time of the final revise. As a whole the
paper is a most creditable one, and forms a very acceptably contribution to
our store of knowledge upon the Ornithology of the State of California.

II. Report for 1877.* — This report, which we have just received,
opens with a description of the country investigated by Mr. Henshaw
during the season of 1876, and which lies in the neighborhood of Carson
City, Nevada. Immediately following is a systematic and very able con-
sideration of the faunal provinces of the United States, more especially the
Middle and Pacific ones. The eastern slope of the Sierras, though j^rop-
erly belonging to the Pacific Province, is shown to be, to a certain extent,
intermediate in its character between it and the Middle Province. The

* Annual Report upon the Geographical Surveys West of the One-Hundredth
Meridian, etc. By George M. Wheeler, First Lieutenant of Engineers, U. S. A.
Being Appendix NN of the Annual Report of Engineers for 1877. Washington
Government Printiug-OflBce, 1877. Report on the Ornithology of Portions of
Nevada and California. By Mr. H. W. Henshaw. pp. 1303-1322.

VOL. III. 10

138 Recent Literature.

author draws the line between the Pacific and Middle Provinces at about
the eastern foot of the Sierras, deducing this conclusion mainly from the
examination of material collected in the neighborhood of Carson and
among the eastern foothills of the Sierras. The full results of the
season's work are given in two detailed lists, entitled, respectively, " List
of Birds observed near Carson City, Nevada, from August 25 to Septem-
ber 16, and from November 10 to November 20, 1876, with Notes," and
" List of Birds observed on the Eastern Slope of the Sierras, near Carson
City, Nevada, from September 16 to November 7, with Notes." The an-
notations in both of these lists are in most cases very brief, but some' of
them possess considerable interest and value. The announcement of the
occurrence of Dendrocygna fulva in large flocks at Washoe Lake early
in the year 1877 is especially worthy of attention. Their appearance in
such large numbers is considered by Mr. Henshaw as exceptional, but he
regards it as " by no means unlikely that future investigations will show
the bird to be a regular summer resident of such portions of this region as
are suited to its needs." Among the species occurring upon the eastern
slope of the Sierras, Turdus ncevius is here given for the first time, but
unfortunately upon somewhat questionable grounds. The genus Pas-
serella is again overhauled, and in the light of more recent investigations
a somewhat diff"erent and apparently more substantial arrangement decided
upon. The three Western forms, schistacea, toicnsendi, and megarhyncha,
stand as varieties of iliaca, — a disposition which, we believe, represents
Mr. Henshaw's present views upon the subject. — W. B.

Allen's Birds *of Massachusetts.* — It is seldom that one meets
with a local catalogue more thoroughly satisfactory in all essential respects
than the present one. Careful, conservative, almost to a fault, and as
nearly exhaustive as may be possible, in regard to data, authorities, and
evidence, in the, cases of rare or irregular visitors, it is a model as to what
a local list should be. Of course it is not yet quite perfect, for that feature
was not to be looked for, but it is sufficiently so for all ordinary purposes.
The data that have escaped the author's keen researches are few indeed
and generally not important, while very many are now published for the
first time.

The first portion of this list presents the names of three hundred and
sixteen species of ascertained occurrence in Massachusetts, not one of
which can be challenged. This number might even be increased if several
forms were recognized as having what the present writer considers their
legitimate specific value. About one hundred and thirty-five are marked
as breeding within the State, and this number might also be somewhat
extended, to the writer's positive knowledge. Dendrceca striata, for instance,

* A List of the Birds of Massachusetts, with Annotations, by J. A. Allen.
Bulletin of the Essex Institute, Vol. X, pp. 3-37, April, 1878.

Recent Literature. 139

has been seen in North Adams, in August, with young so immature tha
they must liave been of local origin ; Mijiodioctes canadensis breeds every
summer in Essex County, the writer having two sets of their eggs taken
in L^'nn, and of course the omission of the * from Colaptcs auratics was an
accident. Without wishing in the least to criticise this list of one hundred
and thirty-five species, would it not be well, if any of these instances given
are inferred, rather than known, to designate all such by a distinguishing
mark ? And wliere it is positively known that such species as Turdus
pallasi, Mimus fohjglottus, Certhia familiaris, Dendrozca ccerulescens, etc.
have bred within the State, to mention when and where, as is done in the
case of Junco hyemalis ? The list of Massachusetts species supposed to be
extirpated is one of almost painful interest, and one we fear to be ere-long
materially increased. Specimens of the Wild Turkey have been taken
in Franklin County as late as 1842, but railroads have since completed
their extinction.

The third list, of probable occurrences, is also a very interesting one,
but in regard to several species rests so entirely on mere speculation as
to be suggestive of a conflict of opinions as to the ground of this proba-
bility. What, for instance, can be suggested as circumstances likely to
bring Saxicola cenanthe to Massachusetts '? It is of rare occurrence in
Labrador, and there only breeds in the extreme northeastern corner. Its
migrations are either by way of the Faroes, Iceland, and Greenland, or
directly across the ocean to South Greenland.* Guiraca ccerulea and Pro-
tonotaria citrea are supposed to approach Eastern Maine from the northwest
by a circuitous route, entirely avoiding Southern New England, which, if
correctly inferred, does not favor either ever visiting us, though after what
has happened it ill becomes one to even seem to prophesy as to what may
not occur ! Yet the occurrence of JEgialitis wilsonia in Massachusetts is
another, in the writer's opinion, not to be anticipated.

Three names are given in a list of very doubtful species. One of these,
the Small-headed Flycatcher, whatever it may have been, was probably
not a Myiodioctes. Dr. Pickering's rrcollections of the individual captured
by him in Wenham, and identified by Nuttall, were suggestive of a very
small true Flycatcher, and so long as grave doubt exists as to this form,
and no type has been preserved, its claim to a full acceptance is inadmissible.

Six birds are classed as introduced species, and ninety others are named
as extremely rare or occasional visitors. This number, it is possible, will
be largely increased through the larger numbers of observers on the look-
out for them, and will always contain an indefinite number of names the
conditions of whose presence must ever remain an unexplained enigma .
In the spring of 1877 a fine fresh specimen of Cyanospiza ciris flew into

[* Its capture near Quebec, Canada, and on Long Island, N. Y., and its
somewhat frequent occurrence in the Bermudas, might be considered in this
connection. (See Baird's Review of American Birds, 1864, p. 61.) — J. A. A.]

140 Recent Literature.

an open window in Boylston Street, Boston, and there remains a caged
bird. But had it been one before ? Probably yes, but possibly no. It
had not the appearance or action of one. Yet so probable was it that it
had escaped from confinement that it was not thought worthy of a record.
The great merits of Mr. Allen's lists are that they furnish a succinct yet
thorough history of all claims, of whatever nature, to be recognized as
Massachusetts birds. Its five divisions well present the character of these
claims, and show why certain names should not be received. The com-
pleteness of the references and data, and the numerous additions, giving
new announcements or unrecorded captures, is also quite remarkable.
As a matter of course, here and there one or two interesting captures may
have escaped his notice, e. g. Syrnium cmereum, Lynn, 1872 (History
of North American Birds, III, p. 32), while others of which there is no
record, and which he could not know, as the capture at Swampscott, Au-
gust 27, 1876, of Tringa bairdi, male, by Mr. Wm. A. Jeffries, and that
of a Short-tailed Tern (Hydrochelidon niger, Saunders) at Nantucket, Augvfet
8, 1877, by Mr. Geo. H. Mackay, both Specimens being in the possession
of their captors. That these exceptions are so very few attest at once the
diligence of the author and the completeness of his list. Thirty-five North
American birds have been added to the Massachusetts list since 1867.
— T. M. B.

Mr. H. Saunders on the Sternin^.* — Having had opportunities of
examining interesting types of various real or supposed species of Sternince,
the author has anticipated in a measure the monograph of the Laridce
upon which he has long been engaged, by giving the gist of his observations
in the present revision of the subfamily /SYernmce, which may be regarded as
the continuation of papers already published in the same periodical on the
Larince and Lestridince. We have here in condensed and convenient shape
the main results of a protracted study, representing much laborious and
faithful application ; the author has evidently worked with care, and fully
availed himself of the unusual facilities he has enjoyed. His examination
of the types of various obscure species has enabled him to clear up a good
many points hitherto doubtful, and make an exhiljit which bears its rec-
ommendation on its face. I regard the paper as the most authoritative one
we possess on this subject, being prepared, under exceptionally favorable
circumstances, by a skilful ornithologist who has made the present family
a particular study.

The author, as it seems to me judiciously, greatly reduces the number
of genera which have been wildly proposed for birds of this subfamily^
Though I formerly admitted a somewhat larger number, in view of my
studies of our representatives of the group, than he now recognizes, I freely

* On the Sterninse, or Terns, with Descriptious of three new Species. B^"^
Howard Saunders, F.L.S., F.Z.S. Proe. Zo5l. Soc, 1876, pp. 638-672, PI. LXI.

Becent Literature. 141

concede all that Mr. Saunders claims respecting the shading into one
another of several of them, and agree that if we are to take positive struc-
tural modification as the only gen us- warrant, the minimum number of
five must be accepted. Out of more than Ihirty (!) genera which have
been proposed for this remarkably homogeneous and compact group of only
about fifty species, Mr. Saunders only allows Sterna, Hydrochelidon, Ncenia,
Gygis, and Anons. But it does not follow that a few others, like Haliplana
and Sternula, are not at least convenient sections or subgenera to recog-
nize in so difficult a group.

The three new species are S. tibetaria, p. 649 (near longipennis and fluviati-
lis), S. eurijgnatha, p. 654. f. 1 (the Atlantic form oielegans), and Gygis micro-
rhyncha, p. 668, f. 5 (with a smaller bill than that of G. Candida, and white
instead of black shafts of the primaries). The colored plate illustrates the
heads of three species of Anous.

AVant of space alone prevents me from giving, as I should wish to do,
an abstract of this valuable paper ; but I must confine myself to such
portion as bears upon the species of Terns which occur in North America.
According to Mr. Saunders's determinations, our Sternince stand as follows :

1. Hydrochelidon leucoptera (Meisn. and Schinz).

.S"^. fissipes and ncevia, Pall. — Hxjd. leucoptera, Boie. — Viralva leucoptera,
Steph. — Hyd. nigra. Gray. -^ S. nigra, Schleg. — Hyd. suhleucoptera, C. L.
Brehra. — Hyd. juvanica, Swinhoe nee Horsf.

This is the Old World species that I recently recorded as H. nigra from
Wisconsin (B. N. W. 1874, 709). It seems that Gray, and those of us
who have followed him, were wrong in identifying it with S. nigra, Linn.,
the latter being :^ fissipes^ncevia, L. 1766 == lariformis, L. 1758, " as any
one who is w-illing to take the trouble of examining the matter for himself
will " find out, says the author.

2. Hydrochelidon nigra (L.).

SS. nigra (p. 227), ncevia, fissipes (p. 228, 1766), L. — Viralva nigra, Steph.
— Lams merulinius. Scop. — • S. surinamensis, Gm. — ^S*. plumhea, Wils. —
Hyd. nigra, Boie. — Hyd. fissipes. Gray. — Anous jjlumbea, Steph. — Hyd.
plumhea, Lawr. — Pelodes surinamensis. Gray. — Hyd. lariformis, Coues [from
S. lariformis, L. 1758].

I am glad to find my union of the American bird with the European
indorsed by such well-versed authority ; though as to the name, I prefer
to take Linnaeus at 1758, as the custom now is this side of the water.

3. Sterna anglica, Mont.

S. nilotica, Hasselq. ? (pre-Linnsean). — Gelochelidon nilotica. Gray. — Tha-
lasseus anglicus, Boie. — Viralva anglica, Steph. — Laropis anglica, Wagler. —
Gelochelidon anglica, Coues. — ^S". aranea, Wils. — GelocTw.lidon aranea. Gray.
S. affinis, Horsf. (type examined, H. S.). — Gelochelidon balthica, G. meridi-
<mali% Brehm. — S. inacrotarsa, Gould. — GelochelicUni macrotarsa, Gould.

Since I joined aran-ea to anglica, it has become generally admitted that

142 Recent Literature.

it is identical, and Mr. Saunders now unites macrotarsa, reducing all the
" Gull-billed " Terns to one.

4. Sterna fluviatilis, Naum.

S. hirundo, L. in part, and of most authors. — Larus bicolor, L. sterna, L.
colurnbinus, Scop. — S. fluviatilis, Naum. — S. senegalensis, Sw. — S. wilsoni,
Bp. — SS. macrodactyla, macroptera, Bias. — S. do^igalli, Layard nee auct.

Probably no one thinks of separating the American bird now ; but it
was otherwise then.

5. Sterna macrura, Naum.

S. hirimdo, L. in part. — S. paradisea, Briinn (nee auct.). — S, macrura,
Naum. — aS". ardica, Temm. — S. brachypus, Sw. — S. pikei, Lawr. [pykii,
Bp.]. — *S^. portloMdica, Ridgw.

The general impression seems to be that 8. hirundo, L., is a composite
species with which it is best to have nothing to do.

6. Sterna forsteri, Nutt.

S. hirundo, Sw. & Rich, nee auct. — S. havelli, Aud. (Jide Coues).

7. Sterna dougalli, Mont.

<S'. pa7-adisea, Keys. & Bias, and authors, nee Briinn. ; macdougalli, douglasi,
of some. — S. gracilis, Gould. — F Larus polo-candor, Sparrm.

This name must stand in place of the more usual paradisea; for
Briinnich's bird was an Arctic Tern ; the Roseate is not a boreal bird.

8. Sterna cantiaca, Gm.

S. africana, Gm. — S. boijsii, Lath. — S. canescens, Mey. & Wolf. ^ S.
acufiavida, Cabot. — Thalasseus cantiacus, Boie. — Actochelidon eantiacus,
Kaup. — Thalasseus canescens, Th. candicans, Brehm. — Thai, acuflavidios,
Coues.

I long since relinquished my early attempt to separate acujlavidus.

9. Sterna elegans, Gamb.

Thalasseus elegans, Gamb. — Sterna comata, Phil. & Landb. — S. galericulata,
Sol. & Salv., Coues, partly, nee Licht.

I am glad to find that we may after all revert to Gambel's name, by
which the species was long knoAvn. I followed S. & S. in changing to
galericulata in 1872-74 ; but according to Saunders, from examination of
the type, the latter is a synonym of maxivia (= regia, Gamb.).

10. Sterna maxima, Bodd.

S. maxima, Bodd. = P. E. 988. — S. cayennensis, Gm. — S. cayana. Lath.
— S . galericulata, Licht. (type e.xamined, H. S.). — S. erytfirorynchos, Wied.
— S. cristata, Sws. (type examined, H. S.). — S. regius, Gamb. — S. bergii,
Irby, nee auct. — Thalasseus cayanus, Bp. — Tlial. regius, Gamb. — PJuetu^a
regia, Bp. — Thai, galericulatus, Bias. — Thai, cayennensis, Gray.

This large Tern, which proves to inhabit Africa as well as the warmer
parts of America, has given much trouble. In 1872-74, I declined to
follow S. & S., 1871, in identifying regia, Gamb., with Buffon's bird, con-
sidering that caspia might be in question, but I was apparently at fault

Recent Literature. 143

here. Saunders makes a gratifying iflentification in the case of the trou-
blesome galericulata, Licht., and it is to be hoped that his examination of
the type has settled that species.

11. Sterna caspia, Pall.

S. tschegrava, Lepech. — S. caspica, Sparrm. — S. megarhynchos, Meyer u.
Wolf. — S. inclanotis, Hartl. — S. 'mMJor, Ellman. — Thalassius caspius, Bole.
— Hydroprogns caspica, Kaup. — Syloclielidon caspia, Syl. balthicn, Syl. schil-
lingii, Brehm. — Syl. strenuus, Gould. — Helopus caspius, Wagl. — Thalassites
melannfis, Sw. (type examined, H. S.). — Syl. vielanotis, Bp.

12. Sterna trudeaui, Aud.

Phcetusa trudcauii, Bias. — Sterna froheenii, Phil. & Landb.
A remarkably good species, but as doubtful as ever as a North Ameri-
can one.

13. Sterna antillarum, Less.

S. argentea, Nutt. — S. frenafa, Gamb. — S. superciliaris, Cab. , Cones,
1872, nee V. — S. Superciliaris var. antillaru7n, Coues, 1874.

I was doubtless hasty in identifying our bird positively with Vieillot's,
but I am not prepared, without further showing than is in this paper, to
admit specific distinction in this case. S. miriuta has a white rump and
tail ; in SS. superciliaris and antillarum the pearly color of the mantle
extends on these parts. But I was not aware of, or at least did not con-
sider, the difference in the color of the feet, as described by Mr. Saunders.

14. Sterna aleutica, Baird.

Sp. optima ! as the author agrees, differing from Dr. Finsch ; whatever
S. camtschatica , Pall., may be, it is not this.

15. Sterna anaestheta, Scop.

S. ancethetus {^\c). Scop. — Haliplana anosthcetus (sic), Gray. — S. panay-
ensis, Gm. — S. pmaya, Lath. — Haliplana panaycnsis, "Wagl. — Onychoprion
paruiyensis, S. & S. — Onychoprion panaya, Gould. — S. oahuensis, Bloxh. —
S. " antarctica, ("uv." — ^S". melanoptera, Sw. (type examined, H. S.) — S. in-
fuscata, Heugl. — Haliplana discolor, Coues. — ? Hydrochelidon sovialensis,
Heugl.

16. Sterna fuliginosa, Gm.

Hali})l((na fiiliginosa, and Onydfiopr ion fuliginosa, Wagl. — Planetis guttatiis,
Wagl. — Sterna infuscata, Licht. ! (type examined, H. S.). — Thalassipora in-
fiiscata. Gray. — Anous Vherminicri, Less. — S. gouldii, Reich. — S. luctuosa,
Phil. & Landb. — Halip. fuliginsosa var. crmaZts,Bd.

17. Anons stolidus, (L.).

S. stoliila, S. fuscata, L. — S. pileata. Scop. — S. senex. Leach. — S. unicolor,
Nordni. — Anous stolidus. Gray. — Megalopterus stolidus, Boie. — A. niger,
A. fuscatits, A. spadicea, Steph. — A. rousseaui, Hartl. — [A. stolidus var.
f rater, Coues, pessime.]

It is to be hoped that in his final monograph the author, who has thus
handled the subject so ably, will synonymize the genera in the same way

144 Recent Literature.

he has here worked up the synonymy of the species, and that he will spare
no printer's ink which may be wanted for the full exposition and discus-
sion of synonymatic matters, giving us his processes as well as his results ;
so that, being once done, the matter may be done for once and all. The
present writer's interest in the subject yields only to the cordiality of his
wishes for the most successful accomplishment of the author's work. —
Elliott Coues.

Sennett's Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Kio Grande,
Texas. — Mr. Sennett's contribution on one hundred and fifty-one species
of birds observed on the southern border of Texas * is a paper of more
than ordinary interest for one of its kind, the descriptions in many cases
being almost a biography of the species, a number being those of which
we have had but little or no previous information, and it covers ground
quite new ornithologically, or at least not recently worked over. The
main collecting field extended from a short distance above Hidalgo, on
the Rio Grande, to Point Isabel on the coast, near the mouth of the river,
a distance of three hundred miles by water and one hundred by road.
The period covered was from the latter part of March to the middle of
May, or just about two months. Mr. Sennett certainly collected tmder
many annoyances, but intensely hot days, and niimbers of centipedes,
rattlesnakes, tarantulas, fleas, woodticks, and red bugs did not prevent
his securing some five hundred birds, one of which is new to science,
namely, Sennett's Warbler {Panda nigrilora).

The paper is most carefully commentated by Dr. Coues, who gives
detailed descriptions of the plumages, with pertinent remarks respecting
the above-named Warbler, Molothrus mneus (our new Cowbird, with a red
eye), Myiarchus crinitus erythrocercus (which is the variety of the Great-
crested Flycatcher occurring, and not cooperi or cinerascens), Amazilia
cerviniventris (the Rufous-bellied Hummer), Glaucidium femigineum (both
the second examjjles taken within our limits), and JEchtnoptila albifrons
(the White-fronted Pigeon), as also the characters of this genus, which
the doctor proposes for the group of Pigeons to which albifrons belongs.

The Yellow-throated Warbler obtained is typical Dendroeca dominica
albilora, which. Dr. Coues remarks, "seenfs to prevail, if it be not the only
form, in the Mississippi Basin and Texas." Mr. Sennett got a single
specimen of the Missouri Skylark, and saw others ; interesting, as Coues
says, " on account of the locality, which is the southernmost on record."
The Quails are true subspecies texana. The skins of Peuccea casshn are
valuable as proving by their plumage that the species is a good one. A
specimen of the Painted Finch or Nonpareil was shot, which, thovigh in

* Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande, Texas, from Obser-
-vations made during the Season of 1877. By George B. Sennett. Edited, with
.Annotations, by Dr. Elliott Cones, U. S. A. Bull. U.S. Geol. and Geograph.
Survey, Vol. IV, pp. 1-66, February 5, 1878.

Recent Literature. 145

the plumage of the adult female, dissection proved to be a male bird.
Mr. Sennett is confident that the Turnstone (Strepsilas inUrjires) breeds
along the entire, coast of Tex.as, — certainly an interesting fact, if so.

The beautiful Ibises obtained, and to which the writer justly gives two
pages of text, are the white-faced bird, Falcinellus (late Ibis) guarmma; and
two young birds, entirely green-feathered, place thalassina among the
synonyms. Is not this species now entitled to be called the ordinary
North American bird rather than igneus (late ordii ? of modern writers) ?

The nomenclature of the Ardeidce, or Herons, is based on Mr. Ridg-
way's late investigations, and we again have for Ardea egretta, candidissima,
and coirulea the genera, respectively, Herodias, Garzetta, and Florida; also
Hydranassa tricolor for late Ardea leucogastra var. Icucophrymna ; Di-
chromanassa ntfa for Ardea rufa, and Nyctherodius for Nyctiadea violaceus.
The whole makes very interesting reading, and is a valuable and welcome
addition to our increasing file of local list. — H. A. P.

Matnard's Birds of Florida. — Part IV of this long-delayed and
important work,* which has recently appeared, is wholly devoted to the
family Fringillidce, of which fourteen species are described, carrying the
group from Chrysomitris to Pipilo. It is illustrated with a fine colored
plate of the Ipswich or Pallid Sparrow (Passcrcidus princeps), representing
the adult in spring. To original, somewhat detailed descriptions of the
different phases of plumage of the various species treated the author adds
short, very pleasantly written descriptions of their habits. The biograph-
ical portions generally relate more especially to their life in 'Florida, as
observed by the author during many seasons of exploration, covering
nearly all parts of the State. Mr. Maynard's long experience as a field
ornithologist in the " Land of Flowers," and his well-known attainments
as a naturalist, render him eminently fitted for the work he has here
undertaken. Although the fascicles of the work have thus far appeared at
rather long intervals (the first part having been issued in 1872), we are as-
sured that it will now be rapidly pushed forward to completion. — J. A. A.

Jordan's Manual of Vertebrated Animals. — We are glad to see
that the demand for Professor Jordan's excellent Manual of the Vertebrates
of the Northern States has so soon rendered necessary a new edition ■*" of
this important work, and that the second edition has not only been to

* The Birds of Florida, with the Water and Game Birds of Easterit North
America. By C. J. Maynard. Illustrated. 4to. Part IV, pp. 89-112, and
one Plate. C. J. Maynard k Co., Newton ville, Mass., 1878.

t Manual of the Vertebrates of the United States, including the District
east of the Mississippi Eiver, and north of North Carolina and Tennessee, ex-
clusive of Marine Species. By David Starr Jordan, Ph. D., M. D., etc. Sec-
ond Edition, revised and enlarged. Chicago: McClurg&Co., 1878. 12mS.
pp. 407. Price, $2.50. .

146 General Notes.

some extent " revised," but enlarged by the addition of upward of fifty
pages of new matter. The former accounts of the mammals, birds, and rep-
tiles remain unchanged, with the exception of a few verbal changes in re-
spect to nomenclature, but several pages of new matter are added in the
" Addenda," in which are included fifteen species of mammals and seven of
birds not contained in the former edition. The account of the fishes has
been entirely rewritten ; generic diagnoses have been substituted for the
"artificial keys" of the former edition ; and the latest results of this author's
recent investigations of this class have been incorporated. The high praise
we felt justified in bestowing upon the first edition (see this Bulletin, Vol. I,
p. 93) consequently applies with a still greater force to the present one.
We hope that at no distant day the author will feel justified in so far en-
larging the scope of his work as to include all the Vertebrates of North
America, or, at least, of that portion north of Mexico. — J. A. A.

Capture of the Yellow-throated Warbler in Massachusetts,
AND Notes on other Eare Massachusetts Birds. — In the collec-
tion of Mr. George E. Browne of Dedham I saw, a few days since, a
Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendrmca clominica) that was shot by him on
the banks of Charles River in that town nine or ten years ago. This is a
new bird to the State and the second New England record. Mr. Browne
also had a specimen each of the King Rail (Rallies elegans) tmd the Snow
Goose (Anser hyperboreus). The former was got on the Sudbury Meadows
some years since, the latter off Scituate in November, 1877. This occur-
rence of the Rail is the second instance known for Massachusetts, and the
Goose is perhaps worth noting. — H. A. Purdie, Neioton, Mass.

Capture of Two Rare Birds in the Hudson River Valley. —
1. Centurus carolinus (Linne) Swainson. Red-bellied Woodpecker.

— I recently examined a handsomely mounted Woodpecker of this spe-
cies in the possession of Mr. Jas. S. Buchanan, of Newburgh, which was
taken at Cornwall, on the Hudson, in September, 1870.

2. Colymbus septentrionalis (Linne). Red-throated Diver. —
After ineffectual efforts to trace supposed specimens of this species, I was
agreeably surprised to find a fine immature example in the collection of
Mr. Peter de Nottbeck, Esq., taken (near his residence) November ,14,
1876, on the Hudson River, at Low Point, sixty-one miles from New York.

— Edgar A, Mearns, Highland Falls, N. Y.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila ccerulea) in Massachusetts.

— Among a number of mounted birds presented to the New England col-

General Notes. 147

lection of the Boston Society of Natural History by Mr. F. I. C. Swift of
Falmouth, Mass., is an adult male specimen of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
This is the second record of its occurrence, the first specimen having been
taken at Chatham, November, 1877 (Nutt. Bull., Ill, p. 45). It appears,
by the letter of Mr. Swift, that his specimen was taken in the same part
of the State one month later. In answer to my letter of inquiry, Mr. Swift
writes : " I shot it on the 18th day of December last, in a line of low
bushes skirting a fresh-water pond (in Falmouth) which separated the
same from an old field thickly studded with pines of several varieties and
about ten yeaiV growth. The locality was in a southern exposure, and I
think there was no ice at that time on the pond." — T. M. Brewer, Bos-
ton, Mass.

The Ground Dove (Cliavirepekia passerina) in New York. — In the
month of October, 1862, while shooting Robins and Golden-winged Wood-
y)eckers near 158th Street and 12th Avenue, New York City, I killed a
bird of this species. It was one of a flock of seven which were sitting in
a tall tulip-tree near the road. At that time, being but a young boy, the
only interest attaching to the specimen arose from the fact that it was the
first " Pigeon " that I had. ever shot, but as I was somewhat familiar with
the plates of Audubon's Birds of America (the original edition, folio) I
recognized the bird as one that I had seen, and, on comparison with the
plate (CLXXXII), I decided that it was a young Ground Dove. I subse-
quently took the specimen to the late John Woodhouse Audubon, who,
after examination, confirmed my previous conclusion, and told me that it
was a southern bird which he had never seen so far north before. The
specimen was not preserved, nor can I give, more exactly than I have
already done, the date of its capture. — George Bird Grinnell, New
Haven, Ct.

Swallow- tailed Kite in Dakota in Winter. — lam informed by
my valued correspondent. Dr. C. E. McChesney, U. S. A., of the occurrence of
Elanoides forficatus at Fort Sisseton, Dakota, during nearly the whole of
last winter. The Indians also informed Dr. McChesney of the residence
of the bird along the James River in the winter and early spring months,
and of its giving them some trouble by springing their traps, occasionally,
however, getting caught itself. This account tallies with Trippe's Minne-
sota record (north of Mille Lac, lat. 47°). While at Pembina, Dakota,
lat. 49°, I was assured by an officer of the occasional appearance of the
bird there. — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C.

Apologetic. — I sincerely regret that my hasty and inaccurate reference
to Mr. N. C. Brown's brief mention of the occurrence, near Portland, of
the Sharp-tailed Finch should have given to that gentleman even a mo-
ment's annoyance. Nothing could have been farther from my intention
than to " misquote " him. Indeed, had I quoted him the mistake could

148 General Notes.

not have been made. My point of interest was the locality, the number
seen was to me of no moment. Remembering that he had spoken of the
" bird " in the singular number, I had a mistaken impression that he had
seen but one. Certainly the readers of the Bulletin have no occasion to
regret my careless mistake, since it has been the means of eliciting an in-
teresting and more full account of the occurrence of this? species in a before
unknown and unusual locality.

My statement that not a specimen of the Micropalavm was then known
to have been taken along the entire coast of Maine may have been " sweep-
ing." It was so intended to be. At the time it was made it was literally
and exactly true. Of the occasional and irregular occurrence of this bird
in the vicinity of Portland I am well aware (see Proc. Boston Soc. Nat.
Hist., Oct. 3, 1877). Its presence at a single point on the western portion
of the coast of Maine, so long as all the rest of the coast is destitute, does
not prove either that it is regular in its migrations, or that these extend
along the whole New England coast. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

The Stilt Sandpiper (Micropalama himantopus). — In a late paper
read before the Linnean Society of New York, Mr. N. T. Lawrence speaks
of this species as being common on the south side of Long Island (N. Y.).
He has quite often, while Bay-Snipe shooting, had parties of from three to
five, and very frequently a single bird or a pair, come to his decoys. And,
of the four specimens in his collection, two, in adult breeding plumage,
were taken in July, the others, in fall plumage, in September. This note
is interesting as presenting different conditions from any recorded in New
England. But one occurrence of this species is known in July, and that
in the last part of the month and fifteen miles from the sea. Mr. Geo. N.
Lawrence writes me, in reference to this same species, that he lived at Rock-
away for five summers, and on one occasion, when he was there, there was
a flight of this species and Gamhetta Jlavipes, the latter the most abundant,
and of the two species there were killed over one hundred and twenty
individuals. He remembers killing six of M. himantopus at one shot.
He never saw so many together as on that day, but all through the season
scattering ones were shot; — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

Occurrence of three Species of Sea-Ducks at St. Louis, Mis-
souri. — Mr. Julius Hurtur, of St. Louis, Mo., informs me in a recent
letter that he has taken the following-named species of " maritime "
Ducks in the neighborhood of that city. They were captured in the so-
called " American Bottom," on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
The record is of special interest as indicating how widely'- these birds wan-
der beyond their supposed usual range.

1. didemia americana, Swain. American Black Scoter. " A sin-
gle immature bird, shot November 24, 1875."

2. CBdemia fusca, Swain. Velvet Scoter. " Two specimens, both
immature, taken November 24, 1877."

General Notes. 149

3. Oidemia perspicillata, Fleming. Surf-Duck. " One specimen,
immature, piocuied May 3, 1876. It was observed in company with
' Black Jacks ' {Fuliyula affinis)".

Mr. Hiirtur also writes that he took a fine specimen of the Purple
Gallinule {Porphyrio martinica) at the same locality, April 18, 1877.
These birds are now all preserved in Mr. Hurtur's collection, which em-
braces nearly all the species comnron to the vicinity of St. Louis. — J. A.
Allen, Cambridge, Mass.

The Carolinian Fauna. — In Mr. E. P. Bicknell's excellent paper on
southern birds occurring at Riverdale, N. Y. (see this number of the Bul-
letin, pp. 128- 132), I am pleased to find so strong a confirmation of what I
ventured to write in 1871 (when the accessible data bearing on the subject
of the northern boundary of the Carolinian Fauna were much fewer than
now), namely: "On the Atlantic coast this fauna [Carolinian] includes
Long Island and a small portion of Southeastern New York, which form
its northern limit." I also enumerated thirty-two species as being in a
general way "limited in their northward range" by this fauna, adding
that a few of them occur also " as stragglers in the Alleghanian Fauna." *
These thirty-three species include not only those enumerated by Mr. Bick-
nell, but also many others equally characteristic of the Carolinian Fauna.

Boundaries between faunae cannot of course be drawn trenchantly ;
there must be a slight overlapping of northern and sonthern species, re-
sulting in a debatable or transitional narrow belt between two contiguous
faunae where neither are typically developed. As Mr. H. A. Purdie stated
in 1873, "no part of New England has been embraced within the Caro-
linian Fauna, and properly so, but that its southern border has a tinge of
it is quite evident."! While no part of Connecticut is perhaps tyj)ically
Carolinian, its southern border, especially about the mouth of the Con-
necticut River, is so strongly tinged with it that it may be regarded as
doubtful whether it is not as much Carolinian as" Alleghanian. % Several
of the Carolinian birds, in certain years at least, straggle northward,
especially in the valley of the Connecticut, to Massachusetts, while sowe
are of quite regular appearance, in very small numbers, as far northw«^l<i
and eastward as Essex County. Yet they are too few in numbe?^ m<X too
uncertain in their occurrence to form a characteristic eleaie^Ut of 'the
fauna.

In the opening paragraph of Mr. Bicknell's paper he refers to the limi--
tation of faunae and florae as being " to a certain extent uncomform.able

* Bull. Mas. Comp. Zobl., Vol II, pp. 393, S94, April, 1871.

t Amer. Nat., Vol. VI 1, p. 693, Novenilw, 1873.

X This " tinge" in Southern Connecticut, and in fact in the extreme south,
eastern (maritime) portions of New England generally, is especially shown by the
distribution of reptiles, where several southern species are sparingly represeutecl
which do not occur at all at more northerly localities.

15i) General Notes.

with isothermal lines." As regards local details this is doubtless in some
measure true, but, considering the subject broadly, it may be safely
asserted that if there is any principle in ontological geography about
which students of the subject generally agree, it is that temperature exerts
a direct and controlling influence upon the distribution of life over the
surface of the globe. As regards birds, and probably plants and marine
life, if not animal and vegetable life in general, the phrase " isotheral
lines " should not be taken as meaning lines of mean annual temperature,
but lines of equal temperature for particular seasons of the year, since in
different groups it has been found that the isochrymal or isotheral lines
are more strictly the boundary-lines for species and faunae and florae than
the mean annual lines. Professor A. E. Verrill * long since pointed out that
the mean temperature of the breeding season is of more importance as
regards the limitation of birds than that of the whole year, — a suggestion
well supported by later investigations.! It is to be borne in mind, how-
ever, in this connection, that the lines of mean temperature as laid down
on charts are only approximate, and do not follow in detail all the minor
curves, as becomes apparent at once on a detailed study of any limited
region of diversified area. Hence we cannot expect to find the limits of
species agreeing in detail with any of the lines as represented on our best
meteorological charts. Again, the boundary-lines of species are not con-
stant, and the same is also true of lines of mean temperature, varying as
they do more or less in different years. These facts obviously show that
we need never expect to be able to lay down an absolute or rigid line
of demarcation for either species or faunae, but that such boundaries must
ever be provisional and approximate, and hence somewhat open to differ-
ences of interpretation. — J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Mass.

Phalarope, — An Etymological Blunder. — Happening, not long ago,
to be a little curious about the exact meaning of the word Phalarope or Pha-
laropus, I took occasion to consult a Greek dictionary on the question, and
by so doing unearthed a somewhat curious etymological blunder. Bris-
son, who was the first to give the name to the genus, % explains it as fol-
lows : " Phalarope, a name that I have given to the birds of this genus,
because of the resemblance of their feet to those of the Coot, called, in
Greek, cpaXapis." Now, Phalaropus, according to all rules for the compo-
sition of Greek and Latin words, does not mean " coot-foot " at all, as Bris-
son intended it should, but "white-patched-foot" (from ^/laforos, "patched
with white," and pons, "foot"), which is a manifestly inapplicable name,
since the Phalaropes all have black or green feet. Phalaridopxis (from
phalaris, genitive phalaridos, " coot," and pons) would mean " coot-foot,"

* Amer. Journ. Sol. and Arts, 2d Ser., V 1. XLT, 1866, p. 249.
t See Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. II, 1871, p. 390. Meniani, Rev. Birds
of ("onn., 1877, p. 2, etc.

i Ornithologie, VI, p. 12, 1760.

General Notes. 151

and this is what Brisson should have written. Nevertheless, the name
has served so long as a distinguishing mark of the genus, that it would be
by no means advisable to attempt to make an exchange for the etymologi-
cally correct form. It is, however, an interesting example of the necessity
of a little care in compounding scientific names, if we wish to have them
retain any meaning. — John ^Murdoch, Roxbury, Alass.

Breeding of the Woodcock in Georgia. — Mr. A. T. Cunningham of
Atlanta — an enthusiastic sportsman and conqjetent observer ^ — informs
me that one of a party consisting of his brother Mr. C. M. Cunningham,
Mr. Martin Tuffts, Mr. Rusell (all of Savannah), and himself, while wood-
cock-shooting on February 17, 1878, at Winkler's and Read's rice-planta-
tions on the Savannah River about twelve miles from that city, in the
swamp through which runs the trestle-work of the Charleston and SaA'an-
nah Railroad, Hushed a female Woodcock from a nest containing four eggs.
The nest was found after the bird had been shot. Upon this discovery
the party gave up shooting. From the actions of other birds of the same
species seen on that day, showing an unwillingness to go far from the
spots whence they were first flushed, Mr. Cunningham is of the opinion
that they were laying. He states that he has frequently seen Woodcock —
single birds — at various times throughout the summer, in the swamps
near Savannah. The inference is that they breed there. — J. F. Head,
Atlanta, Ga. {Communicated by E. C.)

[The Woodcock has been found breeding as far south as Jacksonville,
Florida (Boardman, Forest and Stream, VIII, 82). While in Jacksonville
I had the pleasure of examining the young birds spoken of by Mr. Board-
man, and also four chicks of another brood taken near the city on March
lU, 1877 ; all were of about the same size, perhaps a week old. Old
hunters at Saint Mary's, Camden County, Georgia, have also assured me
that the Woodcock remains in that neighborhood throughout the year. —
William Brewster.]

Interesting Captures. — My near neighbors, the brothers E. 0. and
Outram Bangs, have received during the past week two species whose
undoubted occurrence in Massachusetts is worthy of mention : — .

Ibis falcinellus. Glossy Ibis. — A specimen of this species, now con-
ceded to be identical with Ibis ordi of Bonaparte, was purchased in
the Boston market. It was a fine adult specimen, and had been secured
at Orleans, Cape Cod, May 5. Its previous capture here has been re-
corded b}' Emmons, Cabot, Nuttall, and others, most recently by Mr. J. A.
Allen, from Nantucket (Am. Nat., Ill, 637), and by Dr. Palmer, from
Alton, N. H. (Am. Nat., V, p. 120).

Phalaropus hyperboreus, Temm. — Northern Phalarope. — A
single specimen, not in full plumage, was shot at the same place, aiul
found inthe market May 10. It had been dead several days, and the exact
date of its capture cannot be given, but probably about May 5. — T. M.
Brewer, Boston, Mass.

151' General Notes.

*
^ [i have found Phalaropus hyperhoreus to be of by no means rare occur-
rence in Boston market, from Cape Cod and elsewhere along the Massa-
chusetts coast, and remember upon one occasion purchasing four specimens
there. It is, however, like several other off-coast species, not commonly
found near the land unless forced to take shelter from severe storms. —
William Brewster.]

The Glossy Ibis in Massachusetts. — I have had the pleasure of
examining a fresh specimen of the Glossy Ibis (Ibis falcinellus), which was
taken, May 4, 1878, on Cape Cod, Mass. — Charles B. Cory, Boston,
Mass.

A note from Mr, Ruthven Deane, respecting the above-mentioned speci-
men, states that it was shot at Eastham, Mass., by Mr. Augustus Denton.

Mr. N. Vickary, of Lynn, Mass., writes me that he has in his possession
also a specimen of this species (Plegadis falcinellus, Kaup, the Falcinellus
igneus of recent writers, the Ibis ordi of most American writers*) taken at
East Orleans, May 5, 1878. This, with the specimens above recorded by
Dr. Brewer and Mr. Cory, makes three that were taken at nearly the same
date and near the same locality on Cape Cod, during the first week of
May, the present year. — J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Mass.

Two MORE Birds new to the Fauna of North America. — Professor
Baird writes me that among some birds recently taken by Dr. James C.
Merrill near Fort Brown, Texas, and forwarded to the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, are examples of Vireo jkwo-viridis and Sturnella mexicana. Both
of these species are new to our fauna. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

* Opinion varies much among recent writers respecting the proper generic and
specific names of this species. Nearly all late writers have adopted Falcinellus
(" Bechstein, 1803") for the generic name, and igneus (Gmelin, 1771) for the
specific name. Reichenow, however, employs rufios (Scopoli, 1769). Salvin
and Sclater have recently claimed Plegadis (Kaup, 1829) for the generic name,
thereby rendering faloi7iellus (Ljnne, 1766) available for the specific designation.
On this point these authors write as follows ; "A reference to Bechstein's work
shows that that author called the Glossy Ibis Numenius falcinellus, and in no
way employed the latter title in a generic sense. Failing Falcinellus, Plegadis,
Kaup (Skizz, Entw, Gesch., p. 82, 1829), appears to stand next in order of date;
and thus Plegadis falcinellus (L.) would be the correct name for the Glossy
lhis," — Ibis, 4th Sen, Vol, II, Jumiary, 1878, p. 112.

BULLETIN

NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB.

Vol. III. OCTOBER, 1878. No. 4.

THE PROTHONOTARY WARBLER {PROTONOTARIA CITREA).

BY WILLIAM BREWSTER.

It is not so much my present purpose to go over what has been
already written concerning this beautiful and striking Warbler, as
to present the result of some original observations, made under very
favorable circumstances, in Wabash County, Illinois, and Gibson and
Knox Counties, Indiana. Nevertheless, a brief preliminary reference
to its past biography may not be out of place here.

The species was first described by Boddaert in 1783. Very little
concerning its life history has been put on record by our earlier
ornithological writers. Audubon's account is decidedly the best,
though it is somewhat brief, and in some respects probably erroneous.
Recently more light has been thrown upon the subject, especially
in regai'd to its geographical range and nesting. Judging from the
evidence recorded, its distribution is somewhat irregular and ei'ratic,
though future investigation may probably be relied upon to fill
many apparent gaps. Along the Atlantic coast it occurs more or
less regularly — but nowhere, so far as known, numerously — as far
north as Charleston, S. C, and as a straggler to Washington, D. C.
(Coues and Prentiss); Pennsylvania (Turnbull); and even, as a
piirely accidental wanderer, to Calais, Me. (Boardman). Westward it
is found more abundantly throughout the Gulf States, and extends
its migrations north to Kansas, Missouri, and Southern Illinois and
Indiana. Indeed, it is probable that its maximum abundance during
the breeding season is reached in the States lying about the junction
of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

The middle of April, 1878, found me at Mount Carmel, 111., in

VOL. III. 11

154 Brewster on the Protlionotary WarUer.

the pleasant company of Mr. Robert Ridgway, with the dehghtful
anticipation of a prospective four weeks among the birds of a, to
me, new region. What ornithologist but has felt the sensations
arising at such times, — the pleasing certainty of meeting many
species that are known to occur ; the stimulating hope of detecting
others that may, nay, probably will, be found ; and the vague dream
of securing some rare prize that shall excite the interest of the whole
ornithological world ] But most potent of all to encourage and sus-
tain are the possibilities, without which the toils and hardships of field
collecting would be but sad drudgery. A person of prosaic temper-
ament can rarely if ever make a good field-worker. Enthusiasm
must be the spur to success. At the time of our arrival there w^as
a temporary lull in the development of the season. March and early
April had been unusually warm and pleasant, and vegetation had
far advanced. Many of the forest trees were already green with
young foliage, and the leaves of others were beginning to unfold.
But a period of cold rainy weather succeeded, and everything for
a time was at a stand-still. On April 19 the first Protlionotary
Warblers were seen. They seemed to be new arrivals, forerunners
of the general migration ; shy, comparatively silent, and with that
peculiar i*estraint of manner obsei'vable in the first comers of most
migratory birds, — a restraint not so much to be wondered at, for a
subtile chill and gloom still brooded over the budding forest. Nature
seemed to hold her breath in expectancy, and the birds, as well as all
wild creatures, are her children, and sympathize in all her varying
moods. What lover of the woods has not observed the effect pro-
duced xipon them by a sudden vmdefinable something that comes
at times over the face of everything, — a slight imperceptible chill,
perhaps, or a brief period of cloudiness ; where a moment before all
was life, bustle, and joyous activity, there is now brooding depres-
sion and almost death-like silence. Oftentimes the effect is but
transient, and the former state of things soon resumes.

With a few warm days the change came, and Nature entered upon
her gala-day. The tree-tops became canopies of dense foliage ; from
the statlit heavens at night came the mysterious lisping voices of
numberless little feathered wanderers pushing their way northward
amid the darkness, guided by some faculty which must ever remain
hidden from mortals. Each succeeding morning found new-comers
taking their places in the woodland choir, and every thicket was
enlivened by glancing wings and merry bird voices. The spell was

Brewster on the Frotlionotary Warllcr. 155

broken, and among all the gay revellers none were more conspic
uous than the beautiful Prothonotaries. Day by day their numbers
rapidly increased, until by April 27 all had apparently arrived.
We now found the Prothonotary Wai'bler to be, in all suitable
localities, one of the most abundant and characteristic species.
Along the shores of the rivers and creeks generally, wherever the
black willow [Salix nif/er) grew, a few pairs were sure to be found.
Among the button-bushes {Cephalanthus occidentalis) that fringed
the margin of the peculiar long narrow ponds scattered at frequent
intervals over the heavilj* timbered bottoms of the Wabash and
White Rivei-s, they also occurred more or less numerously. Potoka
Creek, a winding, sluggish stream, thickly fringed with willows, was
also a favorite resort ; but the grand rendezvous of the species seemed
to be about the shores of certain secluded ponds lying in what is
known as the Little Cypress Swamp. Here they congregated in
astonishing numbers, and early in May were breeding almost in colo-
nies. In the region above indicated two things were found to be
essential to their presence, namely, an abundance of willows and
the immediate proximity of water. Thickets of l)utton-bushes did
indeed satisfy a few scattered and perhaps not over particular in-
dividuals and pairs, but away from water they were almost never
seen. So marked was this preference, that the song of the male
heard from the woods indicated to us as surely the proximity of
some river, pond, or flooded swamp, as did the croaking of frogs or
the peep of the Hylas. In rare instances, it is true, nests were found
several hundred yards away from any water ; but such apparent ex-
ceptions were in nearly eveiy case explained by unmistakable indi-
cations that the place, or its immediate vicinity, had been flooded
earlier in the season, probably at the time when the site was selected
and the nest built. Owing to the exceeding variability of the water-
level in the Western rivers, it is not at all improbable that whole
tracts of country where these birds breed may be sometimes left
high and dry by the receding element before the eggs are hatched.
Everywhere now, from the willow thickets along the streams and
the button-bushes on the pond edges came the songs of numerous
males, and occasionally one would appear among the foliage or
glance across the open water like a ray of golden light. Little idea
can be had from preserved specimens of the wonderful beauty and
brilliancy of this bird's plumage when alive. Although at times
somewhat hard to discover among the yellowish green of their favor-

156 Brewster on the Frothonotari/ Warbler.

ite willows, at others, when clinging against the side of an old log
or tree-trunk, the yellow head and breast, turned outward to the
light, seemed fairly to glow with color, in contrast with the green
moss or dusky wood. On cloudy, lowering days I have been sur-
prised at the effect produced by a male flying across an open space
close to the dark water. It was as if a sunbeam had glanced
athwart the spot, lighting up everything for a moment, and leaving
greater gloom from the contrast after it had disappeared. Again
and again have I been tempted into shooting one, which I did not
really want, but which seemed far brighter than any I had previously
taken ; upon picking him up, however, I would find him perhaps no
more beautiful than many already preserved.

Mating began almost immediately after the arrival of the females,
and the " old, old story " was told in many a willow thicket by little
golden-breasted lovers. The scene enacted upon such occasions was
not strikingly different from that usual among the smaller birds :
retiring and somewhat indifferent coyness on the part of the female ;
violent protestations and demonstrations from the male, who swelled
his plumage, spread his wings and tail, and fairly danced round the
object of his affections. Sometimes at this juncture another male
appeared, and then a fierce conflict was sure to ensue. The com-
batants would struggle together most furiously until the weaker was
forced to give way and take to flight. On several occasions I have
seen two males, after fighting among the branches for a long time,
clinch and come fluttering together to the water beneath, where for
several minutes the contest continued upon the surface until both
were fairly drenched. The males rarely meet in the mating sea-
son without fighting, even though no female may be neai\ Some-
times one of them turns tail at the outset ; and the other at once
giving chase, the pursuer and pursued, separated by a few inches
only, go darting through the woods, winding, doubling, now career-
ing away up among the tree-tops, now down over the water, sweep-
ing close to the surface until the eye becomes weary with following
their mad flight. During all this time the female usually busies
herself with feeding, apparently entirely unconcerned as to the issue.
Upon the return of the conqueror her indifference, real or assumed,
vanishes, he receives a warm welcome, and matters ai'e soon ar-
ranged between them.

The usual song of the Prothonotary Warbler sounds at a distance
like the call of the Solitary Sandpiper, with a syllable or two added, —

Brewster on (he Prothonotary Wurller. 157

a simple j^eet, tiveet, tweet, ttveet, given on the same key throvighout.
Often when ths notes came from the farther shore of a river or pond
we were completely deceived. On more than one occasion, when a
good opportunity for com[)arison was offered by the actual presence of
both birds at the same time, we found that at the distance of several
hundred yards their notes were absolutely undistinguishable; nearer
at hand, however, the resemblance is lost, and a ringing, penetrating
quality becomes apparent in the Warbler's song. It now sounds like
peet, taweet, tsweet, tsiveet, or sometimes tweet, tr-stoeet, tr-sweet, tr-siveet.
When the bird sings within a few yards the sound is almost startling
in its intensity, and the listener feels inclined to stop his ears. The
male is a fitful singer, and is quite as apt to be heard in the hot
noontide or on cloudy days, when other birds are silent, as during
the cool morning and evening hours. The ordinary note of alarm
or distress is a sharp one, so nearly like that of the Large-billed
Water Thrush (Siurus motacilla) that the slight difference can only
be detected by a critical ear. When the sexes meet a soft tchip of
recognition common to nearly all the Warblers is used. In addition
to the song above described the male has a different and far sweeter
one, which is reserved for select occasions, — an outpouring of the
bird's most tender feelings, intended for the ears of his mate alone,
like the rare evening warble of the Oveu-Bird (Siurvs cmricapillus).
It is apparently uttered only while on the wing. Although so low and
feeble as to be inaudiV)le many rods away, it is very sweet, resem-
bling somewhat the song of the Canary, given in an midertone, with
trills or " water-notes " interspersed. The flight during its delivery
is very different from that at all other times. The bird progresses
slowly, with a trembling, fluttering motion, its head raised and tail
expanded. This song was heard most freqiiently after incubation
had begun.

In general activity and restlessness few birds equal the species
under consideration. Not a nook or corner of his domain but is
repeatedly visited throiigh the day. Now he sings a few times
from the top of some tall willow that leans out over the stream,
sitting motionless among the yellowish foliage, fully aware, per-
haps, of the protection afforded by its harmonizing tints. The next
moment he descends to the cool shades beneath, where dark, coffee-
colored water, the overflow of the pond or river, stretches back
among the trees. Here he loves to hop about on floating drift-wood,
wet by the lapping of pulsating wavelets ; now following up some

158 Brewster o?i the Prothonotary WarUer.

long, inclining, half-submerged log, peeping into eveiy crevice and
occasionally dragging forth from its concealment a spider or small
beetle, turning alternately his bright yellow breast and olive back
towards the light ; now jetting his beautiful tail or quivering his
wings tremulously, he darts off into some thicket in response to a
call from his mate ; or, flying to a neighboring tree-trunk, clings for
a moment against the mossy bole to pipe his little strain or look
up the exact whereabouts of some suspected insect prize.

This "Warbler usually seeks its food low down among thickets,
moss-grown logs, or floating debris, and always about water. Some-
times it ascends tree-trunks for a little way like the Black-and-white
Creeper, winding about with the same peculiar motion. When
seen among the upper branches, where it often goes to plume its
feathers and sing in the warm sunshine, it almost invariably sits
nearly motionless. Its flight is much like that of the Water-Thrush
(either species), and is remarkably swift, firm, and decided. When
crossing a broad stream it is slightly undulating, though always
direct. Its food consists of insects, generally of such spiders and
beetles as are found about water. Audubon positively asserts that
he has discovered minute molluscous animals and small laud-snails
in their stomachs.

The nesting of the Prothonotary Warbler afl"ords the most inter-
esting phase of its life history. Audubon's account of its nest,
"fixed in the fork of a small twig bending over the water," seems
in the light of our present knowledge open to serious doubts. At
least, it is not the mode of nidification used in the places where
it is best known at the present day. Mr. B. F. Goss of Neosho
Falls, Kansas, first brought to light the fact that in that locality
the bird invariably nested in holes of trees or buildings. Since
his discovery of the first nest in 1863, others similarly situated
have been found by Dr. Palmer and Mr. Robert Ridgway, at the
Kiowa Agency, Indian Territory, and at Mount Carmel, 111. The
first nest collected the past season was found by Mr. Ridgway on
April 27. It contained four fresh eggs. This was probably an
exceptionally early date, as nearly a week elapsed before any other
eggs were taken ; and, indeed, the greater proportion of a large
number collected between May 8 and May 12 were freshly
laid. At least forty nests were examined altogether, about one
half of which contained eggs. To give an account of all the vari-
ous situations in which these nests were placed, would entail a

Brewster o?i the Prothonoiari/ JVarhler. 159

description of nearly every conceivable kind of hole or cavity that
can be found in tree-trunks. The typical nesting-site, however, was
the deserted hole of the Downy Woodpecker or Carolina Chickadee.
The height varied from two to fifteen feet, though the usual eleva-
tion was about four. If the cavity was old and broken out, or
otherwise enlarged, it was far more apt to be chosen than a neater
and newer one close at hand. The stump selected almost invaria-
bly stood in or projected over water, although, as above stated, it
•was oftentimes left high and dry after the eggs were laid.

Of the many exceptions to the above-described typical site, I
will here notice only two of the most marked. A nest discovei*ed
May 8 was built in a sort of pocket-shaped cavity in the side of a
large cypress stump. The hole descended vertically in the inside
of the shell-like wall, the central heart of which had crumbled
away. Another, found by Mr. Ridgway, was built in an extremely
rotten snag which stood on the edge of a road ; the eggs or sitting
parent could easily be seen by any one riding by. This nest was
several hundred yards away from water.

In the construction of the nest the female labors somewhat
desultorily. Fresh green moss enters lai'gely into its composi-
tion, and although this substance is readily obtained, a week is
sometimes consumed in building the simple little affair. Most of
the materials are gathered in the immediate vicinity from half-
stibmerged logs or the nearest dry ground. The male almost
always accompanies his partner on her trips to and from the nest,
making a great show of hunting up choice bits of material, but
apparently never succeeding in finding any to his mind. He usu-
ally precedes her on her i-eturn, enters the hole to investigate the
condition of affairs, pops out his golden head to assui'e her with a
soft chirp that all is well within, and then gives way to allow her
to enter, clinging against the bark outside to cheer her labors with
his song and await her reappearance. Sometimes, however, both
birds remain inside together, although how much assistance the
male renders in house furnishing I cannot say. Probably his
presence is only tolerated, and he is perhaps often accused of being
a nuisance.

The shape and size of the nest vary with that of the cavity in
which it is placed. When the hole is deep, it is usually filled up to
within four or five inches of the entrance. Thus the nest when
removed presents the appearance of a compact mass of moss five

160 Brewster on the Prothonotary Warbler.

or six inches in height by three or four in diameter. When the
cavity is shallow, it is often only scantily lined with moss and a
few fine roots. The deeper nests are of course the more elaborate
ones. One of the finest specimens before me is composed of moss,
dry leaves, and cypress-twigs. The cavity for the eggs is a neatly
rounded, cup-shaped hollow, two inches in diameter by one and
a half in depth, smoothly lined with fine roots and a few wing-
feathers of some small bird.

The number of eggs constituting a full set varies to an unusual
degree ; two nests were found, each of which contained seven eggs,
while in another instance a nest, which from its position could not
possibly have been molested, had only one, nearly ready to be
hatched. Out of fifteen sets of eggs taken, two included seven
eggs; three, six; three, five; four, four; two, three; and one, one
egg. The average number is probably five or six. Seventeen
specimens before me agree pretty well in size and general shape,
nearly all being noticeably blunted at the smaller end. Two
selected as extreme examples measure respectively .73 X .59 and
.67 X .58. The ground-color is clear, lustrous white, with a high
polish. Eggs from different sets vary considerably in markings,
but two types of coloration seem to prevail. In one, spots and
dottings of dull brown with faint submarkings of pale lavender are
generally and evenly distributed over the entire surface. In the
other, bold blotches of bright reddish brown are so thickly laid on,
especially about the larger ends, that the ground-color is in some
instances almost entirely obscured.

In the hope of presenting to the reader's mind some slight idea
of the general character and surroundings of the locality where the
Prothonotary Warblers were found breeding in the greatest abun-
dance, I close with a brief description of a visit, on May 11, to
the Cypress Swamp. Towards the middle of the afternoon we
reached Beaver Dam Pond, and embarked in an old weather-
beaten dugout. Our guide, a half-breed Indian and a most accom-
plished woodsman, took his station in the stern, and with a vigorous
shove upon his long push-pole sent the frail craft well out into the
pond. Before us stretched a long, narrow sheet of water hemmed
in on every side by an unbroken wall of forest trees. Around the
margin grew a fringe of button-bushes, with a sprinkling of tall
slender willows, while behind and above them towered the light-
green feathery crests of numerous cypresses. The low shores were

Brewster on the Prothonotary IFarhler. 161

in many places flooded with water for a considerable distance back
into the woods, to where the land rose in broken ridges and the
cypresses gave way to a growth of oaks, black-walnuts, lindens, and
numerous other forest trees. The depth of the water, even in the
centre of the pond, did not exceed five feet, and over the greater
part of its extent rank grasses, yellow water-lilies, and other
aquatic plants reared their tall stalks or broad leaves in such pro-
fusion, that everywhere, except immediately around the canoe, the
eye rested upon what seemed a meadow of waving green. The few
acres of comparatively open water were sprinkled with water-lilies
{Nymphcea odorata) or thickly studded with the delicate, star-
shaped blossoms of the Cahomha caroUniana, the moss-like stems of
which extended in a perfect labyrinth beneath the surface. As we
pushed our way through the denser growths, the stems yielded
before the bow with a slight rustling soiind. Wood Ducks and
Hooded Mergansers rose on every side, while their broods of downy
ducklings scuttled off among the water-plants, sometimes huddling
close together, a dusky mass of bobbing little forms, at others, when
closely pressed, separating and diving like water-sprites. Overhead,
Buzzards wei'e wheeling in graceful, interminable circlings, while in
their nests upon the tops of some gigantic sycamores, a little back
from the shore, stood a number of Great Blue Herons, their tall
graceful forms boldly outlined against the sky. From the lower
depths of the forest came innumerable bird voices, — the slow, solemn
chant of the Wood Thrush, the clear, whistled challenge of the
Cardinal, the sweet wild notes of the Louisiana Water Thrush, the
measured pter-dle, ptei'-dle, 2^t€r-dle of the Kentucky Warbler, and
the emphatic song of the Hooded Flycatcher. Higher iip among
the'^trees Woodpeckers rattled upon dead limbs, a Tanager sang
at intervals, the Tufted Titmouse reiterated its monotonous ^e^o,
peto, and numerous Blue Warblers added their guttural little trills
to the general chorus. From all along the pond edges came the
Sandpipei'-like song of the Prothonotary Warblers. As we ad-
vanced, the button-bushes gave way to stretches of black willows,
which at the head of the pond formed the exclusive growth over
an area of perhaps six acres. This tract had at one time evidently
formed part of the pond, for as we pushed our canoe in among the
trees we found the water scarcely shallower than in the open
portions.

Although the willows grew rather thinly, the spaces between the

162 EiDGWAY on Birds observed at Moimt Car met.

living stems were filled with stubs in every stage of decay, and
perforated with countless Woodpecker-holes, most of them old,
and long since given up by their original tenants. That a locality
so favorable in every way had not been overlooked by the Protho-
notaiy Warblers was soon evinced by the presence of the birds
on all sides in numbers that for exceeded anything which we had
previously seen, and careful search soon revealed a number of nests.
Probably not less than twenty pairs were here breeding in close
proximity. In the larger holes and among the branches were the
nests of a colony of Grackles {Quiscalus pii^-jjiireiis), and a few
Woodpeckers and Carolina Titmice were also nesting somewhere in
the vicinity. As we returned down the pond late in the afternoon
the sun was sinking behind the tree-tops. The dying breeze still
agitated the crest of the forest, but not a breath rippled the still
water beneath. The Jonely pool rested in deep shadow, save at its
upper end, where the slanting sunbeams still lighted up the group
of willows, bringing out their yellowish foliage in strong i-elief
against the darker mass beliind. The arches of the grand old
woods were filled with a softened, mysterious light, and a solemn
hush and silence prevailed, broken only by the occasional hooting
of a Barred Owl or the song of some small bii-d among the vipper
branches, where the rays of the setting sun still lingered. High in
air, over the open space the Buzzards still wheeled and soared on
easy wing. Ducks were scurrying about in all directions or plash-
ing down among the lily leaves, and a heavy plunge in shore told
where a startled otter had risen and disappeared. As the last rays
of sunlight touched the top of a mighty sycamore that raised its
towering head above its fellows, the Herons left their rookery and
laboriously winged their way overhead to some distant feeding-
ground. Long in the writer's memory will linger that last glimpse
of beautiful Beaver Dam Pond.

NOTES ON BIRDS OBSERVED AT MOUNT CARMEL, SOUTH-
ERN ILLINOIS, IN THE SPRING OF 1878.

BY ROBERT RIDGWAY.

Although the spring seemed to have opened earlier than usual,
the birds were, strangely enough, behindhand in their northward

EIDG^VAY on Birds observed at Mount Carmel. 163

migration, few of the truly migratory species being there on our
arrival, — the 17th of April, At that date the woods were in
nearly full leaf, the fruit-trees were nearly done blossoming
(several kinds entirely so), and the wheat waist-high. Still there
were no Catbirds, Orioles, Kingbirds, nor Tanagers, all of which
ordinarily reach Mount Carmel by that time. It was nearly a week
before these birds made their appearance ; but after the full tide of
migration set in there was little difference from other seasons, except
the gi-cat dearth of transient AVai-blers, all of which were more or
less rare, while many kinds, usually common, or even abundant,
were not to be seen at all. Thus, there were no Black-throated
Blue, Black-poll, Bay-breasted, Black-capped Green, nor Orange-
crowned Warblers ; only a single individual each of the Golden-
winged, Cape May, Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided, and
Worm-eating Warblei's was noticed, while other migratory spe-
cies were unusually rare. No specimens of the Black-and-yellow
Warbler were detected until the 25th of May, when a pair wei-e
shot in the Cypress Swamp. The following were the most abun-
dant species of this family, named, approximately, in the order of
their numbers : Dendroeca ccerulea, Setophaga 7'uticilla, Oporornis
formosiis, Protonotaria citrea, Siurus auricapjillus, Myiodiodes mi-
tratus, Hehnintlwphnga pinus, H. peregriua (migratory), Siurus viota-
cilla, Dendroeca dominica albilora, D. cesiiva, and Geothlyxns ti'ichas.

Thryomanes bewicki. Bewick's Wren. — Very abundant, but
confiiu'd entirely to dooryards. It was estimated by Mr. Brewster and
myself that in Mount Carmel there was one pair of this Wren to about
every two dwellings ! The House Wren {Troglodytes aedon) is entirely
unknown there, the present species wholly replacing it.

?? Helinaia swainsoni. Swainson's Warbler. — In the Cypress
Swamp a bird was several times noticed by Mr. Brewster and myself,
which we both agreed must be this species. It was well seen on several
occasions, and its song heard, while one specimen was shot, but, unfor-
tunately, could not be found. It appeared to have habits somewhat simi-
lar to those of the Prothonotary Warbler, with a song more like that of a
Water Thrush (Siurus motacilla), but weaker, more sprightly, and more
varied.

Helminthophaga pinus. Blue-winged Yellow Warbleb. — Very
abundant in old clearini^'s in the bottom-lands.

Dendroeca dominica albilora. Yellow-throated Warbler. —
Common enough, but the most difficult to collect of all the Warblers, on
account of its partiality to the tops of the tallest sycamore-trees, practi-
cally beyond the reach of small shot. The song strikingly resembles that

164 EiDGWAY on Birds observed at Mount Carmel.

of the Indigo Bird in its tone, but is easily recognized from its peculiar
modulation.

Oporornis formosus. Kentucky \V arbler. — One of the most
abundant of the smaller birds, far exceeding even the Golden-crowned
Thrush in numbers. In its general habits and manners it is much like
the latter species, keeping on or near the ground. The nest is exceedingly
difficult to find, since it is almost impossible to flush the female directly
from it.

Myiodioctes mitratus. Hooded Warbler. — Also an abundant
species in certain parts of the bottoms, but only noticed in those localities
where the switch cane (Arundinaria tecta) forms more or less of the
undergrowth, over which trails the rough, bright green stems and foliage of
a species of Galium, and, but less frequently, a low-growing or trailing
Smilax (probably S. walteri). The nest is built with scarcely any attempt
at concealment, in a low bush, from one to two feet from the ground.'

Stelgidopteryx serripennis. Rough-winged Swallow. — More
abundant than CotyU riparia, but, so far as this locality is concerned, of
entirely similar nesting habits. Each, however, generally breeds in col-
onies by itself.

Collurio ludovicianus. Loggerhead Shrike. — Common. Although
in previous papers I have given the white-rumped form (excubitoroides) aa
the Shrike of this portion of the country, all the specimens obtained dur-
ing my recent visit were perfectly typical of the Southern race.

Pyranga aestiva. Summer Redbird. — Abundant, but almost en-
tirely confined to the more open and dry woods of the uplands, where
very common along the roadsides or among the oak or hickory trees
standing in immediate proximity to farm-houses. Quite similar to P.
rubra in general manners, but notes much stronger and more emphatic,
the song far finer.

PocBcetes gramineus. Grass Finch. — Breeds, but is rather uncom-
mon.

Chondestes grammaca. Lark Finch. — Common summer resi-
dent, partial to roadsides and fallow fields.

Peucaea aestivalis. Bachman's Finch. — Extremely local, and quite
rare. Confined to old fields where dead trees are left standing.

Euspiza americana. Black-throated Bunting. — Probably the
most abundant of the Fringillidce, every meadow and grain-field being
inhabited by a number of pairs. Most partial to clover-fields. Known
usually as the " Little Field Lark," but, on account of its peculiar songs,
sometimes as the " Dick-cissel."

Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Towhee ; Chewink. — Abundant.
Specimens obtained are absolutely typical of the species, none showing
the least approach to P. arcticus.

Sturnella magna. Meadow Lark. — Very abundant. The Larks of
this district do not tend in any of their characters toward S. neglecta.

ElDGWAY on Birds observed at Mount Carmcl. 165

Eremophila alpestris. Horned Lark. — Abundant in suitable local-
ities. Found mostly on commons and about fallow fields.

Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — One of the most numerous and
generally distril)uted of all birds ; also probably the least wary. As an
evidence of these facts, it may be mentioned that the writer killed five
Blue Jays in two successive shots, without the expectation of killing more
than one at either time.

Myiarchus crinitus. Great-crested Flycatcher. — The most
abundant of the Flycatchers, and quite familiar, often breeding in boxes
put up for the Martins and Bluebirds.

Antrostomus carolinensis. Chuck-will's-widow. — A single speci-
men seen flying with some Night Hawks {Ghordeiles 2'>opetue) late one
evening, about the 20th of April. It is not an uncommon species, its
notes being frequently heard. Strange to say, however, neither this spe-
cies nor the Whippoorwill was once heard during our visit of six weeks'
duration.

Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Extremely
abundant, it being not unusual to hear the notes of half a dozen or more
at the same time. Outnumbers G. erythrophthalmus in the proportion of
about ten to one. Eggs of both species were found in the same nest !

Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Eed-headed Woodpecker. — Ex-
ceedingly abundant and very tame. By far the most numerous species
of the family.

Falco communis naevius. Duck Hawk. — This is by no means a
rare bird in the heavy timber of the river bottoms. Three nests were found
in the immediate vicinity of the town, and no doubt more could have been
found in localities not explored. All were placed in cavities in the top
of very large sycamore-trees, and were inaccessible. One of these trees
was felled, however, the peculiar character of the base and decided inclina-
tion of the trunk from the perpendicular rendering this a comparatively
easy matter. The swollen base of this tree was twenty-six feet in circum-
ference, the cylindrical portion of the trunk itself, some seven feet above,
being sixteen and one half feet around. The base was hollow, and had
been reduced by fire to an average thickness of less than a foot, while the
axis of the tree leaned some thirty degrees from the perpendicular. It
therefore required only the severing of the wall on the side of tension, for
a distance of four or five feet, to destroy the equilibrium of the tree,
which soon came down with a terrific crash. Measurements with a tape-
line showed the nest to have been eighty-nine feet from the ground, its
location being a shallow cavity, caused by the breaking off of the main
limb, the upper part of which projected over sufficiently to form a pro-
tection from the sun and rain. This limb was four feet in diameter ; the
total height of the tree, although the whole top had been blasted by
storms, was one hundred and fifteen feet, so that its original height must

166 PuRDiE 071 the Yellow-hcllied Flycatcher.

have been not less than one hundred and fifty feet. Four full-feathered
young were taken from the nest, only one of them being killed by the fall,
while one was entirely uninjured. The female parent had been shot a
few days before.

Ictinia mississippiensis. Mississippi Kite. — This species is much
less common in the vicinity of Mount Carmel than in the prairie districts.
Several were seen about the river, however, as well as on the border of
Washburne Pond, in the Cypress Swamp.

Catharistes atratus. Black Vulture. — Several solitary specimens
were seen in the Cypress Swamp, where it was evident from their actions
they were breeding.

Ibis alba. White Ibis. — An addition to the fauna of the State. A
flock of seven or eight individuals, all in the gray plumage of the young,
seen flying along the river about the 8th of May.

THE NEST AND EGGS OF THE YELLOW-BELLIED FLY-
CATCHER {EMPIDONAX FLAVIVENTIUS).

BY H. A. PURDIE.

Of the breeding habits of this bird published accounts are some-
what meagre and unsatisfactory. In Baird, Brewer, and Eidg-
way's " History of North American Birds," Dr. T. M. Brewer states
that he found a nest of this species at Grand Menan placed in the
fork of a low alder-bush. It was built loosely of soft bark-strips,
lined with light-colored grass, and much resembled the nest of the
common Indigo Bird. Other nests collected at Halifax were in low
bushes and composed of "stubble." The eggs were chalky-white,
unspotted, and more oblong than those of the Least Flycatcher
[Emindonax minimus). Eggs, however, found by Mr. G. A. Board-
man at Calais, Me., were dotted with reddish-brown. Dr. Coues, in
** Birds of the Northwest," simply says : " The egg of flaviventris is
pui-e white, unmarked, and not distinguishable from that of ^. mini-
mus.'^ But he writes me, " 1 know nothing of the nest and eggs
of E. flaviventris, but what I have read." In " Ornithology of the
Clarence King Survey " (Vol. IV, p. 544) Mr. Ridgway, in a foot-note
to the Western Yellow-bellied Flycatcher {E. difficilis), remarks : "It
is with little hesitation that we consider this bird as distinct spe-
cifically from E. flaviventris. Not only are there very conspicuous
and constant differences in proportions and colors (especially the

PURDIE 011 the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 167

former), but numerous observers have noticed remarkable and
important peculiarities in the nesting habits, the present species
almost invariably building its nest in cavities, either of stumps,
trees, or rocks, or on beams inside of buildings, — a habit not yet
noticed in E. fiaviventris, nor, indeed, in any other species of the
genus." That at least the nesting habits of the two are not always
different, I think the following will show.

On a collecting trip made by Mr. lluthven Deane and myself to
Houlton, Aroostook County, Me., during the second and third
weeks in June of this year, we were fortunate enough to secure the
much-desired nest and eggs of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. For
its possession we are under obligations to Eobert K. McLeod, Esq.,
and to one of his collectors, Mr. James Bradbury, who discovered the
nest, both surrendering all claim to the prize, but desirous that a
description should be given for the benefit of all interested.

Mr. Bradbury informed us that he had found, on June 15, a nest
unknown to him with one egg. On the 18th he conducted us to
the edge of a wooded swamp, and, pointing to the roots of an up-
turned tree, said the nest was there. AVe approached cautiously,
and soon saw the structure and then the sitting bird, which ap-
peared to be sunken in a ball of green moss. Our eager eyes were
within two feet of her, thus easily identifying the species, when she
darted off; but, to make doubly sure, Mr. Deane shot her. There
was no mistake ; we at last had a genuine nest and eggs of the
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. A large dwelling it was for so small
and trim a bird. Built in and on to the black mud clinging to the
roots, but two feet from the ground, the bulk of the nest was com-
posed of dry moss, while the outside was faced with beautiful fresh
green mosses, thickest around the rim or parapet. The home of
the Bridge Pewee {Sayornis fuscus) was at once suggested. But
no mud entered into the actual composition of the nest, though at
first we thought so, so much was clinging to it when removed.*
The lining was mainly of fine black rootlets, with a few pine-needles
and grass-stems. The nest gives the following measurements :
depth inside, one and one half inches ; depth outside, four and a
quarter inches ; circumference inside, seven and a quarter inches.

The eggs, four in number, were perfectly fresh, rounded oval in

* Dr. J. G. Cooper has said that the Western bird uses mud for the shell of
its nest. He has, however, written me that he was mistaken, and that earth is
not employed.

168 Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama.

shape, and of a beautiful rosy-white tint, well spotted with a light
reddish shade of brown. They closely resemble the eggs of B.
diffi,cilis I have from California, and other sets of eggs of that bird
I have lately seen. The nest and contents are now in Mr. Deane's
collection. It will be seen that the whole affair was not unlike
the descriptions given of the nest and eggs of E. difficilis by Dr. J.
G. Cooper of Haywood, Cal.

The nests and eggs mentioned by Dr. Brewer differ so much from
those here described that it seems reasonable to suppose that there
was some error of identification in the nests found by him as cited
above, so great is the variation presented between his nests and
eggs and ours ; for it seems hardly probable that this Flycatcher
should be so very inconstant, both as to the materials and situa-
tion of the nest, and as to whether it lays spotted or unspotted
eggs. In the National Museum at Washington there are three sets
of eggs accredited to U. Jlaviventris. The eggs of one of these sets
are spotted, those of the other two are not, and these latter are
strongly suggestive of those of the Least Flycatcher ; so write me
Messrs. Robert Ridgway and H. W. Henshaw.

As no accounts of the breeding of E. difficilis have yet appeared
in any ornithological works, the following references to the nesting
habits may be useful : Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., Vol. VI, p. 199, Dec,
1875; Am. Nat., Vol. X, p. 93, Feb., 1876; The Naturalist and
Fancier, Grand Rapids, Mich., Vol. I, p. 43, Nov., 1877.

A LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED AT COOSADA, CENTRAL

ALABAMA.

BY NATHAN CLIFFORD BROWN.

Coosada is a little station on the North and South Alabama
Railroad, ten miles north of Montgomery. The population, consist-
ing of planters and their attendant negroes, is sparse, and nowhere
attains sufficient density to produce a regular village. The country
is rather fiat, occasionally rolling slightly, and in its uncidtivated
portions is mostly covered with a dense growth of pines of various
species. There are a few dry groves of oak and " black jack," but
the hard-wood trees are principally confined to the creek bottoms
and margins of swamps, where they flourish in the typical Southern
luxuriance and variety, interspersed with cane and overrun by

Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 1G9

numerous parasitical vines. Within two miles of the railway
station runs the Alabama River, affording, with its parent streams,
the Coosa and Tallapoosa, and its tributary creeks and "branches,"
the most productive country for the ornithologist.

The following list embodies the results of my observations at
Coosada, between the dates of January 21 and April 30, 1878,
■with the hearty and efficient co-operation of Mr. J. H. Bond, of
Portland, during the first nine w'eeks of my stay. It has not been
prepared with a view to presenting a complete catalogue of the
birds inhabiting even the limited extent of country under consider-
ation. Such was the remarkable lateness of the migration, that
additional species were detected up to the very day of my depart-
ure, and I have no doubt that others subsequently made their
appearance. Whether further investigations in the locality would
prove the occurrence there of such missing members of the supposi-
tive local fauna as Cyanoqoiza cirb, Helviitherns vermivorus, Ilehnin-
thopliaga pinus, etc., is, therefore, to some extent a matter of doubt.

1. Turdus migratorius, L. Robin. — An abundant winter visitor,
becoming unconnaon towards the nuddle of April, and disappearing be-
fore the end of that month. The males were songless during their stay.

2. Turdus mustelinus, Gm. Wood Thrush. — Arrived April 13
in full song. They were never very common, inhabited only swampy
thickets and hard-wood groves, and were extremely shy.

3. Turdus pallasi, Cab. Hermit Thrush. — Common and generally
distributed up to within a few days of my departure. I was surprised, in
this southern latitude, to find that the males became musical as spring
advanced. On March 16 I heard the first song, and during the following
three weeks it was one of the commonest wood sounds.

4. Mimus polyglottus, (L.) Boie. Mocking-bird. — Abundant resi-
dent. I heard the first song February 25, — a week after the birds began
to sing in Montgomery. Two weeks later I observed several pairs desul-
torily at work on their nests, but, with the exception of a single comple-
ment found on the 12th of April, discovered no eggs until about K\>v\\ 21.

After a brief sojourn at Coosada, I came to regard this bird with intense
dislike, on account of its extreme quarrelsomeness. Those in the imme-
diate vicinity of my lodgings were almost constantly employed in driving
other birds from the neighborhood. Upon one occasion, a Robin sitting
quietly in a tree over my head was so fiercely attacked by a Mocking-bird
that he fell almost lifeless at my feet. A friend rescued him from further
injury, and after the bird revived gave him his liberty ; he had scarcely
flown a dozen yards, however, before he was again savagely set upon by a
Mocking-bird, and escaped only through his greater power of wing.

VOL. III. 12

170 Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama.

5. Mimus carolinensis, (L.) Gray. Catbird. — Arrived April 13.
Did not become common, and was not heard to sing.

6. Harporhynchus rufus, (L.) Cab. Brown Thrush. — A common
resident, well known by its alias " Thrasher." The males began to sing
about the 1st of April, and by the 25th of that month the females had
deposited their eggs.

7. Sialia sialis, (L.) Haldeman. Bluebird. — Common resident.
During the winter they were particularly abundant, sometimes associating
with the various small Finches and Warblers, sometimes forming small
flocks by themselves. There was no regularity in the breeding of different
pairs : two nests examined on April 22 contained respectively four fresh
eggs and a brood of young several days old.

8. Regulus calendula, (L.) Licht. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. —
Numerous during the entire extent of my stay. I first heard their song
on the 8th of March, but after that date the sweet, fervid little strain filled
the woods everywhere.

9. Regulus satrapa, Licht. Golden-crested Kinglet. — Common
winter visitant. Unlike the preceding species, which was often met with
singly, this bird was invariably found associating with others of its kind,
and with Creepers, Titmice, and Nuthatches. Disappeared about the first
week in April.

10. Polioptila ceerulea, (L.) Scl. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. — Ar-
rived March 25, and soon became very common. They seemed to affect no
parti(!ular kind of growth, but were everywhere equally abundant. They
are most earnest and persevering songsters : in their frequent practice of
singing on the wing, they fairly rival the Bobolink's ardor, and had their
melodious, " mocking little strain" (as Mr. Brewster has called it) some-
what more volume, it would certainly be an unusually fine performance.

11. Lophophanes bicolor, (L.) Bp. Tufted Titmouse. — A com-
mon resident, but of quite irregular occuri'ence during the winter. At
times, during that season, none were to be found for several days, after
which they would again make their appearance, generally in company
with the social Chickadees, Nuthatches, etc. About February 20 they
became less numerous, and were soon met with only in pairs. I did not
succeed in finding a nest.

12. Parus carolinensis, And. Carolina Titmouse. — Not a very
common resident. Instead of the tame, unsuspicious bird I had been led
to expect, they generally proved very shy indeed. More than once they
completely battled all my attempts at capture. The notes of this species
have generally been described as less powerful than those of its Northern
prototype. According to my experience, this is true only to a certain
extent ; certainly not so of the familiar chick-a-dee-dee, which was in-
variably uttered by the Southern bird as loudly and emphatically as I
have ever heard it at the North. I fiiiled to find a nest, although the birds
appeared to be engaged in building about the second week iu April.

Brown oi Birds observed at Coosada, Alahama. 171

13. Sitta carolinensis, (Gm.) Lath. White-bellied Nuthatch.
— Katlier uncoiiiinou cliuirig the winter, and occasionally seen or heard
up to the time of my departure. They exhibited a preference for the pine
woods. The peculiar song of the male I first heard about the middle of
March.

14. Sitta pusilla, Lath. Browx-headed Nuthatch, — An abun-
dant resident. In the winter, when they were particularly numerous, they
associated in bands of from si.x to twenty individuals, and were found
everywhere, — in the tops of the tallest forest trees and amongst the
scattered pine saplings which have sprung up in once cultivated fields.
They were always full of life and activity, not only destroying their in-
sect prey with great industry, but frequently chasing each other about in
pure excess of vitality. I do not think I ever saw one employed in silence
for a minute at a time. While busily in search of food they have a sub-
dued, conversational chatter which almost exactly resembles the notes
usually uttered by the Goldfinch when similarly employed. Rather curi-
ously, the two species have another call in common : the most frequent
cry of the Nutliatch is remarkably like the Goldfinch's meditative heyr-
beh, — indeed, I have sometimes mistaken one for the other. Both sexes
of the present bird have several other call-notes, all of which are char-
acterized by a certain reedy harshness rendering them quite unlike the
usual utterances of the two Northern species of the genus.

About the beginning of March the birds began to separate into pairs, and
by the middle of that month had generally selected their nesting sites and
commenced the work of excavating. Rotten pine stubs afforded the favor-
ite situations, and nine tenths of the nests I found were within six feet
of the ground. I opened nests at intervals up to the time of my depart-
ure, and found them occupied by one, sometimes by both of the owners,
but met with no eggs until April 22 ; these (four in number) were placed
in a natural cavity in a telegraph-pole. Another nest examined on the
same day was not quite ready for the eggs.

15. Certhia familiaris, L. Brown Creeper. — Rather common dur-
ing the winter, associating with other small birds of similar habits. They
were most numerous about the third week in March, and at this time
sometimes went in flocks by themselves, occasionally as many as a dozen
together. On the advent of warm weather, in April, they gradually dis-
appeared.

16. Thryothorus ludoviciantis, (Lath.) Bp. Great Carolina
Wren. — Common resident, inhabiting only the tangled growth of swamps
and water-courses. Generally found in small flocks during the winter.
They were mated by the last of February, but, apparently, were not
engaged in nest-building until at least a month later. The males sang
through the winter, but not so frequentl)' as after mating.

17. Thryothorus bewicki, (And.) Bp. Bewick's Wren. — Only
two specimens taken : one by myself, February 7, amongst the debris of

172 Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama.

fallen trees, in a partially cleared field ; one by Mr. J. H. Bond, February
16, by the roadside, in piny woods ; both silent, and much less active than
the preceding species.

18. Anorthura troglodytes var. hyemalis, (Vieill.) Coues. Winter
Wren. — Not very common winter visitant, and almost invariably seen
in company with the Carolina Wrens. It was the first of the winter birds
to disappear. None were met with after about February 20.

19. Cistothorua stellaris, (Licht.) Cab. Short-billed Marsh
Wren. — I captured a single pair in an old rice-field, March 21.

20. Anthus ludovicianus, (Gm.) Licht. Titlark. — Common dur-
ing the winter. Stragglers remained till the last of March.

21. Mniotilta varia, (L.) Vieill. Black-and-white Creeper. —
First seen on March 13 ; soon became common and generally distributed.
The males sang from the time of their ariival.

22. Parula amerioana, (L.) Bp. Blue Yellow-backed Warbler. —
— Half a dozen shy individuals met with, the first on March 25.

23. Protonotajria citrea, (Bodd.) Bd. Prothonotary Warbler. —
Arrived April 12, in full song. After April 20, specimens were seen
almost every day, but they never became common. Their haunts were
exclusively swamps and the dense hard-wood growths of the water-courses.
I found them always active, restless, and noisy. The song is stridulous
and piercing, and suggests that of the Black-and-white Creeper, but is
more detached and much more strongly accented ; it is indicated very
well by the syllables, eh-wi$s', eh-iviss', eh-wiss', eh-wiss', eh-wi&s', eh-wiss',
eh-wiss'. A female dissected April 23 contained eggs almost ready for
deposition ; no nests, however, were found.

24. Helmitherus swainsoui, (Aud.) Bp. Swainson's Warbler. — >
On April 12, while forcing my way through the dark, rank forest which
lies about the source of Coosada Creek, I caught the final notes of an un-
known song uttered close at hand. Instantly seating myself on a fallen
tree, I awaited its repetition. The woods immediately about me were
quite dry and comparatively deserted by birds, but along the neighboring
creek many Vireos, Thrushes, and Swamp- Warblers w'ere producing such
a babel of sounds that I feared the voice of my v\nknown songster might
escape me. After the lapse of a few minutes, however, a bird emerged
from a thicket within a few yards of me, where he had been industriously
scratching amongst the fallen leaves, flew into a small sapling, and gave
utterance to a loud, ringing, and very beautiful song. Seen in the dim
light of the woods, he bore a decided resemblance to the Louisiana Water
Thrush, and his song might almost have passed for an exceptional per-
formance by that bird ; but I at once suspected his true identity, and in
a few seconds held in my hand the lifeless body of a male Swainson's
Warbler.

During the succeeding nine days I repeatedly and most carefully
searched this tract of woods and other localities apparently equally favor-

Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 173

able, without detecting additional specimens. Finally, April 22, while ex-
ploring a slough near the union of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers, I
met with two more males. Piloted by their song, I readily approached
them, but, unfortunately, lost one, badly wounded, in the impenetrable
cane.

I was impressed by the absorbed manner in which this bird sings. Sit-
ting quietly upon a limb of some small tree, he suddenly throws back his
head and pours forth his notes with the utmost fervor and abandon. Dur-
ing his intervals of silence he remains motionless, with plumage ruffled,
as if completely lost in musical reverie.

25. Helminthophaga celata, (Say) Bd. Orange-crowned Warbler.

— Only two specimens noted. My attention was attracted to the first
in a cluster of small oak-trees by the roadside, by his loud call-note,
which, to my ear, was indistinguishable from that of the Cardinal Red-
bird. This was on February 12. The second specimen I startled from a
swampy thicket, April 15.

26. Dendroeca aestiva, (Gm.) Bd. Yellow Warbler. — Arrived
April 26, in sou^'. But few seen.

27. DendrcBca caerulescens, (L.) Bd. Black-throated Blue War-
bler. — A single male found singing in thick, swampy woods, April 26.

28. Dendroeca coronata, (L.) Gr. Yellow-rumped Warbler.

— Very numerous up to about the middle of Ajiril. Stragglers were
occasionally seen towards the end of the month. The males began to sing
on April 12.

29. DendrcEca discolor, (Vieill.) Bd. Prairie Warbler. — Rather
common after March 27, frequenting the edges of swampy woods. The
ovary of a female dissected about the middle of April was but slightly
developed, and I observed no signs of nest-building during my stay.

30. Dendroeca dominica, (L.) Bd. Yellow-throated Warbler.

— A single male observed March 13 ; no more seen until after March 22,
after which they were not uncommon up to April 4. At this date all dis-
ajjpeared, and for nearly three weeks none ^vere to be found. During the
week before my departure I met with two or three solitar}^ males. I saw
no females. Although generally frequenting the dry pine woods, this bird
occasionally visits swampy growths of deciduous trees.

31. Dendroeca palmarum, (Gm.) Bd. Yellow Red-poll Warbler.

— Of irregular occurrence during the entire extent of my stay. Speci-
mens taken in the winter and early spring represent the newly separated
form hypochrysea ; those taken later, the vciviety jKdmarum. On April 13
the males began their simple song, and thereafter both sexes wei-e more
uniforndy and alnmdantly distributed.

32. Dendroeca piuus, (Wils.) Bd. Pine-creeping Warbler. — A
very abundant resident. For the first three or four weeks of my stay I
found them exclusively in the fields, forming large flocks with Bluebirds
and several kinds of Sparrows ; and it was not until the latter jjart of

174 Brown on Birds observed ai Coosada, Alabama.

February that they frequented the woods commonly. The females de-
posited their eggs about the last of March, judging from the appearance
of specimens dissected at that time. Young were flying generally by
April 27.

Throughout the six weeks of winter which I spent at Coosada the Pine
"Warblers were iminterruptedly tuneful. No other winter birds sang so
continuously ; even the Carolina "Wrens and Tufted Titmice were often
chilled into silence on raw, sunless days in February ; but, however cold
(and midwinter in Alabama is much less tropical than is popularly sup-
posed, frost often crusting the ground, and ice skimming ponds and slug-
gish streams), I never failed to hear the notes of these indefatigable little
songsters.

33. Siurus motacilla, ("V"ieill.) Coues. Large-billed "Water
Thrush. — Abundant after March 13, in swampy localities.

34. Oporornis formosus, (Wils.) Bd. Kentucky "Warbler. — 'Arrived
April 9, and soon became common, frequenting the same places as the pre-
ceding species. I did not find them the active bird they have generally
been described, but rather leisurely in their movements.. Nor do they,
as has been asserted, always walk when upon the ground, but frequently
move about by the hopping, or rather jumping, motion common to most
small birds. They were apparently not breeding at the time of my
departure.

35., Geothlypis trichas, (L.) Cab. Maryland Yellow-throat. —
On February 7, Mr. Bond reported having seen a solitary male in a dense
swamp ; but it was not until the 5th of March that the species appeared
in numbers. Thereafter they were common during my stay.

36. Icteria virens, (L.) Bd. Yellow-breasted Chat. — Arrived
April 20 ; became common a week later.

37. Myiodioctea mitratus, (Gm.) Aud. Hooded Warbler. —
Eather the most numerous summer resident of this family. The males
arrived March. 28 ; the females, about two weeks later. A female taken
April 22 was on the point of laying.

38. Setophaga ruticilla, (L.) Sw. Redstart. — First seen April
19. Not very common. No females observed.

tf 39. Pyranga rubra, (L.) Vieill. Scarlet Tanager. — But one speci-
men observed ; a female, in swampy woods, April 25.

40. Pyranga aestiva, (L.) Vieill. Summer Redbird. — First speci-
men noted March 31 ; became common April 8. Apparently not breed-
ing at the time of my departure. Found almost exclusively in pine
woods.

{To be continued.)

Brewster's Descrijotions of First Phimages, VI o

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FIRST PLUMAGE IN VARIOUS SPE-
CIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

BY WILLIAM BREWSTER.
IV.*

78. Agelceus phoeniceus.

First plumage : female. Above dark seal-brown : every feather of the
crown, nape, and interscapular region, with the greater and middle wing-
coverts, primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, edged and tipped with
brownish-fulvous. Beneath light yellowish-brown, thickly and broadly
streaked everywhere with dull black. Sides of throat and head, including
a considerable space around the ej-e, bare skin (of a brownish orange-color
in the dried specimen), with a few scattering pin-feathers. From a speci-
men in my collection obtained at Camljridge, Mass., June 24, 1872. Males
in first plumage before me differ but little from the individual above de-
scribed. All have the bare spaces on the sides of the throat, although
these are probably feathered before the first moult is begun. A male
in transitional dress (collected at Ipswich, Mass., July 15, 1874), with the
head fully feathered, has the throat dull brownish-yellow, with a strong
tinge of the same color on the breast. The wing and tail feathers are re-
newed during the first moult.

Autumnal plumage : young male. Crown dark brown, with a faint
rusty edging upon each feather ; nape brownish-yellow, with a rusty tinge,
finely spotted with dark brown ; interscapular region, and a broad outer
edging upon the secondaries and tertiaries, deep dull reddish-brown, each
feather having a broad V-shaped mark of dull black. Rump glossy black,
every feather edged with fulvous ashy ; shoulder dull red with black spot-
ting ; middle coverts fulvous ; greater coverts tipped with the same color.
Superciliary stripe brownish-yellow. A space anterior to and beneath the
eye dusky black. Entire under parts black, each feather upon the ab-
domen edged broadly with pale ashy, elsewhere with yellowish-brown.
The light edging of the feathers gives the under parts a conspicuously
scutellate appearance. From a specimen in my collection taken at Cam-
bridge, Mass., October 6, 1876. This jilumage (although not to my knowl-
edge previously described by writers) is the characteristic one of the young
in autumn. I am unable to state if the adult male retains his uniform
black coloring at all seasons. A remarkable variation from the typical
plumage is aff'orded by a fine adult male in my cabinet, which has a broad

* For Parts 1, II, and III, see this volume, pp. 15-23, 56-64, 115-123.

176 Brewster's Descriptmis of the First Plumage

crescentic patch of pale yellow tinged with rose-color upon the breast.
Nor is this specimen unique, for I have seen several others with a similar
but less conspicuous mark. It probably represents an exceptionally high
condition or phase of ornamentation, like the commoner one of scarlet or
yellow wing-markings, in the Scarlet Tanager (Pyranga rubra). Very old
females of A. j^hoiniceus have the throat a delicate peach-color ; illustrated
by several specimens in my cabinet from Nantucket and Ipswich, Mass.

79. Icterus baltimore.

First 'plumage : Top of head, nape, and interscapular region brownish--
olive ; wing-bands pale fulvous ; rump, breast, anal region, and crissum
olivaceous-yellow; throat dull yellow; abdomen pale buffy -yellow ;
patches of ash on the sides. From a specimen in my collection shot in
Cambridge, Mass., July 18, 1874. Autumnal adults have tlje orange-red
richer and clearer than in spring, and the wing-quills much more broadly
and conspicuously edged with white. Neither wing nor tail feathers are
changed during the first moult.

80. Scolecophagua ferrugineus.

Several young birds of both sexes shot at Upton, Me., August 5, 1873,
have apparently nearly completed the first moult ; but one, a male, has
the head still covered with the feathers of the first plumage, which are of
a uniform plumbeous color. All are moulting the wing and tail featliers.
In each specimen a worn central pair of rectrices projects about three
inches beyond the others, which are of a uniform length, and evidently
just sprouting. Other individuals seen at the same time were conspicu-
ously characterized in the same way, all presenting, when flying, the ap-
pearance of birds with long forked tails, the elongated central feathers
being slightly spread apart.

81. Quiscalus purpureus.

First plumage : male. Uniform dark plumbeous, darker above, lighter
and with a faint brownish edging on the feathers beneath. Sides of
throat and a large space around the eyes completely bare of feathers.
From a specimen in my collection obtained at Upton, Me., June 22, 1873.
Both wing and tail feathers are replaced during the first moult.

82. Tyrannus carolinensis.

First plumage: male. Above uniform dark sooty -brown, with a
scarcely appreciable lighter edging on the feathers of the nape. No con-
cealed red on the crown. Wing-bands yellowish-white. Breast soiled
white, with a band of ashy- white across the breast. From a specimen in
my collection shot at Upton, Me., July 24, 1872.

83. Sayornis fuscus.

First p>lumage : female. Crown and nape dark sooty-brown. Rest of

in Various Species of North American Birds. 177

upper parts brownish-olive, shading into reddish-olive on the rump.
Wing-bands and tips of rectrices ferruginous ; secondaries edged with
yellowish-olive. Throat, breast, and sides olivaceous-drab, darkest on
sides of breast. Abdominal and anal regions soiled Avhite, with a yellow-
ish tinge. From a specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, Mass.,

July 13, 1874.

84. Contopus borealis.

First plumage : male. Above olivaceous-plumbeous, darkest upon the
crown ; wing-bands ferruginous ; secondaries edged with pale fulvous.
Sides of throat, breast, and body dark plumbeous, with a brownish tinge ;
central line from base of bill to crissum — partly interrupted upon the
breast by the encroachment of the darker color of the sides — strong
creamy-buff. Lower mandible black, with a limited area of brownish-
orange at the base. From a specimen in my collection shot at Rye
Beach, N. H., July 24, 1872. Autumnal specimens in my collection
have the lower mandible black, the under parts much more strongly
tinged with yellow than the adult; and the wing-coverts faintly tipped

with ferruginous.

85. Contopus virens.

First plumage : male. Above olive, with a brownish cast, the feathers
of the crown and interscapular region with a faint edging of pale fulvous,
those upon the nape having a much broader one of dull ash, producing a
well-detined band or collar. Wing-bands light reddish-brown. Beneath,
with sides of throat, breast, and body, light olivaceous-ash ; rest of under
parts pale sulphur-yellow. From a specimen in my collection taken at
Upton, Me., August 8, 1874. The yoimg in autumnal plumage differ
from adults in having the wing-bands pale fulvous, the under parts of a
slightly deeper yellow.

86. Empidonas acadicus.

First plumage. Above nearly pure olive, with indistinct narrow trans-
verse bands of darker. Wing-bands pale reddish-brown. Under parts
soiled yellowish- white, with an olivaceous cast on the sides of the breast.
From a specimen in my collection shot by Dr. J. M. Wheaton, at Colum-
bus, Ohio, June, 1876.

87. Empidonaz pusillus trailli.

First plumage: male. Above olive-brown, the feathers of the crown
with darker centres. Wing-bands light reddish-brown. Throat, breast,
and sides ashy, tinged with olive upon the breast and sides. Abdomen,
anal region, and crissum pale sulphur-yellow. Distinguishable from E.
acadicus in first plumage by the darker color of the upper parts, especially
of the crown, and by the entire absence of the narrow transverse bands
upon the back. From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me.,
July 21, 1874.

178 Brewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

88. Empidonaz minimus.

First plumage : male. Similar to the adult, but with a stronger olive
cast, and a faintly indicated collar of ashy-brown across the nape. "Wing-
bands light reddish-brown. Beneath almost precisely similar to the adult,
with perhaps a slightly stronger yellowish cast upon the abdomen and
crissura. Distinguishable from E. trailli and E. acadicus in corresponding
stages by the decidedly paler and less yellowish under parts ; especially
by the nearly clear ashy on the sides of the breast. From a specimen in
my collection taken at Cambridge, Mass., July 2, 1872. Other specimens
in first plumage before me differ little from the one above described, but
autumnal specimens, singularly enough, are much yellower below and
more olivaceous above.

89. Empidonaz flaviventris.

First plumage : male. Above uniform yellowish-olive. Beneath dull
yellow, with a brownish cast, tinged strongly with olive upon the throat,
breast, and sides. Wing-bands brownish-yellow. Altogether very similar
in general appearance to the adult. From a specimen in my collection
shot at Upton, Me., August 4, 1874.

90. Chordeiles virginianua.

First plumage. Above dull black, irregularly marbled everywhere with
reddish fawn-color and pale rusty. All the feathers are tipped, edged, and
barred with the lighter colors, the black appearing for the most part in
Bubterminal spots or blotches. The primaries (which are but just sprout-
ing) are black, broadly tipped with pale rusty. Under parts clothed
thickly with fluffy whitish down, beneath which, on the breast and sides,
true feathers of a dull white barred with dark brown are beginning to
appear. From a specimen in the cabinet of Mr. N. C. Brown, taken at
Deering, Me., June 29, 1875. It seems probable that young of this species
— and perhaps of the whole family, like those of the Tetraonidce and some
others — pass through a stage of plumage previous to the usual primal
one. The specimen above described is, strictly speaking, in process of
transition between the two, and still retains patches of the soft whitish
down which must have constituted its entire covering at an earlier period.

91. Coccyzus erythrophthalmua.

First plumage : female. Above lustrous plumbeous-ashy, feathers upon
the crown, nape, and anterior part of the back, narrowly tipped with pale
ashy ; those of the interscapular region and rump, together with the scap-
ulars and upper tail-coverts, more broadly so with ashy-white. Outer edges
of quills light rufous. Beneath delicate pearl-gray, lightest on the abdo-
men, slightly tinged with pale brownish-yellow on the throat and breast.
From a specimen in my collection shot in Lincoln, Mass., June 17, 1871.
Autumnal specimens (probably only the young birds) differ from spring
adults in having the naked skin around the eye yellow instead of red.

in Various Species of North American Birds. 179

92. Picus villosuB*

First plumage: male. Forehead spotted thickly with white ; crcmi dull
scarlet, each feather subtermiiially spotted with Avhite ; nuchal crescent
entirely wantinj^. Rest of upper parts dull dead black, marked and
spotted with white as in the adult. Lores yellowish-white, maxillary line
very faintly indicated. Beneath soiled yellowish-white. From a speci-
men in my collection shot at Upton, Me., August 1, 1874. The first
plumage of this species is exceedingly evanescent. The scarlet patch
upon the crown is soon lost, the feathers dropping out one by one ; a few
scattered ones, however, usually remain until the feathers of the nuchal
crescent have begun to appear.

A female in first plumage (Upton, Me., August 20, 1874) diff'ers so
little from adults as scarcely to require a detailed description. The black
of the upper parts, as in the male just described, is of a dead or plumbe-
ous cast. The crown is entirely unspotted. I have, however, seen speci-
mens which had the forehead spotted with white.

93. Picua villosus harrisi.

First 2^lumage : male. Diff'ers from the adult only in having the fore-
head spotted with white, and a patch of scarlet covering the crown.
From a specimen in my cabinet collected by Mr. C. A. Allen at Nicasio,

Cal., June 8, 1875.

94. Picus pubescens.

First pluviage : male. Forehead and nape thickly spotted -with white.
Crown deep scarlet ; no red on nape ; rest of upper parts marked as in the
adult, but the black duller. Beneath ashy-white, thickly streaked on the
sides of the breast and body with dusky ; on the sides of the abdomen
these dusky markings assume the character of broad though poorly defined
transverse bars. From a specimen in my cabinet collected at Upton, Me.,
August 14, 1874. Several other young males show a considerable amount
of variation in the character and extent of the dusky markings beneath.
In one or two the streaks are nearly continuous across the breast and abdo-
men. A v.ery young male (Upton, August 1, 1874) has the forehead and

* As stated elsewhere, the young of most, if not all of the Woodpeckers,
regularly moult the wing and tail feathers with the rest of the first plumage.
No exceptions to this rule occur among large series of the common North
American species examined, and it may probably be found to hold good among
all excepting, perliajjs, some highly specialized groups. Another peculiar feature
in the early development of the species most thoroughly investigated, and one
which is perhaps common to all the members of this family, is the fact that a
certain proportion of the females in first plumage possess to a greater or less
degree the adornments which in more advanced stages are peculiar to the
males alone, and which are lost with the first moult. Marked examples of this
are afforded by young females of Colaples auratus, Picics pubescens, and others, of
which detailed descriptions are given in the text.

180 Brewster's Descriptions of the First Plumage

nape dull, unspotted black, and a decided greenish-yellow tinge to the
white both above and below.

First plumage : female. Forehead slightly spotted with white ; crown-
patch scarlet, exactly as in the male. Nape unspotted. Beneath brownish-
white, barred obscurely upon the flanks and spotted continuously across
the breast Avith dusky. From a specimen in my collection obtained by
Mr. W. D. Scott, at Coalburgh, W. Va., July 25, 1872. Another speci-
men before me (Upton, Me., August 13, 1874) has the forehead and occi-
put, with a narrow median line connecting them, thickly spotted with
white, but no scarlet. Still a third, in the collection of Mr. C. J. May-
nard, has the crown irregvilarly patched with scarlet feathers. The sex of
all these specimens was determined by the most careful dissection.

95. Picoides arcticus.

First plumage : male. Similar to the adult, but with the yellow crown-
patch rather more restricted ; the black of the upper parts duller ; the
white beneath tinged with brownish, and the bars upon the sides dusky
instead of black. A few feathers upon the lower interscapular region are
spotted with white. From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton,
Me., July 31, 1874. Unfortunately no females in strictly first plumage
are available for comparison. A moulting specimen, however, which has
acquired most of the second or autumnal plumage (Upton, Me., August
10, 1874), shows a patch of thickly sprinkled yellow feathers upon the
crown, while another, taken as late as September 5, still retains several
similar feathers. There can be little doubt but that among a good series
of young females in first plumage many would be found to occur with
yellow crown-patches quite conspicuously developed. All among a large
number of adult females examined have the crown entirely plain.

96. Sphyrapicus varius.

First plumage : male. Crown dull yellowish-green obscurely tinged in
places with dusky-red ; nape and a broad stripe extending through and
behind the eye dull plumbeous-ash spotted with brownish-white ; rest of
upper parts like the adults, the white spots, however, tinged with pale
greenish-yellow. Throat dull yellowish-scarlet. Malar stripes meeting
below the throat-patch, mottled with dusky. Central line of abdomen
greenish-yellow ; rest of under parts dull greenish and olive, barred every-
where with dusky or dull black. From a specimen in my collection shot
at Upton, Me., August 10, 1874. The amount of variation exhibited by a
large series of males in first plumage is considerable. In one or two there
is no red upon the throat ; in others that part is brownish-white with a
few scattered red feathers ; many have the crown dull-brown, thickly
spotted with brownish- white.

First plumage : female. Crown very pale greenish-buft', each feather
narrowly tipped with brown ; feathers of interscapular region dusky, with

m Various Species of North American Birds. 181

transverse baiuls of yellowish-wliite ; rest of \ipper parts like the adult.
Throat brownish- white ; abdomen pale brownish-yellow ; breast and sides
dull brownish-olive, thickly barred with dusky. From a specimen in my
collection shot at U{)ton, Me., August 6, 1873.

The first plumage of this species is worn for a longer i)eriod than that
of any other l)ird with which I am acquainted. Some specimens taken as
late as October and November seem not to have fully perfected their fii-st
moult, many of the earlier feathers being still retained. In this condition
they present a curiously patched appearance, and scarcely any two are
alike. Full justice has hardly been done by wi'iters to the adult plumage
of this species. Among the males, it is true, only a comparatively small
amount of variation obtains, and the full dress is always acquired the first
spring. But the females in spring plumage differ to a degree which seems
almost endless. This mutation is, however, chiefly in relation to the color
and markings of the crown. Thus, out of thirteen females before me, all
collected in the breeding season, only six have the full patch of crimson
upon the crown. In one specimen the whole top of the head is spotted
thickly and evenly with brownish-white. Another exhibits two lateral
patches of brownish-orange which extend nearly to the occiput, while a
third has a few scarlet feathers npon the forehead. The remainder are
variously marked over the crown with mixed yellow and crimson. This
excessive variability is probably a purely individual tendency to aberration
from a given type, as several spring females not as yet through the
moult, and plainly shown by the remains of the previous plumage to
be birds entering upon their first breeding season, have fully developed
crown-patches of pure crimson.

97. Centurus carolinus.

First 'phimage : female. Crown dull ashy, each feather tipped broadly
with plumbeous ; nape with a naiTow, inconspicuous collar of pale dull
brick-red. Rest of upper parts marked as in the adult, with, however, a
brownish tinge in the transverse white bands. Abdomen dull saflron ; rest
of under parts brownish-ashy, nearly every feather in a broad band across
the breast with a narrow, obscure shaft-streak * of purplish-brown. From
a specimen in my collection obtained by Mr. W. D. Scott, at Coalburgh,
W. Va., July 23, 1872.

98. Colaptes auratus.

First pluvmge : male. Crown washed with dull red ; nuchal band dull
scarlet. Otherwise similar to the adult, but with the throat tinged with
ash and the spots upon the under parts dusky instead of black. From a
specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, Mass., July 6, 1873.

* Several Woodpeckers, unmarked beneath in maturer stages, show a tendency
to spots or streaks upon the sides and breast when in first plumage.

182 Recent Literature.

The female in first plumage I have not seen, but two young females
before me, which have nearly perfected their autumnal plumage, have
each a well-defined mustache, — not black, however, as in the male of any
age, but of a dark plumbeous color. Upon raising the feathers, many of
them are found to be nearly black at their bases, and a few entirely black
ones appear. I have seen two other females, both young birds in imper-
fect autumnal dress, which had similar dark mustaches. It seems not
unlikely that many females of this species may in first plumage be marked
nearly like the males.

Elliot's Keview of the Ibidin^e, or Ibises. — During the past year
three important papers have appeared relating to different groups of the He-
rodiones. In June, 1877, Mr. D. G. Elliot published a paper on the Ibises,*
Dr. Ant. Reichenow has reviewed the whole group of Herodiones, and
later Mr. Ridgway has written about some of the American species. Mr.
Elliot treats the Ibises and Spoonbills as subfamilies of one family, for
which he adopts the name Ihididce. After a short resume of the literature
of the subject he gives a key to the nineteen genera (three being new),
among which he distributes his twenty-five species. Then follows a sys-
tematic review of the species, with their principal synonymy, and various
critical and descriptive remarks, with generally a short account of their
habits and geographical distribution. The genus Ihis is very properly re-
stricted to embrace only the Sacred Ibis of the Egyptians and a few other
allied species. Falcinelliis is employed as the generic designation for
the Glossy Ibis and its allies. Of this group four species are recognized,
three of which {F. guarauna, F. ridgwayi, and F. thalassinus) are exclu-
sively American, the other (F. ignetis) being " cosmopolitan," and repre-
sented with us by the " Ihis ordii " of Bonaparte and most American
writers. The generic name Ibis being untenable for any of the New
World species, Eudocimus (Wagler, 1832) is taken as the only generic
name applicable to our White and Scarlet Ibises. — J. A. A.

Ridgway's Studies of the American Herodiones. — The first t of
the series of papers here begun deals mainly with the Ardeidce and Cico-

* Review of the Ibidin*, or Subfamily of the Ibises. By D. G. Elliot, F. R.
S. E., F. L. S., etc. etc. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877, pp. 477-510, PL LI.

t Studies of the American Herodiones. Part I. — Synopsis of the American
genera of Ardeidce and Ciconiidce ; including descriptions of three new genera,
and a monograph of the American species of the genus Ardca. By Robert
Ridgway. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Survey, Vol. IV, pp. 219-251, February
5, 1878.

Recent Literature. 183

niida;. Five families of American Herodiones are recognized, namely,
Cancromidce, Ardeidce, Ciconiidce, Ibididce, and Plataleidce, of each of which
a concise diagnosis is given. The Ardeidce are treated so far in detail as to
give the characters of the genera, and a monograph of the American spe-
cies of the genus Ardea. These are four in number, Ardea occidentalism A.
herodias, A. cinerea ("accidental in Greenland"), and A. cocoi (South
American). Of these four species detailed descriptions of the difl'erent
phases of plumage are given, with copious tables of bibliographical ref-
erences. The A. wiirdevuinni of Baird, which has been a puzzle to orni-
thologists for twenty years, is considered to be the " blue phase " of A.
occidentalis, nearly ten pages (nearly one third of the paper) being devoted,
to a discussion bearing upon the character of A. " tciirdevianni." A. occi-
dentalis is thus added to the series of " dichromatic " species of Ardeidce.
This conclusion rests at present mainly on theoretical grounds. After
referring to dichromatism as exhibited in several other species of Herons,
and in some Hawks and Owls, Mr. Eidgway says, " Who then, in view of
these facts, can offer reasonable objection to the theory that Ardea occiden-
talis is likewise represented by two distinct phases of plumage, of which
the white is by far the more common, the normal or colored phase (' luiir-
demanni ') being very rare — perhaps becoming extinct ? "

As shown by the species already cited as composing the genus Ardea,
this genus is again restricted to rather narrow limits, the American spe-
cies of the subfamily Ardeince alone being distributed into fourteen genera,
of Avhich two are new. Among the North American we have Herodias,
Garzetta, Florida, and Butorides again reinstated, while the Demiegretta of
Baird is divided into Hydranassa and Dichromanassa, the last a new genus
with the Ardea rufa of authors as type. The other new genus is Sijrigma
(== Btiphus, Bon. 1855, nee Boie, 1826), Avith the South American Ardea
sibillatrix as type.

The Cico«uVZfE (of which the Wood Ibis is the only North American rep-
resentative) is treated more briefly. A new genus (Euxenura), however,
is instituted for the Ciconia maguari (Auct.) or the South American Stork,
based chiefly on the remarkable characters of the tail (illustrated by an
excellent figure), in which the lower coverts are elongated and stiff'ened, so
as to resemble rectrices, the tail proper being short and deeply forked. —
J. A. A.

Reichexow's Review of the Heroxs and their Allies. — Dr.
Reichenow's order, " Streitvdgel," or " Gressores," * embraces the ordinary

* Systematische Uebersicht der Schreitvogel ((r/rs.sores), einernatiirlichen, die
Tbidce, Ciconiidce, Phcenicnptcridce, Scopidce, Balcenicipidcc, und Ardeidce umfas-
senden Ordnung. Von Dr. Ant. Reichenow, Assistent am kgl. zoolog. Museum
in Berlin. Journal fiir Ornithologie, XXV Jahrgaiig, pp. 113-171, 225-278,
pll. I, II. April aud July, 1877.

184 Recent Liter at ure.

Herodiones of authors, with the atldition of the] Flamingoes (Phtxnicoptcri-
dce). He discusses at some length the affinities of this group, but we fail
to be convinced of the propriety of its removal from the Anserine series,
where of late it has been pretty generally placed, to its present associa-
tion. In his introductory remarks Dr. Reichenow discusses the object of
classification, the questions of " subspecies " and " varieties," and rules of
nomenclature. He adopts the tenth edition (1758) of the " Systema Na-
turae " as the starting-point of binomial nomenclature in zoology, and ac-
cepts, very properly, no specific names of an earlier date, while the first
edition (1735) of the same work is taken as the earliest point of departure
for generic nomenclature. He also throws over all " barbarous " names,
whether specific or generic, all names of erroneous signification, and all
classical names improperly constructed. Under these restrictions many
long-established and familiar designations fall, to be replaced by the next
(in Dr. Reichenow's view) unobjectionable name. In default of any such
our author proceeds to supply the deficiency. In this way, to cite a few
examples, Platalea ajaja becomes P. rosea ; Ciconia maguari becomes C.
dicnira, Reichenow ; Ardea herodias becomes A. lessorii, etc. ; the generic
name (subgeneric in Reichenow's system) Grosarchius is replaced by Butio,
Reichenow, Zebrilus by Microcnus, Reichenow, Agamia by Doryphonis,
Reichenow (a name essentially preoccupied in entomology by Boryphora),
Garzetta and Egretta by Erodius, etc., the earlier names being in each case
supplanted because " barbarous." The specific names major, fuscus, purpu-
reus, etc., when erroneous in signification, are replaced by later ones.
These are innovations which we think stand small chance of general ac-
ceptation, and admit of no adequate defence, however advisable it may be
to discard the practice of adding such names in future.

After discussing at some length the characters and classification of the
order " Gressores," the author passes to a synopsis of the group, giving
briefly the characters of the families, genera, and subgenera, short Latin
diagnoses of the species, and the more important synonyms. Under the
head of each family are general remarks upon the number of species, their
distribution and habits. The whole number of species recognized is one
hundred and twenty-three, with, in addition, quite a number of " sub-
species" and "varieties." These are arranged in six families {" Ibidw,"
twenty-seven species ; Ciconiidw, nineteen species ; Ph(xnicopterid<r., five
species ; Scopidce and BalmiicipidcB, each one species ; Ardeid(B, sixty-
seven species), fourteen genera, and twenty-two subgenera.

In respect to the matter of genera, Dr. Reichenow displays extreme con-
servatism, his genera having in most instances a value most writers regard
as supergeneric. His subgenera even are more comprehensive than are
the genera of the ultra-divisionists, but in the main are such groups as
we should consider as properly constituted genera. The contrast in
respect to genera is rarely greater, among contemporary writers working
in the same field, than is that presented by Dr. Reichenow on the one

Recent Literature. J 85

hand ami Messrs. Ridgway and Elliot on the other, the fourteen genera
of Ibises recognized by Elliot forming only two in Reichenow's system,
while the contrast is perhaps greater between the Avork of the latter and
Mr. Ridgway's, so far as they cover common ground.

While differing from Dr. Reichenow respecting important principles of
nomenclature, and on various points of classification, we can but accord to
his paper a high importance, as it evinces laborious and careful research, and
embraces a vast amount of information, succinctly and lucidly presented,
that will be of great service to future workers in the same field. — J. A. A.

Brewer's Supplement to his Catalogue of New England Birds.
— This paper* adds twenty-one species to the "Catalogue of the Birds of
New England," published by this author in 1875, and contains notes on
twenty-seven other species of rare occurrence in New England. The
record of rare captures and of additions to the New England avian fauna
is faithfully brought down to date, this brochure forming a most valuable
appendix to his former "Catalogue." The whole number of "recognized
forms " now admitted by him as having been taken in New England is
three hundred and fifty-six. " To show," says our author, " the zeal and
industry with which the knowledge of our fauna has been studied and ex-
tended, it needs only to be mentioned that the list now contains the
names of not less than forty species not positively known to occur in New
England prior to 1874, although the occasional appearance of some five or
six had been looked for by several prophetic observers. This does not in-
clude seven species whose names had been borne on previous lists, but
Avithout any recorded evidence of their right to be there. It moi'eover in-
cludes two or three forms that some do nut recognize as of specific value,
and one whose very existence as a species appears to call for more evi-
dence before its reality can be fully admitted." — J. A. A.

Saunders on the Larin^. — The writer is indebted to the author
for the early sheets of this very interesting, thorough, and discriminating
review t of the family of Gulls, and although there is much in this paper
throwing a welcome and greatly needed light upon several other than
North American species, only the latter will be here considered. The
whole number of species recognized in this paper is forty-nine, of which
number twenty may be counted as North American, in which are included
two. Lams canus and L. affitiis, of purely accidental occurrence. It is not
a little remarkalde that Larus affinis, now recognized as a well-marked
species, should have been first described by Professor Reinhardt from an
individual that had straggled to Greenland. The investigations of See-

* Notes on certain Species of New England Birds, with Additions to his
Catalogue of the Birds of New England. By T. M. Brewer. Proc. Boston Soc.
Nat. Hist., Vol. XIX, pp. 301-309, April, 1878.

t From the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London [pp. 155-212],
February 5, 1878.

vol. III. 13

186 Recent Literature.

bohm and Harvie Brown now show that its true habitat, in the breeding
season, is in Northeastern Europe, on the Petchora. Specimens in an im-
mature plumage had previously been taken on the Red Sea and in India,
and also one from Novaya Zemlia. It is known only as a straggler to
North America.

The only generic names retained by Mr. Saunders are Larus, Xema,
Rissa, Pagophila, and Ehodostethia. To Pagophila he assigns but a single
species, regarding brachytarsus as only a synonym ; to Rissa two, treating
kotzebui as only a form of tridactyla; to Larus forty-three species ; to
Xema two, sabinii and furcatum ; and to Rhodostethia one. Although the
absence of a hind toe has been regarded as the principal characteristic of
the genus Rissa, and this feature is now known not to be a constant pecu-
liarity, Mr. Saunders retains it as valid on account of other structural
characteristics : these are the remarkably short tarsus, its forked tail, and
the peculiar livery of the immature bird, besides its exclusively crag-nest-
ing habits.

Larus hutchinsii Mr. Saunders considers to be an immature L. glaucus
in that very brief stage where the mottled brown of the immature plumage
has passed away and the pearl-gray mantle has not begun to appear, — a
stage so short that but few specimens are recorded in this condition, though
it is not uncommon in captivity.

Larus glaucescens is treated as a valid species, synonymous with glaucop-
terus of Kittlitz and with chalcopterus of Lawrence. Its relationship to
glaucus is shown by its changes of plumage to be closer than to argentatus,

Larus occidentalis is regarded as " a very recognizable form and fully
deserving of consideration as a species," L. affinis being its nearest ally.
Although compared with L. fuscus, it is more closely related to the Her-
ring-Gull group in its larger size, stout bill, and large feet.

Larus californicus of Lawrence was first described by Pallas as
Larus niveus, but the latter name "is not available, having been previ-
ously employed by Boddaert for P. eburnea." This species occurs on the
Japan coast, crossing the North Pacific, corresponds with the nivms of Pallas,
and there is little doubt of its identity. The figure given bj^ Pallas is said
to be a perfect portrait of a specimen recently sent from the Smithsonian
to Mr. Saunders. Mr. Saunders also shows conclusively that this species
cannot be the L. argentatoides of Bonaparte's " Synopsis," for that is spoken
of as " common near New York and Philadelphia," and as occurring " on
the southern coasts of England," while the description and measurements
suit delatvarensis. Neither can L. argentatoides of Richardson be identical
with L. californicus, for reasons equally conclusive.

Larus delaivarensis is held to be the argentatoides of Bonaparte {nee
Brehm). An immature specimen of this bird is recorded as from Hako-
dadi, Japan.

Larus brachyrhynchus, synonymous with suclieyi and septentrional's, is
regarded as an entirely distinct species from canus. In all the specimens

General Notes. 187

seen by Mr. Saunders the color of the mantle of this species is darker than
in the darkest L. canus. From the latter its general appearance is so dif-
ferent that they are distinguishable at a glance.

Among the synonyms oi Larus franklini are given cucullatus of Bruch,
Lawrence, and Coues, kittlitzii and schin^yeri, both of Bruch. On the Pa-
cific coast this species goes down as far as Chili, fully adult examples
having been taken as far south as Santiago.

lihodostethia rosea, the rarest of this family, is known by some thirteen
examples. With two, |)erhaps three, exceptions these have all been taken
in Arctic America. The one said to have been taken in England rests on
very questionable authority. Sabine's Gull, on the Pacific coast, on the
authority of Professor Steere of the University of Michigan, has been
taken on Macebi Island, on the coast of Peru, iu latitude 8° south. The
example was in the adult plumage.

Mr. Saunders's paper evinces a remarkable success in disentangling the
complicated Aveb of European Gulls ; but to explain the great service thus
rendered would take too much space, and would not interest most of the
readers of the Bulletin. This is especially true of the synonymy of leucop-
terus, argentatus, cachimians, — which at last takes its place as a good
species, a synonj^m not of argentatus, but of leucophmis and michaheUesii, —
affinis, ridibundus, and icthyaetus. A more complicated tangle than these
six species presented, thanks to such splitters as Boie, Brehni, Bruch, and
Bonaparte, it would be hard to imagine, and the service rendered by Mr.
Saunders cannot fail to be appreciated by all who have experienced its
need. — T. M. B.

The Nesting of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax fla-
viventris). — On Monday, June 10, 1878, while collecting in company with
Mr. R. F. Pearsall on the island of Grand Menan, I flushed a Yellow-
bellied Flycatcher, which seemed to come from directly under my feet.
The locality was a good-sized hummock of moss, in swampy ground at
the edge of some low woods. For some time I was unable to find any
signs of a nest, but finally I discovered a small hole one and a half
inches in diameter in the side of the hummock, and on enlarging this
opening the nest, with four eggs, lay before me. The bird, which had all
the time been hopping around within a few feet of our heads, was at once
shot. The cavity extended in about two inches, was about four inches in
depth, and was lined with a very few grasses, black hair-like roots, and
skins of berries. The eggs, four in numl:)er, are white, with a very delicate
creamy tint, which differs in its intensity in the different sj)ecimens, and
are spotted, mostly at the larger end, with a few dots and blotches of a
light reddish shade.

188 General Notes.

As far as I can learn, there are several nests of this bird in different
collections, the identities of most if not all of which are disputed. The
description in Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway's work agrees very well with
nests of the Traills' Flycatcher which I have seen, but is totally different
from that of the nest now before me, and so much so that, although I am
well aware of the great differences existing in the nesting habits of birds
of the same species, yet I cannot believe them to extend as far as this.

As we were leaving Grand Menan, a nest was brought to us which I
have no doubt is of the same species, as the position and construction,
which are, to say the least, peculiar, as well as the eggs, correspond ex-
actly ; also the finder's description of the bird. — S. D. Osborne, Brook-
lyn, N. Y.

The Blue-winged Yellow Warbler {Helminthophaga jnnus) ij^ Mas-
SACHUSETTS. — Although this species has been recorded * as a bird of the
State, and the specimen cited is in the collection of the Boston Society of
Natural History (the specimen was captured in Dedham by Mr. Emanuel
Samuels and presented to the society b}^ Dr. Cabot), recent writers on
Massachusetts birds have seen fit to exclude it from their lists. I have
just examined a fine male specimen of this species which was captured in
West Eoxbury, Mass., on May 17, 1878, by Mr. C. N. Hammond. It is
now in the collection of Mr. John Fottler, Jr., of Boston. This makes the
second recorded instance of its capture in the State. — Ruth yen Deane,
Cambridge, Mass.

The Skua Gull (Stercorarius catarractes) on the Coast op Massachu-
setts. — Professor Baird has recently informed me that one of his party
found, on the 18th of July, at the Fort Wharf, Gloucester, the dead body
of a bird that proved upon examination to be an example of the common
large Skua. The bird showed marks of having been recently kept in
confinement, and a little inc^uiry elicited the information that it had been
captured alive by means of a hook on the Georges, and had been kept
alive on one of the fishing vessels. This is the first instance on record in
which one of this species has been taken on any part of North America
other than Greenland ; and as the Georges geologically and practically
belong to our coast water, this bird may now be classed not only as of
North America proper, but also of New England and ISIassachusetts. —
T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

Rufous-headed Sparrow (Peucmi ruficeps) in Texas. — On April 24,
1878, Mr. George H. Ragsdale, of Gainesville, Texas, shot a male and
female of this species in Gilliespie County, Texas, about one hundred
miles west of Austin. The species was first described from specimens
taken in California. In 1873 it was found in Arizona by Mr. H. W.
Henshaw, and also at Fort Bayard, N. M. He speaks of finding it numer-

* Proc. Best. See. Nat. Hist., Yol. VI, p. 386.

General Notes. 189

ous south of Camp Grant in Arizona, and says tliat in its notes and habits
it hears a dose resenibhim-e to the Son<? Sparrows. This appears to be its
first known occurrence east of Southwestern New Mexico. For an oppor-
tunity of examining one of the above-mentioned Texas specimens, and
for the data respecting their capture, I am indebted to Mr, Ragsdale. —
J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Mass.

Early Nesting of the Shore Lark near Indianapolis, Ind. — The
Shore Lark is well known as being a bird that rears its first brood of
young very early in the season, but the following places the record nearly
a month earlier than any before known to me. Professor David S. Jordan
writes, under date of April 24, 1878: "Professor Brayton shot here (near
Indianapolis, Ind.) this morning a number of Shore Larks (^Eremophila
alpestris), and among them were two young birds, about grown. The
bird usually remains here most or all of the summer, but I never knew
of their breeding so early." — J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Mass.

Breeding of the Shore Lark in Western New York. — My atten-
tion has been drawn to John M. Howey's note in the January number of
the Bulletin (Vol. Ill, p. 40), on the breeding of the Shore Lark {Eremo-
phila alpestris) in Yfestern New York. For the past two years this bird
has been quite common in our locality, and on June 6, 1876, it was my
good fortune to find a nest and eggs of this species. The nest was placed
on the ground in nursery rows of young apple-trees, and was composed
of dried grasses very loosely put together. It contained four eggs, which
were blown with difficulty, the embryo being about one third developed.
During the past season several pairs remained with us all summer, l)ut I
was unable to find their nests. — H. T. Jones, Rochester, N. Y.

Red-headed Woodpecker eating Grasshoppers. — Much has been
said in relation to the change in the habits of the Red-headed Woodpecker,
and the fact that he has been compelled, by the intrusion of other birds,
to such ordinary insects, instead of those which inhabit the outside and
inside of trees, has been noted by man}'' observers. During the summer
of 1877 I saw one on the prairie, half a mile from the timber, very intently
bent upon catching grasshoppers {Galoptenns sprefus). The bird made a
fence-post his point of departure and return, flying off a few rods and
capturing his game, and then alighting on the post to devour it more at
leisure. These birds are apparently much less numerous in this region
than they were ten or twelve years ago. — Charles Aldrich, Webster
City, loiva. (Communicated by E. C.)

Song op Hepburn's Finch (Leucosticte littoralis, Baird). — In a re-
cent letter (February 25, 1878) from Captiiin Bendire is the following in-
teresting note on the song of Hepburn's Finch. As no writer has made
any mention of the song of this species, I deem the Captain's account well
worthy of a place in the Bulletin. "Yesterday evening," he writes, "on
my way to the stable, I saw a solitary Leucosticte on the eave of the roof

190 General Notes.

of Captain McGregor's quartera. He is quite a lover of birds, and has
three canaries, their cages hanging against one of the side windows. The
little Finch on the roof evidently had heard them singing, and was, at the
moment when I noticed him, showing what he could do in that line. He
evidently saw the birds in their cage, as every once in a while he stretched
his neck and looked down in the direction of the window. Its song was
quite varied, low, and sweet, but feeble and without much volume. It
was still quite a fair and verj^ pleasant song. I was quite surprised, and
listened to him for full five ' minutes. This was the first time I have
heard any making an attempt to sing." — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

The Short-tailed Tern {Hydrochelidon fissipes) in Massachusetts.
— In view of the fact that the Short-tailed Tern has been heretofore con-
sidered a rare visitor to Massachusetts, it may be of interest to state that
during a week spent on the island of Nantucket in August, 1878, a large
number of specimens were observed by the writer. On August 16 no less
than eight individuals were seen in the harbor near the town, and several
were shot and examined. On every subsequent occasion when the shores
of the island were visited small companies of these Terns were seen,
sitting on the sand-bars, or fishing among the other and commoner species.
They associated most commonly with the Wilson's and Roseate Terns, and
procured their food in the same way, hovering over the " schools " of blue-
fish and pouncing upon the small fry which these voracious creatures drove
to the surface. The stomachs of all the specimens Avhich were dissected
contained the macerated remains of small fishes only. In no case were
any insects detected. — William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.

The Black-throated Bunting (Ensjnza americana). — On page 45 of
the present volume of the Bulletin reference is had to the finding the nest
and eggs of this bird in Medford, in June, 1877, and the remark is made
that but few instances are known of this bird nesting in Massachusetts.
Without disputing this statement, I would mention that in 1833 and 1834
this bird was by no means uncommon in Cambridge in all the (then un-
occvipied) region around the Botanical Garden and thence to West Cam-
bridge and Charlestown. It may be found now every summer on the high
promontory making the northeast corner of Hingham, known as Planter's
Hill and World's-End, lying between Weir Eiver and the harbor. Men-
tion is made of its breeding in that locality in " North American Birds "
(Vol. II, page 67, lines 2 and 3), and since then its presence has been noted
every season when search has been made. In order to verify its presence
in this its favorite locality, this summer I made a successful exploration,
June 30, in company with my nephew, Wilhird S. Brewer. We found
one pair, with young, which the female was busily engaged in feeding
with small grasshoppers, while the male was intent upon his quaint
serenade on a near heap of stones. They were quite tame and unsus-
picious, and permitted a very close approach. We saw two other males,

General Notes. 191

evidently in the neighborhood of their respective fomilies, but the heat
compelled us to desist from further investigations. In the same locality
Ave found SpizeUa pusilla, Pocecetes graminexis, and Melospiza vielodia, but
the Buntings were present in at least equal numbers, as we heard the
notes of other males besides the three we fully identified. But a fierce
sun, with the glass at 90° in the shade, was not favorable to a full census
of all the pairs inhabiting this remote region. We saw enough to satisfy
us of its actual presence in considerable numbers. — T. M. Brewer, Bos-
ton, Mass.

A Hint to Egg-Collectors. — The usual method of emptying eggs
through one small hole with a bent blow-pipe is doubtless supposed to be
a very modern trick ; but it dates back to 1828, when M. Danger* pro-

posed " a new method of preparing and preserving eggs for the cabinet,"
which is substantially identical with the operation as now universally
practised, though he used a three-edged needle to punch the hole, instead
of our modern drill, and did not refer to some of our late ways of man-
aging the embryos. I refer to the paper less as a matter of history than
for the purpose of bringing to notice one of the tools which M. Danger
recommends, and which I think would j^rove very useful indeed. In fact,
I am rather surprised that it has been so long neglected, and strongly
advise a trial of the instrument, as something better than fingers for
holding the egg during drilling and blowing. The instrument is so sim-
ple, that it will be understood without description by a glance at the
accompanying figure. The oval rings are covered with some light fabric,
like mosquito netting, and do not touch the egg, which is held lightly but
securely in the netting. Such an instrument would cost but a trifle, and
it seems worth ascertaining whether we may not avoid danger by Danger's
own method. — Elliott Coues, JVashington, D. C.

The Kentucky Warbler {Oporornis formosiis) at Sing Sing, N. Y.
— At this place, in June, 1875, I found the nest, containing three fresh
eggs, and secured the two old birds of this species.f The woods where
they were found is a long belt, which lies on both sides of a stream which

* Memoire sur une nouvelle methode de preparer et de rendre durables les
collections d'cEufs destines aux cabinets d'histoire naturelle ; par M. F. P.
Danger. Annales des Sciences Naturellcs, 1"* ser. V, 1828, pp. 338 - 348, pi. 10.

+ Am. Nat., Vol. IX, No. 10, October, 1875, p. 573.

192 General Notes.

originally must have been mucli larger. It has worn away ravines some
thirty or forty feet deep ; in other places it has expanded into shallow
flats. The length of the stream is about three miles, and it runs in a ra-
vine through the very heart of our village, and empties into the Hudson.
The stream now is quite small, and the level places along the banks of the
upper portion are covered by weeds, ferns, and scanty undergrowth. The
woods which overhang the stream along its course, only broken now and
then by a field or pasture, are composed of large hemlock, oak, and chest-
nut trees, iinder which there is little undergrowth, and the rays of the sun
hardly penetrate their thick foliage, making a cool and shady retreat.
Here, this sj)ring and summer, seemed the very paradise for the Kentucky
Warbler. While collecting. May 21, I saw four flitting here and there
among the small plants, and secured two ; May 22 I collected four more ;
the 24th, four were seen, and I shot three ; the 27th, I saw two ; on the 29th,
a mile up the stream, I saw another, and my friend, Mr. Geoi-ge Hyles,
shot one still higher up. June 1 and 4 I saw a pair near where the first
ones were seen, and on the 20th of June found their nest containing five
young, which left it June 29. June 9, in a woods some miles distant, I
saw a male. June 26 I saw still another, and from its actions it must have
had a nest or young near, but from want of time I did not look for it.
July 5 a male came under my window, and, perching on a shrub, warbled
out his short but lovely song. The same day Mr. Hyles saw a male four
miles south of this place. Allowing the same ones were sometimes seen
twice, there have been at least sixteen individuals here, and undoubtedly
four nests. — A. K. Fisher, Sing Sing, N. Y.

The Snow-Bird in Summer on Mount Wachusett. — Mr. Brad-
ford Torrey writes : "On the 8th of July (1878) I saw a pair of Snow-
Birds {Junco hyemalis) on the summit of Mount Wachusett, and, as I do
not find any mention of their breeding there either in the * History of
North American Birds ' or in Mr. Allen's ' Catalogue of the Birds of
Massachusetts,' I venture to send you this item, trusting that you will
overlook the seeming presumption if the fact is one well known." Al-
though there is, I think, no record of the presence in the breeding season
of the Snow-Bii-d on Mount Wachusett, it is well known to occur there
at that season, where it has been met with by Mr. Brewster and other
observers repeatedly during the last few years. The occurrence of an
isolated colony of these birds on Mount Wachusett seems well worthy of
record. — J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Mass.

An Albino Anna Humming-Bird. — I had sent to me, July 10, 1878^
a fine specimen of an albino Hummer of the species Calypte anna. It
was taken in San Rafael, Marin Co., Cal., by parties unknown to me.
The bird has the head, neck, and under parts bluish-white ; back and tail
with a pale creamy tint ; three longest feathers in upper tail-coverts pale
cinnamon ; bill and feet flesh-color ; eyes pinkish ; primaries and secon-
daries pure white ; eyelids with a creamy tinge. The bird was a young

General Notes. 193

one, and the sex could not be readily determined. — C. A. Allen, Nicasio,
Marin Co., Cat.

Wilson's Thrush, with Spotted Eggs and nesting on a Tree. —
In a collection of nests and eggs received from Vermont this season was
the nest of this species built upon a horizontal limb of a tree, fifteen feet
from the ground, and containing four spotted eggs. This is the only in-
stance I have ever known either of the nest being much above the ground
or of the eggs being other than immaculate. But I find it is not without
precedent. Mr. George 0. Welch several years since found a nest of this
Thrush in Lyim at a height of twenty-five feet above the ground, and Mr.
Allen has recorded (Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVII, 48) an instance of
its having spotted eggs. This case combines both. The nest is large and
bulky, was saddled over ([uite a large limb, the impress of which is shown
in the base. The ground-color of one egg is unusually deep, as deep as
that of a Catbird, but of a different shade. The spots are of a bright
golden-brown, in one egg very strongly marked, in the other three not so
much so. The parent was sent with the nest, and before I received it its
identity had been carefully verified by that veteran ornithologist, Charles
S. Paine, Esq., of Randolph, Vt. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Alass.

The Pygmy Owl {Glaucidium californicum). — On the 13th of August,
1877, about dusk, I heard near the house a great fuss among a lot of Brewer's
Blackbirds, which had nested in a small clump of red- woods near by. On
approaching the spot, out went a bird, to which all the Blackbirds gave
chase. When all had settled in a red-wood tree near by, I saw a Pygmy
Owl sitting on a limb, — the cause of all the noise. I had my gun
brought to me, when I shot the Owl, which proved to be a female. Again
on July 8, 1878, at nine o'clock A. m., I heard a disturbance among the
Blackbirds in the same clump of trees, and, suspecting the cause, took mj'
gun and went to see what was the matter. On approaching the spot, out
flew a lot of birds of difterent species, and among them a G. californicum,
which, after much trouble, I shot as it Avas flying over some low bushes ;
this one was a male. There were fighting the Owl one pair of Tyrannus
verticalis, one pair of Bullock's Orioles, one pair of Bewick's Wrens, three
Banded Tits (CJiamcea fasciata), one pair of Pipilo oregonus, one pair of
P. crissalis, and about twenty Blackbirds {Scolecophacjus cyanocephalus).
The bravest birds of the troop were Bewick's Wren and Bullock's Oriole,
which kept darting at the Owl's head as it sat on the ground devouring a
young Blackbird. I have seen a Pygmy Owl dart down and lift a Chip-
ping Squirrel with ease and carry it oflf. — C. A, Allen, Nicasio, Cal.

The Carolina Wren in Massachusetts. — My friend, Mr. Geo. 0.
Welch, secured a fine specimen of the Thryothonis ludovicianus in Lynn,
on the 6th of July. The imprudent stranger ventured within, an easy
range of his work-room window, in the very heart of the city, and now
remains as tangible evidence of its right to a place on the list of the birds
of this State as well as New England. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

194 General Notes.

The Titlark {Anthus ludovicianus) in Massachusetts in June. —
The occurrence of the Titlark on the coast of Massachusetts so late as the
8th of June, with just the possible suspicion that it was about to breed
there, is a very interesting and characteristic fact in the history of the
eccentric and abnormal habits of this species. It has been claimed to
breed regularly in Central New York, though its presence there in mid-
summer would seem, of itself, so improbable as to require confirmation.
The example now referred to as taken on our coast was shot by Mr. Wm.
A. Jeffries, on a small island off the shore, at Swampscott, on Saturday,
June 8. Its mate, if it had one, could not then be found, nor any trace of
a nest. We cannot be certain of its having been a mated bird, but the
condition of its reproductive organs renders this suppo.?ition probable.
The occurrence of this species on our coast, in the height of the breeding
season, while it does not necessarily confirm that of Mr. Gilbert of Penn
Yan (see Bull., Ill, p. 35), goes a good way to establish its eccentric and no-
madic habits, and prepare us to accept as possible, irregularities that would
he improbable in almost any other species. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

Nests and Eggs of Helminthophaga pinus. — Mr. S. N. Roads, of
West Chester, Pa., writes respecting two nests of this bird, the nidifica-
tion of which is as yet none too well known. On the 12th of June, 1878,
he found a pair of these Warblers showing unmistakable signs of having
a nest, which latter he soon discovered, as he saw the male fly to it with
a worm in his bill. It was built in the midst of a clump of taU swamp-
grass, on the outskirts of a forest where there was a good deal of weedy
undergrowth not over two feet high. The nest rested slightly on the
ground, and was quite bulky for the size of the bird ; the cavity was
nearly three inches deep by two inches in width. The structure was com-
posed externally of beech and oak leaves of the preceding year, which
" seemed to have been carelessly strewn and stuck in as if to form a barri-
cade around the brim." The lining consisted of fine strips of grape-vine
and inner bark of the oak, together with some straws. This nest contained
four young birds about two days old.

Mr. Roads shortly afterward procured two eggs from another nest which
he found about a quarter of a mile from the same spot. These were pure
white, dotted with red at the greater end, and were of just the size of
those of Chrysomitris tristis, but less pointed. He also examined another
set of eggs procured by a friend in the same vicinity. — Elliott Coues,
Washington, D. C.

The Winter Wren breeding in Southern New York. — Six miles
south of Ithaca, N. Y., and leading eastward from Enfield Falls into the
Cayuga Valley, is a beautiful glen. It is long, deep, and narrow, with
steeply diverging walls rising, on either side, some three hundred feet
above the bed of the stream. Large hemlock, pine, and beech trees are
so closely crowded together in it as to preclude effectually the sun's rays,

General Notes. 195

and, with the stream running below them, to secure for the glen a tem-
perature and liumidity not unlike what is to be found in the forests of
Northern Wisconsin.

In company with my friends, F. H. Severance and W. Trelease, I
paid a visit to this glen June 21, 1878. Just below the Falls, where
the glen widens, a group of five Winter Wrens {Anorthura troglodytes var.
kijemalis) were discovered darting in and out of a brush-pile which lay a
short distance back from the stream. On securing one of these, it was
found to be a fully fledged young bird, but so immature as to leave no
doubt that it was one of a brood Avhich had been reared in the glen.

It may be added that two Winter Snow-Birds were observed in this glen
on the same date, and that an Acadian Flycatcher w^as obtained there. —
F. H. King, Ithaca, N. Y.

The Sooty Tern in New Hampshire. — Up to the present time
record has been made of the capture of nine specimens of this Tern in
New England,* all these examples having been taken in Massachusetts,
Khode Island, and Connecticut, since September, 1 876. I now record the
tenth and most northern specimen, a fine adult male, taken at Newmar-
ket, N. H., about September 14, 1878, by Mr. D. C. Wiggin. I am in-
debted to Mr. Charles I. Goodale, who has preserved the specimen, for the
above facts. — Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass.

Sabine's Gull in Maine. — Mr. G. A. Boardman writes that among
the rare birds taken by him last spring (1878) near Calais, Me., is a Sa-
bine's Gull {Xema sabinei), in very nearly full plumage. I am also
informed that a specimen of the same species was taken not long since at
Portland, Me. The only other New England record for the species is
Boston Harbor, Mass., September 27, 1874 (Breivster, Amer. Sportsman,
V, 1875, 370 ; Brewer, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVII, 1875, 449). —
J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Alass.

The White-crowned Sparrow breeding in Vermont. — One of my
correspondents, Mr. H. E. Boughton, of Rutland, Vt., writes me that he
has, the present summer, found a pair of Zonotrichia leucophrys breeding in
that locality. As I know of no other record of this bird breeding in New
England, I send the item, with all he writes me in regard to it. " The
nest," he says, "was taken by myself, and was situated in a clump of black-
berry and maple bushes, and was about three and one half feet from the
ground. It is composed entirely of straw and grass, is very bulky, being
almost as large as the nest of a Robin on the outside, and about one and one
half inches in diameter on the inside. When the nest was approached
the bird, which was very shy, would dart off from it and into the bushes
like a shot ; but by concealing myself I obtained a good view of her when
she returned." — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

* Meiriam's Review of the Birds of Connecticut, pp. 134, 135 ; Bull. Nutt.
Ornith. Club, Vol. II, pp. 22, 27, January, 1877.

196 General Notes.

Nesting Habits of the Red-bellied Nuthatch. — Having been
observing the nesting habits of the Red-bellied Nuthatch {Sitta canaden-
sis), I will give the readers of the Bulletin the results of my observations.
June 2, I found a nest on Little Deer Isle, Penobscot Bay. It was in
a white-birch stub some ten feet from the ground ; the entrance was one and
one half inches wide by one and one fourth deep. The hole ran slanting for
three inches, and then straight down for four inches more. ' It contained six
eggs, which were white, with small specks of reddish-broAvn on the small
end, and heavily spotted with the same on the larger end, a great deal more
brown than the eggs of the White-bellied Nuthatch. Incubation had not
commenced. For two inches below the centre of the hole, and for half an
inch on either side, the birch bark was coated with fir balsam. June 20,
I found another in Holden, Me,, which the young had just left. It was
in a poplar stub some twelve feet from the ground. Hole one and one half
inches by one inch, slanting down four inches, and then four inches
straight down. This hole had fir balsam one fourth of an inch thick for
two inches below the hole, and then thinner, and running down in large
drops for twenty-one inches below the hole. The pitch extended an inch
on either side, and more than three inches above the hole, in all more than
could be heaped upon a large tablespoon. It was stuck full of the red
breast- feathers of the bird, but there were no signs of any insects having
been fastened by it. This nest had been occupied two years. Near both
the nests were other holes not so deep, probably used for one of the birds
to occupy while the other is sitting, as is the case with most Woodpeckers.
Both nests were composed of fine short grasses and roots. I notice that
in making the hole the bird makes a circle of holes round a piece about
as large as a ten-cent-piece, and then takes out the piece of bark entire. I
have one nest which has near it a piece circled in this manner, but not re-
moved. My friend, Mr. Harry Merrill of Bangor, found a nest last year
surrounded by pitch just as in those found by me. So that it seems
certain that in most cases they do this, though for what purpose I am
as yet unable to determine. The pitch certainly was placed there by
the birds, as neither birch nor poplar contains pitch, and there were no
overhanging trees from which a drop could come. I think it would take
the bird several days of steady work to obtain what was around the nest
in the poplar. I think that more nests would be found if people did not
mistake them for holes of the Downy Woodpecker, which are of the same
size, though rounder. Audubon speaks of their being placed four feet
from the ground ; l)ut while this is sometimes the case, they are oftener
ten to fifteen feet from the ground. It is easy to tell even an old nest
from that of either a Downy Woodpecker or Black-capped Titmouse, as the
Woodpecker lays directly upon fine chips, without any nest, and the Tit-
mouse makes a nice nest of fur and feathers, and neither place any pitch
round the holes, while the Nuthatch makes its nest of short fine grass
and j)rotects with pitch outside the hole. — Manly Haruv, Brewer, Me.

General Notes. 197

Tragic Fate of a Summer Warbler. — A pair of Dendroxa (estiva
built for their second brood in a bush in the garden. Being interested to
learn the progress of their domestic lives, I visited the spot frequently.
On the fifth day I found the poor mother-bird hanging dead from the half-
finished nest by a piece of cord which was twisted tightly around her
neck. — W. L. Collins, Frankfort P. 0., Pa. {Communicated by E. C.)

Eggs of the Solitary Sandpiper {Wiyacophilus solitarius, Bp.). — The
egg of this species has remained, to the present time, an unknown and
much-desired addition to our cabinets. From time to time eggs claimed
to be of this bird have been described, or have had a nominal existence
in collections. But these claims have always been open to suspicion and
doubt. The eggs have all either had so strong a resemblance to either the
egg of the Spotted Tatler {Tringoides macularius) or to that of the Kill-
deer {jSyialitis vociferus) as to cause the belief that their identification
could not have been correctly made. During the last year eggs were sent
to me for verification from five different parties, and all were deemed not
worthy of credence. A few days ago, hearing of a Solitary Tatler having
been shot near her nest, and an egg obtained, in Castleton, Vt., I at
once wrote to the party, and have obtained from him a temporary loan of
both parent and egg, with permission to describe the same in the Bulletin.

The bird and egg were taken by Mr. Jenness Richardson about the mid-
dle of May, — I have not the exact date, — 1878, at Lake Bomaseen,
on the ground, in a pasture bordering on a swamp. The bird was on her
nest when first discovered, but fluttered off when approached, ran a short
distance, then stood still, watching him until she was secured. There Avas
no actual nest, only a small depression in the ground. I am informed by
Mr. Richardson that the bird is quite common in that locality, but very
shy. This egg resembles no egg in my possession, and in its appearance
there is something suggestive of an egg prematurely cut from its parent.
It is smaller than I anticipated, measuring only 1.37 X .95, while the
egg of Totanns ochropus, which bird closely corresponds in size and appear-
ance with our Solitary, measures 1.50 X 1.10. The ground-color is a light
drab, similar to that of the egg of ^gialitis melodus. Over this are scat-
tered small rounded mai-kings of brown, some of these quite dark, nowhere
confluent, and never large enough to be called blotches. At the larger
end there are a few faint purplish or lilac discolorations or shell-marks.
In shape it is an elongated pyriform. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass.

Lincoln's Finch {Melospiza lincolni) breeding in Hamilton County,
N. Y. — On the 13th of June, 1878, while on a fishing trip in the wilderness
of New York, my companions and myself were skirting (two on one side
and two on the other) a beautiful little pond in Hamilton County, N. Y.,
which is dignified with the name of " Moose Lake," when one of the party
from the opposite side called across to me, " Do you want a bird's nest ? "
On my expressing surprise at such an unnecessary question, he shouted

198 General Notes.

back as his excuse, " 0, it is nothing but a little brown bird." Such is
the deplorable ignorance of the majority of mankind. The little brown
bird turned out to be Melospiza lincolni.

On arriving on the opposite side of the pond, I found the bird, driven
from her nest by my friend, had not returned; we therefore retired a little,
and in a fevv minutes she came back to her treasures and was sacrificed to
science. The nest was placed on the ground, where it was almost spongy
with water, within about two rods of the pond, and about the same dis-
tance from the edge of the forest. It was not under the protection of
any bush or stone, but was quite well concealed in some last year's tall
grass. It was composed entirely of dried grasses both inside and out,
the lining being neatly made of the finer spears, and contained three
eggs, a few days advanced in incubation. These measured .74 X .56.
The ground was a pale greenish, covered Avith spots and blotches of dif-
ferent shades of reddish-brown. On one of them the spots were so nu-
merous as to become confluent and almost conceal the ground-color, while
on another they were miich smaller, so that the greenish-white of the
ground-color was the predominant tint, except at the large end, where the
spots became larger and more confluent, as indeed they did on all three.

This Moose Lake is a small body of water situated about fifteen miles
northeast of Wilmurt P. 0., Herkimer County, and must not be con-
founded with its larger namesakes, which are situated farther north, —
Moose in Herkimer County, Big Moose on the line, and North Moose in
Hamilton County. The outlets of these three all empty into the Moose
River, while that of the one here referred to runs into the West Canada
Creek. This I think is farther south than the Lincoln's Finch has been
found breeding east of the Great Lakes, and, in fact, is but little north of
Racine, which is the southern limit of its breeding, according to Baird,
Brewer, and Ridgway's " History of North American Birds." Nor can
I, with the limited number of books at my command, find any record of
the bird having been taken in this part of the State, — Egbert Bagg, Jr.,
Utica, N. Y.

Occurrence of the Whistling Swan (Cygnus americanus) in Massa-
chusetts. — During a recent visit to Nantucket I had the pleasure of
examining a fine specimen of the Whistling or American Swan in the
possession of Mr. H. S. Sweet of that place. Through Mr. Sweet's kind-
ness I am enabled to give the full particulars attending its capture. It
was first seen about December 27, 1877, on Sacacha Pond, at the east end
of Nantucket, in company with five Canada Geese. The latter were all
killed in the course of a few days, but the Swan, though repeatedly fired
at, seemed to bear a charmed life, and for a long time evaded all attempts
at its capture. Through the succeeding two months it was frequently
seen either in Sacacha Pond or Polpis Harbor, between which points it
appeared to confine its wanderings. The winter was a A'ery mild one on
the island, and it accordingly had little dilficulty in obtaining food. It

General Notes. 199

was finally shot, March 4, 1878, on Coskuta Pond, by Mr. F. P. Chad-
wick, and by him presented to Mr. Sweet. The bird is apparently in
nearly perfect plumage, with the otherwise pure white only partially
obscured by a plumbeous Avash upon the top and sides of the head, and
for a short space on the neck behind. Its weiglit was sixteen pounds.
The sex was not ascertained. Although this species is given in many of
the local lists as of occasional occurrence during the migrations, there
seems to be no previous record of its actual capture in Massachusetts.

At the time of the first settlement of the country, according to various
early writers, a Swan — presumably C americanus — was common along
the Merrimack River and in some other parts of the State. — William
Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.

Capture of a Fifth Specimen of the White-throated Warbler
(Helminthophaga leucobronchialis). — I am indebted to Mr. E. I. Shores
for the opportunity of examining a specimen of the White-throated
Warbler, which was taken by him at Suflield, Conn., July 3, 1875. It is
an adult male in very worn plumage. In every essential i:>articular it
agrees well with my type of the species, though exhibiting certain peculi-
arities of coloration not found in an}"^ of the three specimens which I have
previously examined. These differences are such as might be expected to
occur in a series sufficiently large to present the range of individual
variation, and do not tend to establish any closer connection with either
of the allied species. The most marked dejiarture from the type is pre-
sented by the coloration of the under parts. The entire pectoral region is
washed with pale yellow, which extends down along the sides of the abdo-
men nearly to the tail. This coloring proves upon examination to be a
merely siiperficial tipping to the feathers. In a good series of H. chrysop-
tera before me several specimens occur which are marked in a nearly
similar manner, though in none of them does the yellow wash extend so
far down upon the sides. With this latter species it seems to be a purely
individual phase of coloration, dependent neither upon age nor Reason.
Several young males in newly completed autumnal dress do not show the
slightest trace of its presence, while a young female in fall plumage is
quite distinctly tinged across the breast. The spring .specimens most
strongly marked are all apparently very adult birds.

Another point of difference, scarcely to be expected when the unusual
amount of yellow beneath is taken in consideration, is found in the
restricted area of the yellow marking upon the wing-coverts. In the
type specimen the wing-bands are nearly confluent, and present the
appearance of a single broad yellow band upon the wing, while in ]\Ir.
Shores's specimen they are widely separated. This, however, seems to be
mainly due to the imperfect tondition of the plumage, whereby the darker
bases of many of the greater coverts are exposed. No further differences
worthy of note occur, and the salient characters of white cheeks and eye-
lids, narrow restricted black line through the eye, etc., are all strongly

200 General Notes.

presented. Mr. Shores's specimen makes the fifth that has already been
brought to light, and is the second reported from Connecticut. — William
Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.

Nesting of the Banded Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides ameri-
canus) in Northern New York. — Since the eggs of this species have
never been described, and do not exist, to my knowledge, in the cabinet
of any of our ornithologists, it is with no ordinary degree of pleasure that
I am enabled to make the following extract from my journal.

'■'■June 4, 1878. — Shortly after crossing Moose River this morning, en
route for the Fulton chain of lakes, Mr. C L. Bagg and I were so fortunate
as to secure a set of the eggs, with both parent birds, of Ficoides ameri-
canus (old hirsutus). We had just crossed the boundary line between
Lewis and Herkimer Counties, when Mr. Bagg called my attention to a
* fresh hole,' about eight feet from the ground, in a spruce-tree near
by. On approaching the tree a yellow crown appeared in the hole, show-
ing us that the nest belonged to one of the Three-toed Woodpeckers, and
that the male bird was ' at home.' To prevent his escape I jumped
toward the tree and introduced three fingers, which were immediately
punctured in a manner so distasteful to their proprietor as to necessitate
an immediate withdrawal and exchange for the muzzle of my fiiend's gun.
A handkerchief was next crowded into the hole, but was instantly riddled
and driven out by a few blows from his terrible bill. It was then held
loosely over the hole, and as the bird emerged I secured and killed him.
Through the kindness of a friend my pocket contained one of those
happy combinations of knives, saws, and button-hooks, — a sort of tool-
chest in miniature, — which one sometimes sees in the shop windows, and
is apt to regard with awe rather than admiration, but which constitutes,
nevertheless, one of the most useful articles in a naturalist's outfit. With
this instrument we were enabled to saw a block from the face of the nest,
and to secure, uninjured, the four nearly fresh eggs which it contained.
While wrapping up the eggs the female bird returned, and as she alighted
on the side of the tree was killed by Mr. Bagg. The orifice of the hole
was about eight feet high and an inch and a half in diameter, and the
cavity was about ten inches deep,"

The eggs are cream-white, and of a texture like those of other Wood-
peckers. They are strongly ovate in outline (the largest diameter being
near the large end), and measure respectively 23.8 X 17.2 mm., 23.6 X
17.8 mm., 23.8 X 17.9 mm., and 23 X 17.8 mm.

So far as I am aware this rare Woodpecker is only found along the
eastern border of Lewis County, in the Adirondack region, where it is a
resident species ; and even here it is much less common than its congener,
the Black-backed Woodpecker. — C. Hart Merriam, Locust Grove, Lewis
Co., N. Y.

INDEX,

AcciPiTER coo]icn, 41.

^chmoptilii alliifrons, 144.

yEgialitis liiaticula, 51, 86.

" meloda var. circumcincta, 94.
" wilsonia, 139.

Agelaus phccniceus, 175.
" tricolor, 137.

Alca hnieniiiihi, 86.

Akirieh, Charles, Rod-headed Wood-
pecker eating grasshoppers, 189.

Allen, C A., an albino Anna Hiim-
ming-I)ird, 192; the Pygmy Owl
(G'luitciclium ailifornicnin) , 19.3.

Allen, J. A. , an inadequate " Theory
of Birds' Nests," 23; note on Pyj)7o
erijthrophthalwus with spotted scapu-
lars, 42 ; note on the Fish Crow, 47 ;
the Lark limiting ( Cakimospiza bi-
color) in Massachusetts, 48 ; late
capture of the Yellow-bellied Fly-
catcher in Massachusetts, 102 ; per-
sistency it> nest-building by a pair
of city Robins, 103 ; notice of his
" List of the Birds of Massachu-
setts," 138 ; occurrence of three spe-
cies of Sea-Ducks at St. Louis, Mo.,
148; the Carolinian Fauna, 149 ; the
Glossy Ibis in Massachusetts, and
note on its proper generic and specific
names, 152; Rufous-headed Sparrow
(Peuccea ritjicepn) in Texas, 188 ;
early nesting of the Shore Lark
(Eremopliila alpestris) near Indian-
apolis, Ind., 189 ; the Snow-Bird in
summer on Mount Waciuisett, 192;
Sabine's Gull in Maine, 195.

Amazilia cerviniventris, 144.

Ammodromus bairdi, 2.

" caudacntus, 48, 98, 119, 147.
" maritimus, 48, 119.

Ampelis cedroruni, 64, 70.
" garrulus, 46.

Anhinga, 101.

Anorthura troglodytes var. hyemalis,
53, 172, 194.

Anous fuscatns, 143.
" riierminieri, 143.
" niger, 143.
" plunihca, 141.
" rousscaui, 143.
" spadiceus, 143.
" stolidus, 143.
" " var. frater, 143.

Anser hyperborcus, 146.

Antluis ludovicianus, 35, 172, 194.

Antrostomus carolinensis, 165.

Afpiila chrysaiitus, 100.

Ardea cterulea, 145.
" candidissima, 145.
" cinereus, 183.
" cocoi, 183.
" egretta, 145.
" herodias, 53, 183, 184.
" lessoni, 184.
" leucogastra var. leucophrymna,

145.
" occiden talis, 183.
" rufa, 145, 184.
" wiirdemanni, 184.

Audubon, Miss Maria R., combat be-
tween an albino Robin and a mole,
184.

Auriparus flaviceps, 93.

Bagg, Egbert, Jr., Lincoln's Finch
(MeJospiza lincolni) breeding in Ham-
ilton County, N. Y., 197.

Bailey, H. B., some new traits in the
Red-headed Woodpecker {Melanerpes
erytltrocephulu^), 97.

Barrows, S. J., notice of his Catalogue
of the Alckke, 86.

Batchelder, Charles F., spurious prima-
ries in the Red-eyed Virco, 97.

Belding, L., nesting-habits of Pants
montaiiHS, 102.

Bendire, Charles, breeding habits of
Gcocci/x cali/ornianus, 39 ; notice of
his Notes on some of the Birds of
Southern Oregon, 81.

Bernicla brenta, 86.

Bicknell, Eugene P., evidences of the
Carolinian Fauna in the Lower Hud-
son Valley, 128.

Bluebird, 19, 76, 169.

Brachyrhamphus craveri, 81.

Brewer, T. M., nest and eggs of Zona-
tricliid coroiiata, 42 ; the Seaside
Finch {Aiiimodromii.t man'timiis) in
Eastern Massachusetts, 48 ; changes
in our North American Fauna, 49 ;
notes on Junco canicpps and the close-
ly allied forms, 72 ; note on eggs of
Mijiarchus eri/throcercits, 100 ; the
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher {Polioptila
ccpruka in Massachusetts, 146 ; Apol-
ogetic, 147; the Stilt Sandpiper (J/icro-

202

Index.

palama himantopus), 148 ; interesting
captures, 151 ; two more birds new
to the Fauna of North America, 152 ;
notice of his Supplement to his Cat-
alogue of New England Birds, 185 ;
the Skua Gull {Stercorarius catar-
ractes) off the coast of Massachusetts,
188 ; song of Hepburn's Finch (Leu-
costicte littoraUs), 189 ; the Black-
throated Bunting (£'i<.sp/^aa?He>-('ca?ia),
190; Wilson's Thrush, with spotted
eggs and nesting in trees, 193; the
Carolina Wren in Massacliusetts,
19.3 ; the Titlark [Anthus ludovici-
anus) in Massachusetts in June, 193 ;
the White-crowned Sparrow breeding
in Vermont, 195 ; eggs of the Soli-
tary Sandpiper (lihyacophilus soli-
tar ius), 197.

Brewster, William, note on nest and
eggs of Carpodacus purpureus var.
culifornicus, 10; descriptions of the
first plumage in various species of
North American birds, 15, 56, 115,
175 ; occurrence of a second specimen
of Swainson's Buzzard (Buleo swain-
soni) in Massachusetts, 39 ; breeding
of the Hooded Merganser {Mergus
cucullatus) in Floiida, 40; note on
Dendroeca dominica, 43 ; the White-
throated Warbler (Helminthophaga
leucohronchialis) in Connecticut, 99 ;
nesting of the Large-billed Water
Thrush (Sitirus motacllla), 133; note
on the breeding of the Woodcock in
Georgia and Florida, 151 ; note on
the occurrence of Phalaropus hi/perbo-
reus in Massachusetts, 152 ; the Pro-
thonotary Warbler (Protonotaria ci-
trea), 153; the Short-tailed Tern (/:?'_(/-
droc/ielidon Jissipes) in ISIassachusetts,
190; capture of the Whistling Swan
( Ciiqmis americanus) in Massachusetts,
198; capture of a fifth specimen of
the White-throated Warbler (Helmin-
thophaga lencohronchialis), 199.

Brown, J. A. Harvie, notice of his pa-
pers on the distrihvition of birds in
North European llussia, p. 35.

Brown, Nathan Clitlbrd, the Sharp-
tailed Finch in Maine, 98 ; the Stilt
Sandpiper at Portland, Me,, 102 ; a
list of birds observed at Coosada,
Central Alabama, 168.

Bunting, Baird's, I.

Black-throated, 45, 164, 190.
Lark, 48.
" Painted Lark, 92.

Bureau, Louis, abstract of his paper,
" De la Mue du Bee et des Orne-
ments Palj)e'braux du Macarcux arc-
tique," etc., 87.

Buteo swainsoni, 39.
Buzzard, Swainson's, 39.
Calamospiza bicolor, 48.
Calidris arenaria, 86.
Calypte anna, 192.
Cardinalis virginianus, 131.
Carpodacus cassini, 66.

" purpureus, 116.

" caiifornicus, 8.

Catbird, 18, 76, 169.
Catharistes atratus, 166.
Catherpes mexicanus j3 conspersus, 65
Cedar-bird, 70.
Centronyx bairdi, 2, 3.

" ochrocephalus, 1, 2.

Centurus carolinus, 146, 180.
Ceratorhina monocerata, 87.

" suckleyi, 89.

Certhia familiaris, 171.
Ceryle alcyon, 92.
Chamajpeleia passerina, 147.
Chat, Yellow-breasted, 174.
Chaulelasmus couesi, 81.
Chewink, see Towhee.
Chickadee, see Titmouse.
Chicken, California Prairie, 96. [164.
Chondestes grammaca, 43, 44, 66, 121,
Chordeiles virginianus, 178.
Chrysomitris lawrencei, 66.
" pinus, 66, 117,

" tristis, 66, 117.

Chuck-will's-widow, 165.
Ciconia dicrura, 184.

" maguai-i, 184.
Cinclus mexicanus, 65.
Cistothorus stellaris, 22, 172.
j Coccyzus americanus, 165.

" erythrophthalmus, 178.
Colaptes auratus, 67, 181.

" " 7 hybridus, 67.

" " ji mexicanus, 67.

Collins, W. L., tragic fate of a Summer

Warbler, 197.
Collurio ludovicianus, 66, 174.

" ludovicianus var. excubitoroi-
des, 53, 55.
Colyrabus septentrionalis, 86, 146.

" torquatus, 53.

Contopus borealis, 53, 177.
" richardsoni, 67.
" virens, 177.
Cooper, William A., notes on the breed-
ing habits of Curpoducus purpureus
var. caiifornicus, w itli a description of
its nest and eggs, 8 ; on the breeding
habits of Hutton's Vireo (Vireo hut-
toni) and the Gray Titnjouse [Lopho-
phanes inornatus), with description of
their nest and eggs, 68.
Coriphihis kuhli, 81.
Corvus americanus, 71, 94.
" corax, 53, 86.

Index.

203

Corvus ossifragus, 45, 47, 131.

Cory, Charles B., the Glossy Ibis in

Massachusetts, 152.
Coturniculus hcnslovvi, 39, 118.

" passerinus, 118.

Cotyle riparia, 64, 164.
Coues, Elliott, note on Passercufns bairdi
and P. princepx, I ; the Northern
Phalarope in North Carolina, 40 ;
the Willow Grouse in New York, 41 ;
Pipllo en/t/trop/ifha/miis with spotted
scapulars. 41 ; melanism in 'I'unJiis
mit/ratoriiia, 47 ; on the moult of the
bill and pal])eliral f)rnaments of/Vo-
tfrctda arrtioa, 87 ; habits ofthe Kinfj-
fisher (CHTijle alcijon), 92; nest and
eggs of Selaspkonts plafifcercits, 95 ;
nesting of Vireo olivacetis, 93 ; mean-
ing of the word "Anhinga," 101 ;
the Kave, Clitf, or Crescent Swallow
(Petrochflidon luiiifronx), 105; Swal-
low-tailed Kite in Dakota in winter,
147; a hint to egg-collectors, 191;
nest and eggs of Hehninlhophaga
pimis, 194.
Creeper, Black-and-white, 22, 172.

'' Brown, 171.
Crow, Blue, 112.
" Common, 71.
" Fish, 45, 47, 131.
Cyanocitta cristata, 165.
Cyanospiza cyanea, 122.
Cygnus americanus, 198.
Cyrtonyx massena, 94.
Dayax, a. J., notes on birds of North-
ern New York, 53.
Deane, Ruthven, Cotnrnicnhis henslowi
in New Hampshire, 39; the Blue-
gray Gnatcatcher (PolioptVa ccentlea)
in Massachusetts, 45 ; deadly combat
between an albino Robin and a
mole, 104; the Blue-winged Yellow
Warbler (Helminlhophaga piiitts) in
Massachusetts, 188; the Sooty Tern
in New Hampshire, 195.
Dendrocygna fulva, 138.
DendrcEca .nestiva, 173, 197.

" blackburniiE, 53, 58, 93.

" caerulea, 46.

" cferulescens, 53, 57, 173.

" castanea, 58.

" coronata, .53, 58, 65, 76, 173.

" discolor, 59, 173.

" dominica, 43, 146, 173.

" " albilora, 144, 163.

" maculosa, 53, 59.

" occidentalis, 65.

" palmarum, 173.

" " var. hypochrysea, 173.

" pennsylvanica, 59, 71.

" pin us, 173.

" striata, 105, 138.

Dendroeca virens, 57,
Dichromanassa rufa, 145.
Diver, Red-throated, 145.
Dove, Ground, 146.
Duck, Pied, 79.

" Surf, 149. •
Eagle, C. H., the Fish Crow {C'orvtts
ossificn/iis) on Long Island, 47; cap-
ture of zEf/ialitis meloda var. circum-
cincta on Long Island, 94.
Eagle, Golden, 100.
Elanoides forficatus, 147.
Elliot, D. G., notice of his " Review of

the Ibidince, or Iliises," 182.
Emberiza bairdi, 2.

" leucophrys, 105.
Empidonax acadicus, 131, 177. [187.
" flaviventris, 101, 165, 178,

difficilis, 137, 166, 168.
" hamniondi, 66.

" minimus, 178.

" obscurus, 66.

" pusillus, 66, 137.

trailli, 177, 188.
Eremophila alpestris, 40, 53, 54, 16.5.
Euspiza americana, 45, 122, 164, 190.
Falcixellus guarauna, 143, 183.
" igneus, 18.3.

" ridgwayi, 183.

" thalassina, 183.

Falco candicans, 86.
" communis anatum, 32.
" " najvius, 165.

" polyagrus, 112.
" spadiceus, 105.
Fauna, Carolinian, 128, 149.
Feilden, H. W., notice of his List of the

Birds of Smith's Sound, etc., 86.
Finch, Bachman's, 164.

" California Purple, 8, 10.
" Grass, 164.
" Hepburn's, 189.
" Lark, 43, 44, 164.
" Lincoln's, 177.
" Seaside, 48.
" Sharp-tailed, 48, 98, 146.
Fisher, A. K., Robin's eggs spotted,
97 ; the Kentucky Warbler {Oporor-
nis formosus) at Sing Sing, N. Y.,19L
Fratercula arctica, 87.
Fringilla hudsonias, 105.
" unalaskensis, 3.
Flycatcher, Acadian, 131.

" Great-crested, 99, 165.

" Small-headed, 139.

" Yellow-bellied, 101, 165, 187.

Gelochelidos anglica, 141.
" aranea, 141 .

" balthica, 141.

" macrotarsa, 141.

" meridionalis, 141.

Gentry, Thomas G., notice of his " Life-

204

Index.

Histories of the Birds of Eastern
Pennsylvania," 36.
Geoccyx californianus, 39.
Geothlypis macgillivrayi, 62.

" pliihulelphia, 53, 61, 69.

" trichas, 62, 65, 174.

Glaucidium californicum, 193.
" ferrngineum, 144.

Gnatcatcher, Bhie-gray, 19,45,145,170.
Goose, Snow, 146.
Goss, N. S., breeding of the Duck

Hawk in trees, 32.
Grebe, Crested, 52.

Grinnell, G. Bird, the Ground Dove
( Chamcepeleia passer ina) in New York,
147.
Grouse, Sharp-tailed, 76.

Willow, 41.
Gniraca ca3rulea, 139.
Gull, Sabine's, 107, 195.

" Skua, 188.
Gymnokitta cyanocephala, 112.
Hardy, Manly, nesting habits of the

Red-bellied Nuthatch, 196,
Harelda glacialis, 86.
Haliplana anostluetus, 143.
" discolor, 143.
" fuliginosa, 143.
" fuliginosa var. crissalis, 143.
" panaycnsis, 143.
Harporhynchus crissalis, 93.

" rufus, 18, 170.

Hawk, Cooper's, 41.
" Duck, .32, 165.
" Span'ow, 4 1 .
Head, J. F., Breeding of the Woodcock

in Georgia, 151.
Helinaja svvainsoni, 163.
Helmitherus swainsoni, 172.

" vermivorus, 23, 56, 129.

Helminthophaga celata, 46, 96, 173.
" celata 0 lutescens, 65.
" chrysoptera, 56, 130.
" leucobronchialis, 44, 99, 1 99.
" peregrina, 53, 71.
" pinus, 1.30, 163, 188, 194.
" ruticapilla, 54, 65.
Helopus caspius, 143.
Henshaw, H. W., on the species of the
genus Passerella, 3; additional re-
marks on Seldsphorus alleni, 1 1 ; nest
and eggs of the Blue Crow ( Gijuiho-
kitta ci/Miocep/iaIn), 112; notice of his
Ornithological Reports of the Whee-
ler Expeditions for 1876, 1877, 136.
Hesperiphona vespertina, 66, 93.
Heteroscelus incanus, 137.
Hirundo fulva, 106.

" horrcorum, 63, 135.
" hoircori-lunifions, 135.
" lunifrons, 106.
" opifex, 106.

Hirundo republicana, 105, 106. ^
Howey, John M., breeding of the Shore

Lark in Western New York, 40.
Humming-bird, Anna, 192.

" Broad-tailed, 95.

" Green-backed, 11.

" Rufous-backed, 11.

Hydranassa tricolor, 145.
Hydrochelidon fissipes, 141, 190.
" lariformis, 141.

" leucoptera, 141.

" niger, 140.

" nigra, 141.

" plumbea, 141.

" somalensis, 143.

Hydroprogne caspica, 143.
Hylotomus pileatus, 53.
Ibis alba, 166.
" fiilcinellns, 151.
" ordi, 151,152, 183.
Ibis, Glossy, 151, 152.
Icteria virens, 56, 60, 174.
Icterus baltimore, 176.
Ictinia mississippiensis, 166.
Jay, Blue, 165.
Jones, H. T., breeding of the Shore

Lark in Western New York, 189.
Jordan, David S., notice of his " Man-
ual of Vertebrated Animals," 145.
Junco aikeni, 73.
" caniceps, 72.
" cinereus, 73.
" dorsalis, 53, 73, 94.
" hyemalis, 120, 192.
" orcgonus, 73.
King, F. H., the Winter Wren breed-
ing in Southern New York, 1 94.
Kingfisher, Belted, 92.
Kinglet, Golden-crested, 19, 170.

" Ruby-crowned, 170.
Kite, Swallow-tailed, 146.
Lagopus albus, 38, 41.

" rupestris, 38, 86.
Langdon, F. W., notice of his Cata-
logue of the Birds of the Vicinity of
Cincinnati, 34.
Lanivireo cassini, 66.

" solitarius, 65.
Lark, Horned, 40, 53, 165.
" Meadow, 164.
" Shore, see Horned Lark.
Laropis anglica, 141.
Larus affinis, 185.

" argentatoides, 186.

" argentatus, 187.

" brachyrhynchus, 186.

" ealifornicus, 186.

" canus, .50, 185, 186, 187.

" chalcopterus, 186.

" cucullatus, 187.

" franklini, 187.

" fuscus, 186.

Index.

201

Larus plancescens, 186.
" gliuuoptenis, 186.
" f;laii(us, 86, 186.
" Imtcliiiisi, 186.
" iohtlivaetns, 187.
" kittlii/i, 187.
" leiuopluieiis, 187.
" k'ucoi.torus, 187.
" imn'uliiiius, 141.
" miclialu'llesi, 187.
" nivous, 186.
" occideii talis, 186.
" polo-candor, 142.
" ridibmulns, 187.
" schimperi, 187.
" septciitrionalis, 186.
" sterna, 142.
" sncklcyi, 186.

Lawrence, N. T., tlie European Wid-
geon (Mcireca ppyielope) in the United
States, 98 ; tlie Ipswich Sparrow on
Long Island, N. Y., 102.

Lobipes hyperborens, 40, 54, 1.51,

Lophophanes bicolor, 19, .54, 129, 170.
" inornatus, 68.

Loxia curvirostra americana, 53, 117.
" leucoptcra, 53, 117.

Mareca penelope, 98.

IMavnard, C. J , notice of his "Birds of
Florida," 145.

Mearns, Edgar A., capture of several
rare birds near West Point, N. Y.,
45; description of unusually devel-
oped individuals of three species,
and remarks on uncommon plu-
mages in several others, taken near
West Point, N. Y., 69 ; the Golden
Eagle in Hudson Highlands, 100;
capture of two rare birds in the Hud-
son River Valley, 146.

Jlegaloptcrns stolidus, 143.

Melanerpes ervthrocephalus, 97, 123,
189.
" formicivorus, 97.

Melospiza fasciata, y fallax, 66.
" " ,8 guttata, 66.

" " 5 heermanni, 66.

" insignis, 3.
" lincolni, 66, 197.
" melodia, 120.

" palustris, 120.

Mergulus alle, 86.

Merganser, Hooded, 40.

Mcrriam, C. Hart, correction, 47 ; re-
marks on some of tlie birds of Lewis
Countv, Northern New York, 52,
123 ; nesting of the Banded Three-
toed Woodpecker {Picoides ameri-
ccnius) in Northern New York, 200.

Merrill, J. C, occurrence of Myiarchus
crinilus var. erj/t/irocercus at Fort
Brown, Texas, 99.

Micropalama himantopus, 148.
Minuis caroliuensis, 18, 76, 170.

" polyglottus, 65, 93, 129, 169.
Mniotilta varia, 22, 172.
Mocking-bird, 129, 169.
Molothrus a»neus, 144.

" ater, 123.

Mormon gruba;, 88.
Murdoch, John, effects of the warm
winter on the migration of birds, 75 ;
spcond ca])turcof the Orange-crowned
Warbler (Ilchnintlwpluitia celata) in
New Hampshire, 96 ; Plialarope, an
etymological blunder, 150.
Muscicapa striata, 105.
Myiadcstcs townsendi, 65.
Myiarchus cinerascens, 66, 100.
" crinitus, 94, 165.
" crinitus var. erythrocercus,
99, 100, 144.
Myiodioctes canadensis, 53, 60, 139.

" mitratus, 56, 71, 130, 164, 174.
Nelson, E. W., notice of his observa-
tions on birds of Southern Illinois,
36 ; three additions to the Avifauna
of North America, 37 ; the Rock
Ptarmigan {Lof/opus rupestris) in the
Aleutian Islands, 38.
Nuthatch, Brown-headed, 171.
Rcdbellicd, 20, 196.
AVhite-bellicd, 171.
Nyctherodius violaceus, 145.
Q^DEMiA americana, 54, 148.
" fusca, 148.
" perspicillata, 149.
Onychoprion fuliginosa, 143.
" panaya, 143.

" pan ay en sis, 143.

Oporornis formosa, 60, 130, 164, 174,

191.
Osborne, S. D., nesting of the Yellow-
bellied Flycatcher [Empidonax Jiaui-
veutris), 187.
Owl, Barn, 78, 132.
" Hawk, 54.
" Pygmy, 193.
Pagophila eburnea, 86.
Parula americana, 22, 172.

" nigrilora, 144.
Parus atricapillus, 19.
" carolinensis, 170.
" cinctus, 37.
" hudsonicus, 20, 105.
" montanus, 102.
" rufescens, 20.
Passcrculus bairdi, 1, 2.
" guttatus, 80.
" princeps, 1, 2, 3, 102, 145.
" sandvichensis y alaudinus, 66.
" savanna, 118.
Passerella iliaca, 3, 6, 7.

" " megarhyncha, 7, 66.

206

Index.

Passerella iliaca schistacea, 7.
" " townsendi, 7.

Pelodes surinamensis, 141.
Pennock, C. J., relaying of Hawks in

the same nest when robbed, 41.
Perisoreus canadensis, 53.
Perissofflossa tigrina, 60.
Petrochelidon lunifrons, 63, 105, 135.
Peucaea cassini, 144.
" ruficeps, 188,
Phcenopepla nitens, 65.
Phfstusia elegans, 142.
" tnuleauii, 143.
" bicolor, 142.
Phalarope, Northern, 40, 54, 151, 152.
Phalaropus, 150.

" fulicarius, 86.

" hyperboreus, 151, 152.

Philohela minor, 17, 151.
Picoides americanus, 53, 200.

" arcticus, 53, 180.
Pious nuttalli, 67.

" pubescens, 67, 71, 179.
" " ^ gairdneri, 67.

" villosus, 179.
" " harrisi, 179.

Pinicola enucleator, 116.

" " ^ canadensis, 66.

Pipilo erythrophthalraus, 41, 122, 164.
" aberti, 93.
" chlorurus, 93.
" fuscus, 93.
" mcgalonyx, 9.3.
" Oregon us, 93.
Planetis guttatus, 143.
Platalea ajaja, 184.
" rosea, 184.
Plectrophanes nivalis, 86.

" ornatus, 92, 118.

" pictus, 92.

Plegadis falcinellus, 152.
Plover, Piping, 94.
" Ringed, 51.
Podiceps cristatus, 47, 52.
Polioptila caerulea, 19, 45, 146, 170.
Pooecetes gramineus, 66, 174.

" /3 confinis, 66.

Porzana jamaicensis, 85.
Procellaria glacialis, 86.
Protonotaria citrea, 22, 139, 153, 172.
Ptarmigan, Rock, 38.

" White, 38, 41.

Ptyehorhamphus aleuticus, 87.
Puffin, Arctic, 87.
Putfinus (Nectris) nativitatis, 81.
Purdie, H. A., the Lark Finch {Chon-
destes c/rammaca) again in Massachu-
setts, 44 ; the Black-throated Bunting
(Euspizaamericana) in Massachusetts,
45 ; capture of the Yellow-throated
Warbler in Massachusetts, and notes
on other rare Massachusetts birds,
146 ; nest and eggs of the Yellow-

bellied Flycatcher [Empidonax Jiavi-
ventris), 166.

Pyranga aestiva, 164, 174.
" rubra, 6-2, 174.

Pyrrhuloxia sinuata, 122.

QuiscALUS purpureus, 176.

Ragsdale, G. H., the Painted Lark
Bunting [Plectrophanes pictus) in
Texas, 92.

Rail, King, 146.

Rallus crepitans, 85.
" elegans, 85, 146.
" virginianus, 17.

Rathburn, F. B., notice of his Cata-
logue of Birds of Central New York,
34, 85.

Redbird, Cardinal, 131.
" Summer, 164, 174.

Redstart, 70, 174.

Regulus calendula, 170.

" satrapa, 19, 65, 170.

Reichenow, Ant., notice of his " Sys-
tematische Uebersicht der Schreit-
vogel (Gressores)," 183.

Ridgway, Robert, description of a new
Wren from the Tres Marias Islands,
10; eastward range of Chondestes
grnmmaca, 43 ; notes on some of the
birds of Calaveras County, Cal., and
adjoining localities, 64 ; notice of his
Report on the Ornithology of the For-
tieth Parellel, 81 ; notes on birds ob-
served at Mount Carmel, Southern
Illinois, in the Spring of 1878, 162 ;
notice of his " Studies of the Ameri-
can Herodioiifs, Part I.," 182.

Rissa tridactyla, 86.

Rhodostethia rosea, 187.

Rhvacophilus solitarius, 197.

Robin, 17, 47, 97, 103, 104, 169.

Roosevelt, Theodore, Jr., and Minot, H.
D., notice of their List of the Sum-
mer Birds of the Adirondacks, 36.

Rowley, G. D., notice of his Memoir
on the Pied Duck, 79.

Sagmatorrhina lathami, 87.

Sandpiper, Baird's, 140.
Green, 49.
" Solitary, 50, 197.

" Stilt, 102, 147.

Saunders, Howard, notice of his Review
of the Sternina, or Terns, 140 ; notice
of his Review of the LarincE, 185.

Saxicola oenantha, 139.

Sayornis fuscus, 176.
" nigricans, 66.

Scolecophagus ferrugineus, 105, 176.

Scolopax borealis, 105.

Scops asio var. maccalli, 94.

Scoter, American Black, 54, 148.
Velvet, 148.

Sea-mew, Eurojiean, 50.

Selasphorus alleni, 11,

Index.

207

Selaspliorus platycercus, 95.

" nif'us, 11.

Sennett, Geoijic B., notice of his Notes
on the Ornithology of the Lower
Rio Grande, 144.
Setojjhaga rnticiihi, 70, 174.
Sharpc, K. Bowdler, notice of his Cat-
alogue of the Birds in the British
Museum, Vols. I - III, 77.
Shrike, Loggerhead, 53, 54, 164.
Sialia arctica, 93.
" niexicana, 93.
" sialis, 76, 171.
Simorhynchus cristatellus, 87.
" microceros, 87.

" pusillus, 87.

Sitta canadensis, 20, 53, 65, 196.
" carolinensis, 171.
" " /3 aculeata, 65.

" pusilla, 171.
Siurus auricapillus, 60.

" niotacilla, 72, 133, 174.
Snow-bird, 192.
Somateria labradoria, 79.
" mollissima, 86.
" spectabilis, 86.
Sparrow, Henslow's, 39.
" Ipswich, 102.

" Kufous-headed, 188.

" White-crowned, 195.

Spizella breweri, 137.
pusilla, 121.
" socialis, 121.
" " /3 .irizonse, 66.

Sphyropicus thyroideus, 67.
" varius, 53, 180.

Stelgidopteryxserripennis, 46, 130, 164.
Stercorarius catarractes, 188.

" longicaudatus, 86.

Sterna acuflavida, 142.
" aleutiea, 143.
" anaistheta, 143.
" anglica, 141.
" antarctica, 143.
" antillarum, 143.
" arctica, 142.
" argentea, 143.
" balthica, 143.
" bergii, 142.
" boysii, 142.
" brachypus, 142.
" camtschatica, 143.
'* candicaiis, 142.
" cant'scens, 142.
" cantiacus, 142.
" caspia, l43.
" cayana, 142.
" cayenuinsis, 142.
" comata, 142.
" cristata, 142.
" discolor, 142.
" dougalli, 142.
" douglasi, 142.

Sterna elegans, 142.

" erythrorhynchus, 142.

" tissipes, 141.

" fluviatilis, 142.

" frenata, 143.

" frobeeni, 142.

" fuliginosa, 143, 195.

" galericulata, 142.

" gracilis, 142.

" havelli, 142.

" hirundo, 142.

" infuscata, 143.

" javanica, 141.

" luctuosa, 143.

" niacdougalli, 142.

" macrodactyla, 142.

" macroptera, 142.

" macrotarsa, 141.

" macrura, 142.

" major, 143.

" maxima, 142.

" megarhynchos, 143.

" melanoptera, 143.

" melanotis, 143.

" naevia, 141.

" nigra, 141.

" oahuensis, 143.

" panaya, 143.

" paradisea, 142.

" pikei, 142.

" pileata, 143.

" portlandica, 142.

" regius, 142.

" schillingi, 143.

" senegalensis, 142.

" senex, 143.

" somalensis, 143.

" stolida, 143.

" strenuus, 143.

" subleucoptera, 141.

" superciliaris, 143.

" surinamensis, 141. j

" tschegrava, 143.

" trudeaui, 143.

" unicolor, 143.

" -wilsoni, 142.
Stevens, F., Vireovicini'or in California,

42 ; notes on birds observed in New

Mexico and Arizona in 1876, 92.
Street, Thos. II., notice of his observa-
tions on birds of Lower California,

Hawaiian and Fanning Islands, 80.
Strepsilas interprcs, 86, 145.
Strix flammea aniericana, 132.

" nebulosa, 105.
Sturnella magna, 164.

" mexicana, 152.
Surnia ulula, 38.

" " var. hudsonica, 54.

Swallow, Barn, 135.

" Eave, Cliff, or Crescent, 105, 135.

" Hybrid, 135.

" Kough- winged, 46, 130, 164.

208

Index.

Swan, Whistling, 198.
Syrnium cinercuin, 140.

" lapponiciim, 37.
Tachycineta bicolor, 63.
TJanager, Sctirlet, 174.
Telraatodytcs palustris, 22.
Tern, Short-tailed, 190.

Sooty, 195.
Tetrao canadensis, 53.
" columbiaiius, 96.
" phasianellns, 96.
Thalasseus acntiavida, 142.
" angiicus, 141.

" candicans, 142.

" canescens, 142.

" cantiacns, 142.

" caspius, 143.

" cayanus, 142.

" cayennensis, 142.

" elco-ans, 142.

" regi;is, 142.

Thalassipora iiifuscata, 143.
Thalassites mclanotis, 143.
Thrush, Brown, 18, 169.
" Hermit, 17, 169.
" Large-billed AVater, 72, 133, 174.
" Olive-backed, 18.
" Wilson's, 18, 193.
" Wood, 169.
Thryomanes bewicki /3 spilurus, 65.
Thryothorus bewicki, 163, 171.
" fehx, 10, 11.
" lawrencii, 10, 11.
" ludovicianns, 21, 129, 171, 193.
Tinnunculus sparverius, 41.
Titlark, 35, 165, 172, 194.
Titmouse, Black-capped, 19.
" Carolina, 170.

" Chestnut-backed, 20.

" Hudsoninn, 20.

" Mountain, 102.

Tutted, 19, 129, 170.
Totanus ochropus, 49.
Towhee, Eastern, 41, 164.
Tringa bairdi, 140.
" canuta, 86.
Trochilus rufus, 11.
Troglodytes aedon, 21.

" parvulus hyemalis, 22.

Trotter, Spencer, a third specimen of
I{elmintli(i{>lia()(t leucohronchialis, 44 ;
description of a Hybrid [Hirundo hor-
reori-lunifrona) between two North
American Swallows, 135.
Turdus fnscesccns, 18, 193.

" migratorius, 47, 92, 97, 103,

104, 169.
" mustelinus, 17, 169.
" najvius, 138.
" pallasi, 17, 53, 169.
" " nanus, 137.

" swainsoni, 18, 53.
" " ustulatus, 137.

Turkey, Wild, 139.
Tyrannus carolinensis, 176.
Uria grylle, 86.
ViRALVA anglica, 141.
" leucoptera, 141.
" niffra, 141.
Vireo flavifrons, 115.

" flavoviridis, 152.

" gilvus, 115.

" huttoni, 68.

" noveboracensis, 116.

" olivaceus, 95, 97, 115.

" philadelphicus, 46.

" pusillus, 93.

" solitarius, 116.

" vicinior, 42, 93.
Vireo, Gray, 42.

" Hutton's, 68.

" Philadelphia, 46.

" Red-eyed, 95, 97.
Vireosylvia gilva /3 swainsoni, 66.
Warbler, Black-throated Blue, 173.

" Blue-winged Yellow, 130, 188,194.

" Blue Yellow-backed, 22, 163, 172.

" Cerulean, 46.

" Chestnut-sided, 71.

" Golden-crowned, 46, 130.

" Hooded, 71, 130. 164, 174, 191.

" Kentucky, 130, 164, 174.

" Mourning, 69.

" Orange-crowned, 96, 173.

" Pine-creeping, 173.

" Prairie, 173.

'• Prothonotary, 22, 153, 172.

" Swainson's, 163, 172.

" Tennessee, 51, 71.

" Worm-eating, 23, 129.

" White-throated, 44, 99, 173.

" Yellow or Summer, 173, 197.

" Yellow Red-poll, 173.

" Yellow-throated, 43, 146,163.

" Yellow-rumped, 76, 173.
Waxwing, Bohemian, 46.
Widgeon, European, 98.
Willard, S. L., notice of his List of

the Birds of Central New York, 83.
Woodcock, 151.

Woodpecker, Banded Three-toed, 200.
" Downv, 71.

Red-l)dlied, 145.
" Red-headed, 97, 123, 165,

189.
Wren, Bewick's, 163, 171.

Carolina, 21, 129, 171, 193.

" House, 21, 163.

" Long-billed Marsh, 22.

" Short-billed Marsh, 22, 172.

" Winter, 22, 172, 194.
Xema sabinei, 195.
Yellow-throat, JNlaryland, 174.
ZONOTRICIIIA albicollis, 53, 121.
" coronata, 42.

" leucophrys, 66, 121, 195.

Ht

\

'IPP

u^

i:^,^

^^-

^,.

/■:

>^^:-«-^fc

;£^

,\^. .:^.

( f^'~~N ^

/ ^ /^.^

^^^

ar"^