*t, 'V \ 1869 THE LIBRARY BULLETIN OF THE s Nuttall Ornithological Club: c % (Juarttrlg Journal of #rntl^olo0n. VOLUME III. ORiitor, J. A. ALLEN. £i*!&octete (!R>itor*, S. F. BAIRD and ELLIOTT COUES. CAMBRIDGE, MASS.: PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB. 1878. CONTEXTS 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 IT. IT. Henshaw . . 3 Notes on the Breeding Habits of Cabpodacus purpureus var. cali- fornicus. By William A. Cooper 8 Description of a New Wren from the Tees Marias Islands. By Robert Ridgway 10 Additional Remarks on Selasphorus allexi. By //. W. Henshaw . 11 Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various Species of North American Birds. By William Brewster 15 An Inadequate "Theory of Birds' Nests." By J. A. Allen . . 23 Breeding of the Duck Hawk in Trees. By N. S. Goss .... 32 RECENT LITERATURE. Birds of the Vicinity of Cincinnati, 34. — Birds of Central New York, 34. — Brown on the Distribution of Birds in North-European Russia, 35. —Sum- mer Birds of the 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 (Larjopus rupestris) in the Aleutian Islands, 38. — Coturniculus henslowi in New Hampshire, 39. — Breeding Habits of Geococcyx calijbrnianus, 39. — Occurrence of a Second Specimen of Swainson's Buzzard (Buteo swain- soni) in Massachusetts, 39. — Breeding of the Hooded Merganser (Mergvs cucullatut) in Florida, 40. — Breeding of the Shore-Lark in Western New York, 40. — The Northern Phalarope in North Carolina, 40. — Relaying of Hawks in the same Nest when robbed, 41. — The Willow Grouse in New York, 41. — Pipilo erythrophthalmus with Spotted Scapulars, 41. — Mreo vicinior in California, 42. — Nest and Eggs of Zonotrichia coronata, 42. — Note on Dendntca dominica, 43. — Eastern Range of Chondestes grammaca, 43. — The Lark Finch ( Chondestes grammaca) again in Massachusetts, 44. A Third Specimen of Ilelmint/iopJiaga leucobroncJtiidis, 44. — The Black- throated Banting (Euspiza americana) nesting in Massachusetts, 45. — The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila cierulea) in Massachusetts, 45. — The Capture of several Rare Birds near West Point, New York, 45. — The Fish iv Contents of Volume III. Crow (Corms ossifragus) on Long Island, 47. — Correction, 47. — Mela- nism of Turdus migratorius, 47. — The 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 Merriam, with Notes by A. J. Dayan .... 62 Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various Species of North American Birds. By William Brewster 66 Notes on some of the Birds of Calaveras County, California, and adjoining Localities. By Robert Ridgway 64 Notes on the Breeding Habits of Hutton's Vireo ( Vireo huttoni) and the Gray Titmouse (Lophophanes 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. Mearna 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 the Hawaiian and Fanning Islands, 80. — Bendire's Notes on the Birds of Southeastern Oregon, 81. — Ridgway's Report on the Ornithology of the Fortieth Parallel, 81. —Recent Lists of the Birds of Central New York, 83. — Barrows's "Catalogue of the Alcidae," 86. — Feildcn's "List of Birds observed in Smith Sound," 86. — On the Moult of the Bill and Palpebral Ornaments in Frattrcuia arctica, 87. GENERAL NOTES. Habits of the Kingfisher ( Ceryle alcyon), 92. — The Painted Lark Bunting {Plec- trujihants pictus) in Texas, 92. — Notes on a few Birds observed in New Mexico and Arizona, 03. Capture of sKgialitis >m l«da var. eireumemeta, Ridgway, mi Long bland, M. — Not and Eggsof Stlajphorut jilutycercui, 96. — Nesting of Vireo olivnceus, 96. — Californian Prairie Chickens, 96. — Beport <>f the Second Capture of the ( Irange-crowned \\ arbler (I it I mint ho- phaga celata) in New Hampshire, 96. — Bobin'i Egg*i spotted, '.-7. — Some New Trait-, for the Bed-headed Woodpecker ( Mekuterpet erythroeephahu), 97. — Spurious Primaries in the Red-eyed Vireo, '.'7. — The European Wid- geon [Mareea ptnelope) in the United States, B8. — The Sharp-tailed Finch 'Ammodromus caudacutus) in Maine, US. — The White-throated Warbler Contents of Volume III. (Helminthophaga leucobronchialis) in Connecticut, 99. — The Occurrence of Myiarchus crinitus var. erythrocercus, Sclat. at Fort Brown, Texas, 99. — The Golden Eagle in the Hudson Highlands, 100. — Meaning of the Word " Anhinga," 101. — Late Capture of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in Mas- sachusetts, 101. — The Ipswich Sparrow (Passerculus princeps) on Long Island, N. Y., 102. — The Stilt Sandpiper ( Micropalama 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 Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A ". 106 Nest and Eggs of the Blue Crow ( Gymnokitta cyanocephala). By H. W. Henshmo . 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 Eugene P. Bicknell 128 Nesting of the Large-billed Water Thrush (Siurus motacilla). By William Brewster 133 Description of a Hybrid (Hirundo horreori-lunifrons) between two North American Swallows. By Spencer Trotter .... 136 RECENT LITERATURE. Ornithology of the Wheeler Expeditions of 1876 and 1877, 136. — Allen's " Birds of Massachusetts," 138. — Mr. Howard Saunders on the Sterninae, 140. — Sennett's "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 '/alley, 146. — The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila catrulea) in Massa- chusetts, 146. — The Ground Dove (Chamoepeleia passerina) in New York, 147. — Swallow-tailed Kite in Dakota in Winter, 147. — Apologetic, 147. — The Stilt Sandpiper (Micropalama 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 Massachusetts, 152. — Two more Birds new to the Fauna of North America, 152. vi Contents of Volume III. NUMBER IV. The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea). By William Brewster . 153 Notes on Birds observed at Mouht Caemel, Southern Iluhois, in the Sfbihg "i 1878. By Robert Ridgway 162 The Nest and Eggs of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flavitentrit). By II. A. Purdie 166 A List of Birds observed at Coosada, Central Alabama. By Nathan Clifford Brown 168 Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various SrECiss of North Americas Birds. By William Jiracster 176 RECENT LITERATURE. Elliot's ''Review of the Jbidinte, or Ibises," 182. — Rtdgway's ''Studies of the American Ihrodiones,'1'1 182. — Reichenow'- Review of the Herons and their Allies, 183. — Brewer's Supplement to his Catalogue of New England Birds, 185. — Saunders on the Larinve, 185. GENERAL NOTES. Nesting of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher {Empidonax flaviveittris), 187. — The Bine-winged Fellow Warbler {Helminthophaga pirms) in Massachtu 188. — The Skua Gnll [Stercorarius catarractes) on the Coast of Massachu- setts, 188. — Rufous-headed Sparrow {Peuecea ruficeps) in Texas, 188. — Early Nesting of the Shore Lark near Indianapolis, Ind.. 180. — Breeding of the Shore Lark in Western New York, 189. — Red-headed Woodpecker eating Grasshoppers, IS!*. — Song of Hepburn's Finch (Leucosticie littoraUi) 189. — The Short-tailed Tern ( Uydrochelidonjissipes) in Massachusetts, 190. — The Black-throated Banting I Euepiza ami ricana), 190. — A Hint to Egg- Collectors, 191. — The Kentucky Warbler ( OporornU formomu) at Sing Sin;:, N. V., 191. — The Snow-Bird in Summer on Mount Wachusett, 192. — An Albino Anna Humming-Bird, i:<2. — Wilson's Thrush, with Spotted I and nesting on a Tree, 198. — The Pygmy Owl {Glaucidium califbmicum), 193. — The Carolina Wren in Massachu — The Titlark (Antlmt ludoviciamu) in Massachusetts in June, 104. — Nests and Eggs of Ikhnin- thophaga pinm, 194. — The Winter Wren breeding in Southern New York, 194. — The Sooty Tern in New Hampshire, 196. — Sabine'- Gull in Maine, 196. — The White-crowned sparrow breeding in Vermont, 196. — Nesting Habits of the Bed-bellied Nuthatch, 196. — Tragic Fate of a Summer War- bler, 197. — Eggs of the Solitary Sandpipi hilut toUtaritu\ 197. — Lincoln's Firch [Melotpita Uncohti) breeding in Hamilton County, N. Y., 197. — Occurrence of the Whistling Swan i Cygnut ronchiaii$), 199. — Nesting of the Banded Three-; i Woodpecker (Picoidu americaitu*)* in Northern New York, 200. I.M'i \ 201 r o £1 BULLETIN NUTTALL OENITHOLOGICAL CLUB. Vol. III. JANUARY, 1878. No. 1. NOTE ON PASSERCULUS BAIRDI 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 hue 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, Brewer, 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, Cen- tronyx ochrocephalus. 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 bairdi. 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 Baud'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 bairdi, Bp., Consp. Av. i., 1850, 481 (mere quotation). Centronyz 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.) — Codes, Key, 1872, 135 (compiled description). — Aiken, Am. Nat vii, 1873, 236 (comparison with the new C. ochrocephaltu from Colorado). — Ridgw., 'Bull. Essex Inst, v, 1873, 182 and 190 (Colorado; critical reference to Aiken's specimens, which had been named C ockrocephalus). — Coues, Am. Nat. vii, 1873, 695 (rediscovery in abundance in Dakota ; history and criticism). — Henshaw, Am. Nat. via, 1^74,241 (Arizona). — Allen, Pr. Bost. Soc. xvii, 1874, 57 (Dakota ; nest and eggs).— Coues, B. N. W. 1874, L25 (synonymy, redescription, general history and habits). — Hen- shaw, Rep. Ornith. Spies. 1874, llo (New Mexico and Arizona, abun- dant). — Henshaw, Rep. Expl.W. 100 merid. Vol. v, Zoology, •• L875" 1876, 253 (same). — Bix, BREW., and RlDGW., Hist. X. A. B. i, 1874, 531, figs. pi. 25, f . 3 ; iii, 1^74, 510 (general account, wood-cuts, and colored plate of head). — Henshaw, bi>t I'.. Arizona, 1875, 158. Embcriza (Gentronyx) bairdii, Gray, Hand-list, ii, 1^70, 116, No. 7733. Ammcdromus bairdi, Giebel. Nomencl. Av. i, is7 ■-, 328. Passerculus bairdii, ("oiks, Am. Nat. vii, 1^7.'!, 697. PoMtrculiu bairdi, McCai ley, Bull. Q. S. GeoL. Surv. iii, No. 3, L877, 663 (Canoncito Texas ; nesting). Centronyz ochrocepholvs, "AlKEN* [Bidgwayj, Am. Nat. vii, 1873, 237 (El Paso, Colorado, autumnal specimens described as new Bpecies. — See Scott, ibid. r><;i; Coues, ibid. 696; Ridgw. Bull. Essex Inst, v, 1873, 190). Hensiiaw on the Species of the Genus Passcrella. Fasserculus princeps. Centronyx bairdii, Allen, Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 513 (original notice of supposed 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 Club, 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. toivnsendi of recent authors, was named by Gmelin, in 1788, constituting his Fringilla tmalaskensis. In the uncertainty respecting Gmelin's bird, his description apply- ing equally well to the Melospiza insignis, 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. schistacea 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 Species 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 heen 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 soinewli.it closely the home of Bchittacea, we find that the Paste- rellas, though readily referable to megarhyncha, present very ap- preciable differences from those from the region just noted, and furthermore, that the variation is directly towards 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 Genus Passcrclla. 5 mandible in typical megarliyncha 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 great, 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 great 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 the 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, and taking up the two remaining members of the group (iliaca and toumsendi), we note, first, that their habitats are, in 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-slope 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- strcaked 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 often specimens from Eastern United States, Alaska, etc. : wing, 3.40 ; tail, 3.07 ; bill, M-2 ; tarsus, .| aine specimens: wing, 3.13; tail, 3.37; hill, .44 ; tarsus, .91. /'. megarhyncha. Average of eight specimens : wing, 3.21 ; tail, :i.">s ; hill, .51 ; tarsus, .(.);j. As will bo 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 schistacea 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 toumsendi, with its wing nearly equal to tail, evidently marked the first step towards schistacea, in which the tail becomes the longer, a tendency carried still further in megarhyncha. 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. erythroj)hthalmus. 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) fide Ridgway. Passerella iliaca townsendi (And.). Habitat, Pacific Province. Breeds in Xortkem 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 BREEDING HABITS OF CARPODACUS PUR- PURE US var. CALIFORNICUS, 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 Scro})hularia 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 gai'dens 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 cgiis ; incuba- tion a few days advanced. The nest measured G inches in diame- ter outside, 2.50 inside, depth 2.50 outside, 1.38 inside ; the frame- work was of tine dried tops of Scrophularid, 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. 9 .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. This 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 Eidkgway'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 purpurcus 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 Bawd's "Review of American Birds" (1864- 18G6) ; 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 lamrencii, in honor of the distinguished ornithologist referred to above. Its characters are as follows : — Thryothorus felix, 0. lawrencii, RlDGWAY, MSS. CHAB. Above light gravi>l)-hrown, without appreciable ban any- where, except on the tail ; pileum decidedly more reddish, and inclin- ing to light cinnamon-brown. Tail similar in color to the hack, but Henshaw on Selasphorus alleni 11 crossed by numerous (seven or eight, the number rather indefinite, how- ever) bars 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.* H ab., mainland of Western Mexico, from Mazatlan to Oaxaca. /3. 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.f Hob., Tres Marias Islands, Western Mexico. ADDITIONAL REMABKS ON SELASPHOEUS ALLENI. BY' H. W. HENSHAW. In his remarks on Selasjihorus alleni, in the October number of the Bulletin, Mr. ~D. G. Elliot attempts to prove that in selecting this, the Green-backed, J or, as he calls it, the Californian form, for naming, I committed an error, this, according to him, being the bird described by Ginelin as the Trochilas ritfus, and hence, as he claims, it was * Five specimens measured, all from Mazatlan. + Three specimens measured. t 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 sufficiently appropriate. 12 Hensiiaw on Sclasphorus 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 Gmclin's bird. From lack of space, I refrain from quoting Gmclin'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, xipon which Gmclin'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 gither. 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. rxifus 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. G059, mentioned by Professor Baird on page 184, Vol IX, P. R. R. Reports, as having the hack covered with metallic green. This specimen, as I ascertain by inspection, is the true Green-backed form, our S. nil,),!. 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 baaed on typical specimens of the Rufous form. The more recent 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 oti Selasphorus alleni. 13 of the earlier and, as a rule, far less particular compilers. The particularly narroiu 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 Trochilida; 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 (lif- erent, being of a (/olden 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 peculiai'ities 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's name is of itself suggestive that the bird he had in hand could * Italics my own. 14 Hensiiaw on Selasplwrus alleni. not have been the one with the bright green back. " Trochilus rufus subtua exalbidus " points at once to the Rufous-backed form. The other bird with the small amount of rufous below would scarcely have suggested tins 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 1 Mr. Elliot's discrimination in the color of the ruff's of the two species I have not been able to verify. The differences lie 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 nn 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 almosi immaculate, or faintly flecked with brown. Bangs, 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 rufus, thus leaving to the Green-backed form the name Selasphorus 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 chess. My attention was called to this fact some years since by the ex- treme difficulty, 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 Bkewster's Descrijitions 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 contour-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 more 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 thf next regular moult, exceptions to this rule being afforded by the families Tetraonida and Picidce and the genus Pkilohela, 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 Pracoces (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 Pr&coccs by their more complete and longer worn, downy plumage. A few conspicuous exceptions occur among both groups. Thus, many Itaptores 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 the young of the Tetrao- nidce, of Philohela minor, and of some of the Kallidce (well illus- trated by a good suite of Rallus virginianus), 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 Xatatores, 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 Ardeidce, 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 presented 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, — yet the color of the rectrices is sufficiently characteristic to sepa- rate it at once from the corresponding stage of T. sicainsoni, 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. Turdus 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 indistincl 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 nnder 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, bul with the spots on the under parts much thicker, more diffuse, and dull black instead of reddish- brown. The pileum is -lightly 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 al Cambridge, July 13, 1874. Fall specimens differ from full-plumaged spring birds in having the upper parte of a darker, richer red, with a much stronger rufous wash on the under parts. in Various 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 plumage : 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 ceerulea. 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., West Va., June, 1872. 10. Lophophanes bicolor. First plumage: male. Above dull ashy, frontal band scarcely darker; 6ides 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 specimens 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 description 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 ami throat dirty white ; rest of under parts like spring adults, bul with a fainter ami 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. ns) Mr. Ridgway, in giving the specific characters of this species, says ; "The male lias the chin while ; 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 tin- breeding plumage of tin- adult is indicated, I am confident that the description, so far as it relates to the male, is incorrect. From the examination <>f a large series of specimens, collected in every stage of plumage and at nearly all seasons, 1 am led to believe that Mr. Ridgway'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 plumage is worn through the winter mouths, 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 by 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. Kidgway'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 eye." 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. Female. Pileum 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 don. First plumage : 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 Descriptions of First Plumages. 17. Troglodytes parvulua var. hyemalis. First plumage : male. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult ; rest of upper 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. Telmatodytea 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 : jogolum and sides of breast pale ash-gray. From two s] imens obtained at Mt. Carmel, 111., July 17, 1871, Nos. l ir>7 and lot;:), 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. Protonotaria citrea. "First plumage. Remiges, rectrices. primary coverts, and alula) as in the adult. Entire abdomen, anal region, and crissum white ; head, neck, back, and jugulum pale grecnish-nlive, the throat and jugulum paler ami Allen on an Inadequate "Tlieory of Birds' Nests." 23 more olive,' the upper parts brighter and more greenish ; rump and upper tail-coverts plumbous-gray. From a specimen killed at Mt. Carmel, 111., July 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. Helmitherus vermivorus. r " First plumage. Remiges, rectrices, primary coverts, and alulae aa 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. Allex. 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' Nests." the Canada Goose, that commonly nest on the ground, place their nests in 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 fact that various species of Swallows, the Wren, Chimney Swift, and some other of our native birds which originally nested in de- serted Woodpeckers' 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 woidd 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 b nest Many other groups of birds are almost equally incapable of building nests. Hut 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 specie* chance to be the same, the structures resulting from their use beat 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 stability, in the colder portions of its habitat from that which it constructs in 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 external 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 Pevvees 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 Tyrannus), build large 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 Inadeqtiate "Theory of Birds Nests!' Wallace's " Theory of Birds' Nests." * This "theory" has for its basis the 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 of Fissirostres, four of Scansores, the Psittaci, and sev- eral genera and three entire families of Passeres, comprising about twelve hundred species, or about 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 Lophophanes and Porta, the several species of Nuthatches, the Brown Creeper, some of the Wrens, the Bluebirds (three Bpecies of Sialia), several species of Swallows, Martins, and Swifts, the Creat-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, lSt>7, ami repub- lished with additions in 1870 in a collection of essays entitled "Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection," and alluded to in nrfore recent articles by the same author, including his recent paper on " Tho Colors of Animals and Plants." Allen on an Inadequate "Tlieory 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 are 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- pai'us, Auriparus, etc.), several of the Warblers (family Sylvicolidce), 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 colors," the females do not to any great extent share their bright hues, the sexual differences in 28 Allen on an Inadequate "Theory of Birch' 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 offset 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 effectually 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/tvi. tiinot 8vo. pp. L 1877. + Notes upon Birds observed in Southern Illinois, between July 17 and Sep- tember 4, 1875. By K. W. Nelson. Bulletin of the Essex Institute, Vol. IX, pp. 32-65, June, 1877. General Notes. 37 "Life-Histories,"* carrying the subject 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 insects 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 doubtless 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, Alnus, Betula, Lonicera peridymenum, Fragaria virginiana, etc., would certainly have savored less of pedantry, and been 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. (Btmv&l Hated. 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. luulsonicus, 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- sonicus, 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 specimen 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. 336. 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 Ridgway, 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," amPadds : " I made in- quiries in regard to L. rupestris, but coidd 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 the former to be very nu- merous at Unalashka during portions of May and Jane, L 877, and I also found them common on the Akoutan Islands cast 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 Bpecies. I was informed, however, that another Bpecies of Ptarmigan is found on the peninsula of Alaska Since arriving at St. Michael's, I learn from Mr. Turner, who lias been collecting at this place Edt the last three years, thai /.. rupestris is common in the. vicinity <>f St. Michael's, being as numerous as /.. albus on the hills of the neighboring mainland. He also informs me thai on a single moun- tain on Stewart Island, about twenty-live miles from the mainland, this Bpecies is quite numerous. In all of the above-named places the bird breeds and is resident throughout the year. — E. W. Nxlson, St Mi- chael's, Alaska. General Notes. 39 Coturniculus 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 by 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 within a few yards." I have a specimen which Mr. Goodhue shot on Salisbury meadows, and kindly presented me. — Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass. Breeding Habits of Geococcyx 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 three. 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 occasionally 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 of a Second Specimen of 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- session. It is a young male in nearly perfect autumnal dress, and, though not typically melanotic, it still inclines strongly towards that condition. — William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. Breeding op 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 think regularly. While descending the St. John's River 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, so 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, Btating that in his opinion the birds nested in the vicinity of that place. On the Wekiva the Wood Duck (Aix spnnsa) was the only other species of Anatidas ob- served. March 19 and 20, I saw several broods of young a few days old, accompanying their mothers. As the eggs of this dink 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. — WlLLIAM Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. Breeding op the Shore Lark in Western New York. — The Shore Lark (EremophUa aipestris) is common during October, Novem- ber, the latter part of February, and March, and occasionally a speci- men is seen in April, bul on May 29, L876, I observed a bird of this species, with a worm in its bill, fly into a meadow, and on June 11 I found an old bird accompanied by three young ones, in a highway adjoining. The young were just able to fly. A flock, mostly composed o\' young birds, was seen on some ploughed land, September 1, lsTC. I ,lo not know of a previous instance of this bird's nesting in this State. — John M. HOWBY, Cunandiiigiia, N. Y. The Northers Phalaroph in North Carolina. — Dr. George II. Moran sends me a specimen of Lobipu hyperboretU which was lately shot on tlie Catawba River, near fiforgantown, 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 of 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 sparverins). 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, makingtfor 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 difference, 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 albus) 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 nry 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, Washington, 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 " arcticvs " but the spots on the wing-coverts. Another specimen, shot by the same gentleman in the same locality, also shows a trace of white on the scapulars. Examples intermediate between erythrophthalmus and "arcticus" 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 where the respective habitats of the two forms adjoin. The present case offers additional and very strong evidence against the specific distinction claimed for P. "arcticus." — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C [A considerable proportion of the specimens of P. erythrophthalmus 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. " arcticus," the eastern limit of the range of which, in its typical aspect, is the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, some six hundred miles west of Leavenworth. — J. A. Allen.] Vireo vicinior in California. — I have found 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 nut with them singly. They are shy and active, keep near the ground, and usually Bearch 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 differenl inflections, h imething like ehu-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. pusillus. Sometimes when alarmed they will scold like a Wren. When near to them, as they are singing, a suit of whistling sound can be heard between the notes. I have never Been them catching insects in the air, as Borne other do, but have observed them scratching on the ground like a Pipilo. The colors are not so bleached as in specimens 1 have Been in New Mexico, nordo the birds frequenl the tree- so much as those. I had hoped to get a nest, as it is unknown, but have failed so far. They firsl ap- peared about March 24, and as their numbers seen have varied but little since (he beginning of April till the presenl 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. Stbphxnb, Campo, Cal. Xkst and Egos of Zonotrichia coronata. — The nest ami < 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 Dendro3CA dominica. — In an article upon Dendroeca do- minica, 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 were based. My attention has since been called by Dr. Brewer to his supplementary note in the Appendix 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 op 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 captured 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, JVashington, I). 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, Newtonville, 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 with another of the Bame 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 HELMiNTHorHAGA leucobronchialis. — Last winter, while working among the Warblers (Sylvicolidce), in the collection of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, I discovered among hem a specimen of the White-throated Warbler (Hclminthophaga Icuco- broncldalis, 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, 1S62," and also what I made out to be, "Not from Bell," which was much blurred. The "J. C," which means John Casain (for it is his handwriting), shows that he once possessed or had something to do with the specimen, bu1 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 Buppose, 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, i or speciea ; but by car. Ful comparison with Mr. Brewster's descrip- tion, as well as with Mr. W I's specimen, I can safely say that it is a genuine specimen of//", leucobronchialis, and still further proves the valid- ity of the species. As the first two were males, and as this specimen closely resembles them, T 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 (Euspiza 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 large 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 ourfields and bushy pastures. — H. A. Purdie, Newton, Mass. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila cmrulea) 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. cairulea in the same locality, which was undoubtedly the same specimen, as Mr. Smith has preserved it and recognizes it as the species 6een 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 Mas 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 the}' 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 Bcarce Bpeciea in my collection, taken near here. It was Bhot 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 plu- mage. 5. Stelgidopteryx serripennis, (Audubon) Baird. I have found this Swallow on but one occasion, in May, Ls7i', when a single pair nested in this neighborhood, in a bank close to a .-table, beside a pond. 1 watched this pair while they constructed their nest, during which time they were often seen to alighl 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 1 had no difficulty in doing this, for the hole was quite large, and not very deep, bo 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 .SOx.-r>:'> of an inch. 0. Ampelis garrulus, GmeL Dr. Frederic Lente, of Cold Spring, showed me a beautiful Waxwing of tins species which was shut near his residence, Beveral winters before. His M>n, Wm. K. Lente, informed me that lie shot at several Bohemian Waxwings that sat in an evergreen tree close to their house. This oc- curred Beveral years after the first specimen was taken. — Edgar A. Mkauns, 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 flying around, but kept apart from a flock of common Crows in the vicinity. The bird is not mentioned in Giraud's " Birds of Long Island," although Samuels, in " Birds of New England," says, " I under- stand 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., concerning 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. holbolli. — C. Hart Merriam. Melanism of Turdus migratorius. — Another* case of this affection, much less frequent (except in Falconida:) 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 Btory 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 melanistie." The parents of these young were not peculiar in color. — Elliott Coues, Washington, 1). C. [Note (December 15, 1877). Since this paragraph was penned, the bird has beeji killed, stuffed, and sent to the Smithsonian, where I have Been 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 O. Welch at Nahant in August last. It was in company with a number 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 Ammodramus macgMivrayi, 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. 5G0) 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 Tigni.di, Prince Edward Island. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. The Lark-Bunting (Caktmospiea tricolor) in Massachusetts. — The first instance known to me of the capture of this Bpecies easl of the Mis- sissippi River occurred on December 5, 1877, when a specimen was 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 Bar- 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 Totanus ochropus, JEgialitis hiaticula, and Larus cct7ius, and the rejection from the list of Podiceps cristatus. Totanus ochropus, Linn. Green Sandpiper. This species, the Tringa ochropus of Linnaeus, Gmelin, etc., the Totanus ochropus 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. Edmund 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 Totanus ochropus in North America." Nevertheless 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 Brewer's Changes in our North American Fauna. (IT, p. 392). These claims not being accepted as authentic, the supposed examples being attributed to our Rhyacophilus soUtarius, 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. The 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 purportini: to be eggs of this species were referable either to sE not to he confounded with the ordinary immature one of this bird, where the Bcarlet i- -imply of a lighter shade or mixed with patches of yellowish-green. It i- a pronounced uniform coloring, and apparently a completed plumage. in Various Species of North American Birds. (j:5 Unquestionably it is abnormal, but hardly to be placed in a category -with albinism, and probably it is not very unfrequent. Adult males of /'. rubra change to the greenish autumnal plumage of the female and young, a fact not generally known. They may in that stage he distinguished by the blacker coloring of the wings and tail. I have never seen the young males in autumn with 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 faintly 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 autumnal 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, and 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 suffusion, 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 Ridgway 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 streaking* of dusky-buff ; rump grayish-brown with a tinge of olive. Tail narrowly tipped with gamboge-yellow. Two secon- daries on each wing slightly tipped with the red waxen appendages. En- tire under parts brownish-buff, 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 eve, where it terminates, embracing, however, the anterior half of both eye- lids. From a specimen in my collection, taken at Upton, Me.. Augusl 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 lias 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. HY RoHKHT 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- Ridgway on Birds of Calaveras County, California. 65 tcvest, as 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. Myiadestes townsendi. No. 73,610, g ad., May 4, 1877. 3. Pheenopepla nitens. No. 73,534, Murphy's, May, 1877. 4. Cinclus mexicanus. No. 73,533. No date. 5. Regulus satrapa. No. 73,535, a full-grown young one. as Bhowfo by the hull' wing-bands and the texture of the leathers. Slight indications of the normal pluinag Been in a small black Bpol just above the posterior angle of tin; right eye. and several black feathers among the lesser wing-coverts, while, according to the collector, there was a Bpol ><( the same eolor on the breast, but this Eidgway on Birds of Calaveras County, California. 67 was carried away by the shot. The specimen was obtained at Stocton, July, 1877. 38. Contopus richardsoni. 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. Picua nuttalli. No. 73,033. Murphy's, Calaveras County (alt. 2,000 feet), April, 1877. 43. Pious pubescens. An adult male (No. 73,606), collected Decem- ber 27, 1877, is absolutely typical P. pubescens. There is a large cluster of white spots covering the lesser wing-covert region, while the greater 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. Pious pubescens, /3. gairdneri. No. 73,607, . '-'44, 1858. + Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Birds N. Am., VoL I, p. 401, 1874. ; Italics my ow n. Mearns'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 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 bird as to cause it to be shot. 8. Myiodioctes mitratus, (Gmelin) Audubon. Hooded Warbler. — Mr. C. Hart Merriam, 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 BrewEB's Notes on Junco Caniceps. female bird, like the male, is several years — at least three — in attaining its lull plumage ; and that the two sexes, when fully adult, can only be distinguished by the fad that, in the female, the throat, though Btrongly tinged with black, is never pure black as in tin- male." Long ago 1 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 hlack upon the head, and 1 have frequently. found them sitting upon their eggs in this condition. Males of the same age show very evi- dent traces of hlack. 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 Watkr- Thrtjsh. — I wish to call attention to the fact that the chin and throat of this sjiecies are not "entirely immaculate,"* as described in the books. ' to •the contrary, 1 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 ami throat, though these are much less strong than in X. ncevius. There is also a whitish stripe extending from the base of tin; 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 FORMS. JSY T. M. BREWER. Among a collection of nests and eggs received the past season from Colorado, coining from the vicinity of Summit County, the highest inhabited portion of that State, arc three nests of the Junco caniceps. They are assigned to the common resident Juno 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 the 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 eggB of the Junco caniceps exhibit such surprising variations as are shown in these sets, or • Baird, Brewer, an. I Ridgway, Hist, of N. Am. Birds, Vol. I, p. -j^7, ls74. Brewer's Notes on Junco Caniceps. 73 whether there is more* than one species that Dreed 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 cinere us, dorsalis, caniceps, etc. are bona fide species. There are in the Smithsonian collection well-identified sets of the eggs of Junco cinereus, dorsal in, and caniceps, one set of each. Of course this is not enough to establish the typical peculiarities of their eggs. The set of Junco cinereus were taken by Mr. Henshaw 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. Henshaw 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 immaculate. 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,v 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 (pi-obably origi- nally with a tinge of greenish), profusely overlaid with small irregu- 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 * In his report Mr. Henshaw describes it as greenish-white. 74 Brewer's Notes on Junco 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 very 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 .60, .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 the South Park. He flushed the parent from its nest and shot it, b it 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 Dear 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 • .63, .88 x .(Vl. .90 ■ .65, .89 • .62." Murdoch on Migration of Birds. 75 Their large size and the peculiarity of their markings, so different from those of any Junto that I have ever seen, suggested a suspicion that they might be the eggs of the Junto 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 Junto in Colorado, namely, taniteps, 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 Junto hyemalis. Mr. Carter has never, to his knowledge, met with oregonus 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 us, and our regular winter-guests from more northern districts, who find our 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 from my house, in Roxbury, Mass., I was somewhat surprised to see a pair of Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) 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 Bluebird 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 (Mi urns carotin ensis) 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 (J)endroeca 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 Btay beyond their usual custom. Recent Literature. 77 fUmrt Hitertttttre. Sharpe's "Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum." — Three volumes of this important work have now appeared. The first, de- voted to the Diurnal Birds of Prey, was published in 1874 ; the second, embracing the Owls, in 1875 ; and the third, treating of several families of Passerine hirds, in 1877.* 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 Baptorial Birds are treated as an order (Accipitrcs), with three sub- orders, Falcones, Pandiones, and Striges. For the Diurnal Birds of Prey, the old family divisions of Vulturidce and Falconidce 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 R. 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 Coliomorphre, containing the families Corvida;, Paradiseidaa, Oriolidre, Dicruridaj, and Prionopida;. By the same. 8vo, pp. xiii, 344, pis. xiv. 1877. 78 Recent Literature. Owls (Striges) are all referred to the family Bubonidce, except the genera Strix and Phodilus, which alone constitute the family Strigidm. Mr. Sharpe gives the number of species of the Diurnal Birds of Prey as three hundred and seventy-seven, of which twenty-there are regarded as doubtful. Of the remainder three hundred and twenty-five are repre- sented in the collection of the British Museum, the total number of specimens falling 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 names respectively of Archibuteo sanctijo- hannis and .4. lagopus. The Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetus), the Pere- grine Falcons (Falco communis), and the Fish-Hawks (Pandion haliaetus), on the other hand, are regarded as identical. The generic term Cerchneis (Boie, 1826) is adopted for the Sparrow-Hawks, of which several of Mr. Ridg way's varieties are raised to the rank of species. Of the Owls, about one hundred and ninety species are recognized, of which ten are regarded as doubtful. They are represented in the British Museum by about eleven hundred specimens. The Snowy Owl (A scandiaca) of North America, contrary to the opinion of some American writers, is held to be identical with that of Europe, the two being con- sidered as not separable even as races, Mr. Sharpe being unable to appre- ciate any differences of color, but admitting a slight difference in the amount of feathering of the toes. The Long-eared Owls (for which the generic name Asio, Brisson, 1766, is adopted) of America and Europe he admits as subspecies of a circumpolar "Asio otus." The nearly cosmopolite Short-eared Owl (called " Asio accipitrinus ") he divides into several races or Bubspeeies, of which the American (its habitat including both North and South America) forms " /3. Asio cassini." Richardson's Owl is re- garded as identical with the European Tengmalm's Owl (Xyctale tengmal- mi). Of the Barn-Owls (Strix flammca), while recognizing a number of "striking forms," he says : " My conclusion with regard to the Barn 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. Insular birds vary, but cannot be specifically distinguished, as they can always be approached by continental specimens in a large series." In the third volume Mr. Sharpe enters upon the great series of Passerine Birds, of which hi' here treats the families Corvidce, Paradiseidce, Oriolidce, Vierwrida, and Prionopidoe, which lie unites to form the group Coliomor- j)h(r,at[\\a\ to the Coliomorphic of Sundevall, with some genera added and others excluded. The species here described by Mr. Sharpe number three hundred and sixty-seven, all but about fifty of which are represented in the British Museum, the number of specimens being a little over two thousand. Of these four families the Corvidce, or ('rows and Jays, are alone represented in America, the others being mainly African, Indian, and Recent Literature. 79 Australian. In respect to North American species, the Raven (Corvus corax) is not separated even varietally from the Raven of the Old World, Mr. Sliarpe statin"; that the characters given by authors for their separation do not hold good in his series of specimens. In respect to changes of nomenclature among North American species, it may he noted that the old genus Corvus is here much subdivided, so that our Fish-Crow stands as Colocus ossifragus, and the Common Crow as Corone americanus; Nucifraga (Brisson, 1760) appears in place of Picicorvus for the Clarke's Crow, and Gyanurus is regarded as a synonyme of C'yanocorax, our Blue-Jay (C.cris- tatus) being referred to the genus Cyanocitta. Nearly all of the numerous forms 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 (Perisoreus 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 good taste, to say the least, but to a very generally accepted rule of nomenclature. Also that the value of his very full bibliographical references is impaired by his not adding the date of publication. This was very uniformly 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 labradoria) * 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 brought together, the paper consisting largely of excerpts gathered from the writings of all 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 1868. 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. Rowley, 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, \Y.; Trubner & Co., Ludgate Hill, E. C; E. H. Porter, 6 Tenterden 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 Soma ti: via, he does it with some degree of reservation. His paper is enriched with five plates, in which are figured the sterna of all the Eiders (Somateria stelkri, S. spectabilis, and ,S'. mollis- sima), with thai of the present species, and the bill and feet of this species and of the common Eider. A beautifully colored plate is also devoted to the illustration of the adult male, feniale, and young male. He lias, however, 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 X. 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, fife., 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 Cones, U. S. A., for the identification of the birds, and adds that he lias "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 Bingle specimen from San Jose del ('alio), which, though formerly regarded as a variety of the P. rostratna, is here provisionally accepted as * Contributions to the Natural History of the Hawaiian and Panning Islands and Lower California, made in connection with the United states North Pacific Surveying Expedition, 1878-75. By Thos. II. Streets, M. 1'., passed Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Navy. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 7, ]>. 17-' (Birds, pp. 9-33), Washington, 1377. Recent Literature. 81 a good species. It also embraces specimens of the rare Ruhr'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 (Xectris) nativitatis, from Christmas Island, is here for the first time described. The others are a Gallimde (GaUinula sandvicensis, Streets? Ibis, 1877, p. 25) from the Hawaiian Islands, and a Duck (Chaulelasmus couesi, Streets, Bull. Nut. Orn. Club, Vol. I, 1876, p. 46) from Washing- ton Island. The breeding habits and eggs of Craver's Auk (Brachyrham- phus eraveri) arc- also described, and there are many valuable biographical and other notes on several hitherto little known species. — J. A. A. Bendire's Notes on the Birds of Southeastern Oregon. — In a list embracing one hundred and ninety-one species and varieties, Captain Bendire * gives the results of field observations made in the vicinity of Camp Harney, Oregon, covering a considerable period. Aside from some former notes by the same author, \ which treated moi'e 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. Ridgwat's Report on the Ornithology of the Fortieth Par- allel. — This long-delayed work % 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, compiled [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 beyond the con- trol of its author. Based on field-work extending from about June 1, L867, to tin? 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 helt of country. The observations were mainly limited to that portion of the Great Basin included between the thirty-ninth ami forty- second parallels, and extending from the Siena Nevada* to the Wahsatcb 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 avifauna;," especial reference being had to the station of the different species represented. The term "avifauna" is hence here used in a rather unusual sense, referring 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 of (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, ini lading 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, com lude the introductory portion of the Report, which forms, altogether, nearly ninety pages of exceedingly interesting matter. The " Report Geologist in charge. Vol. IV, Part III, Ornithology. By Robert Kidgway. 4to. pp. 303-670. 1877. [As an important bibliologica] matter to he remembered, it should be Btated that current Literature tor a few years lias contained repeated anticipatory cita- tions of such a work as being then "in press,"— these citations sometimes in- volving questions of precedence ; out the work, which was stereotyped in 1870, was entirely remodelled, and never appeared in its original form. Tin- stereotype plates wen- melted in is7n", and no perfect copy of the original report exists though a ringle mutilated set of proofs is or was, in possession of Dr. Cones, Tie' matter was n-set in is7t of birds on the authority of his own fertile imagination, he must expect to take the consequences. " Had lists," w rite- Mr. .1. A. Allen, " are, of course, far worse than none at all, and if incompetent aspirants t" fame in this direction will make Blich ventures, it is best, I think, not only for Bcience, hut for them personally to Bhow them that such things arc not to be done with impunity." Recent Literature. 85 The Ratbbun-Fowlcr list of the Birds of Central New York lias already been noticed in this journal (Vol. Ill, pp. 34, 35). Its title is " Complete List of the Birds of Cayuga, 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 their 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 own observations." He then goes on to mention sixteen species ; and among other equally instructive sentences, occur these : " Tardus muste- linus. Found breeding in great numbers on Howland's Island." " Parus atricapillus. Found breeding along the river in numbers, in June '76." " Geothlypis trichas. Breeds commonly on Howland's Island, but leaves for the South in July." " Gollurio 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, directly, 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. elcgans. 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 really a valuable note. By far the best of these recent lists which I have seen, is that of " The Summer Birds of the Adirondack? 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 loss 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- tity 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 Alcid.e." — 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 an- given, sufficiently detailed for the easy recognition of the species. Mr. Barrows does not think the family can be subdivided into groups <>f a higher than generic value. The true affinities of the species he believes can only be determined by a thorough study of their embryologies! 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. Feieden's "List of Birds observed in Smith Sound," etc. t — 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 Arctic forms. The land birds are Fal dicans, Nyctea scandiaca, Plectrophanes nivalis, Corvus corax, and Lagopiu rupesiris. The waders embrace Strepsilas interpret), JEgialitis hiaticula, Calidris armaria, Phalaropus fulicaria, and Tringa canuta. The Bwim- niing birds include Sterna maernra, I'aijoplnla rlmrnea, Rissa tridnctyln, Lam* glaucus, Stercorarius longicavdatus, Procellaria glacialis, Uria grylle, Mergulus alle, Alcabruennichi, Golymbtis{8eptentrionalis T),Harelda glacia- lis, Somateria mollissima, S. spectabilis, and Bemicla brenta. Most of them were repeatedly mel with at different Localities, some of them in considerable numbers, and many were observed breeding. The quite de- tailed notes respecting the species of this list render it a paper of unu-ual interest. — J. A. A. * Catalogue of the Alcidse contained in Museum of the Boston Society ot Natural Bistory, with a review and proposed classification of the Family. By W. li. Barrows. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist, Vol. XIX, pp, 150-165, No- vember, 1877. t Lisl of Birds observed in Smith Sound, and in the Polar Basin during tie Arctic Expedition of 1875-76. By 11. W. Feilden. Ibis, Fourth Series, VoL 1, pp. 10] - 412, October, L877. 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 Puffin undergo after the breeding season have been hitherto unknown. The author's exposition of the matter reveals a phenomenon as yet unparalleled among birds. Temminck acknowl- edged (Man. Orn. 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 be 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 go^'s is * De, la Mue du Bee et des Ornements Palpebraux du Macareux arctique, Fratercula arctica (Lin.) Stepli. apres la saison 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 this 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. Bureau'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 them colored and furnished 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 lathami," the " Saddle-billed Auk " was made a new genus of, though now known to be nothing more or less than Ltmda eirrhata. The remarkable case of Ceratorhina " suckleyi," — C. nonocerata, now seems less singular, though we do not yet know the details ; perhaps the "horn " may be moulted. Ptychorhamphus aleuticus has a wrinkled membrane at base of the bill, which may be something different at other times. Simo- rhynchua cristetollus, as known to us in full dress, has a curious horny formation at the angle of the mouth, wanting in the so-called S. " dubius " and >S'. " tetra- culus." Simorhynchus microceros has a curious knob or caruncle on the base of the culmen, not seen in the so-called > tin piece* of a coat of mail; the rosette at the angle of the mouth shrivelled and grew pale; the horny plates about the eye had fallen in some specimens and were loosened in others ; the red feel became yellow ; and finally the. change of plumage began in some specimens. In a word, the adult Lar- ventauscher * grew under his eves into what some have considered as tin- young of Mormon arctica, and into what has been called M. grabce. * Brehm (Handb. der Naturg. Yo^. Deutachl.) once calls the Puffin Larven- /i^nitn> der Tun- Recent Literature. 89 To get an idea of these remarkable changes (which the author illustrates as already described) it is first necessary to understand the composition of the bill in the adult in spring and in winter. Fratercula 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 lamella?, 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 persistenj, 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 different. The bill is smaller, as if cut away at the forehead, especially the under mandible, the outline 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 homy 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 rosette is reduced to a narrow pale yellow band. The eyelids are uncolored, and have lost the horny appendages. cher mit einer Larve verselien, le Plongcon a masque, the masked Diver, — a very suitable name, though any German reader will perceive that its composi- 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 finsl-tauscher nothing but the Ger- man name of Diver, Taucher. If der Larventauscher, Changeur de masque, Un masker, 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 bleeding array in three ways : (1) by hypertro- phy, (2) by horny growths, (3) by coloration ; and, conversely, 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 perf 'orating feathers pass out. In May, at the height of the breeding season, it is translucent, of a sort of flesh-color difficult to describe, more or Its-; 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 may break apart at the top, or towards the middle of either of its forks. Its fall leaves exposed the membranous 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- la; 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 " precieuse piece corne'e * coming from a wounded Puffin held by the wings, who clawed it oil' in trying 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 separation between the nasal buckler and the first or great ridge ; in win- ter it is wanting, being replaced by the corresponding temporary groove. 4. Tlie transparent lamella is a homy pellicle of a beautiful orange-color, which covers the hinder pari 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 grooves. These are subjeel to no other changes than those resulting from simple desquamation and partial decoloration. B. Lowxb Mandible. Its transformations are still more curious and note- worthy. !. The horny selvage is of the brightest orange in the breeding Beason. Its fall exposes the membranotis selvage, which, yellow at first, soon loses its coloration. 2. The mental bwMer represents both the nasal r and the transparent lamella. It comes off whole, its two side- 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 atrophique) to which special attention should be paid. The strangest change is certainly that produced in the depth and shape of the lower mandible. In the adult, in spring, 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 way 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 only 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 ilated. Habits of the Kingfisher (Cenjk alcyon). — The following observa- tions are communicated by Mrs. Mary Treat, Green Cove Spring, Florida : •' A K Lngfisher whose feeding-ground is just in front of my windows fishes from a private wharf, where he is seldom disturbed, and has become bo tame that he pursues his avocations without concern, though I may lie 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-hones 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 nun-aquatic representatives of the family. — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C. The Painted Lark Bunting (Plectrophanes pictus) in Texas. — On November 23, 1876, T saw a flock of Plectrophanes, which I thought were different from either /'. maccovmi or P. ornatus, and shot one, which proved to he different. On December 20 I shot another, and on December 2-2 three others. One of these, being sent to Mr. Robert Ridgway, of tin- Smithsonian Institution, he has kindly identified it fur ni'' as Plectrophanes pictus, and states that this is its first record south of Illinois. They are less easily taken than P. maccmrni, as they do not fly so compactly a- does that species. Their note while on tin- wing i- a simple chirp, while tin- flock-; of /'. maccowni keep up constant chat- ter while on the wing. Whether /'. pictus La an accidental or a regular winter visitor to Texas, I am unable to state. They were quite plentiful here last winter (1876- 77). hut may have been driven farther south than usual l»y the uncommonly cold weather, which had driven away the Robins, Hani-'- Sparrow, and even Plectrophanes ornatus, all of which were abun- dant tie- previous winter. — Q. H. Raq8Dale, Gainesville, Tt Notes on a raw Birds observed in New Mexico \m> Arizona in 1876. I . Turdus migratorius. Winters abundantly in New Mexico; a lew summer in the high mountains. General Notes. 93 2. Mimus polyglottus. Abundant in summer. Nesting in low bushes, grape-vines, etc. 3. Harporhynchus crissalis. I saw this species on the Gila in New- Mexico, and in Arizona, in brushy broken localities. Not common. 4. Sialia mexicana. Abundant in winter. A few stay in the high 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 canons at the edge of the river bottom. In Arizona frequents the inesquit. 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 buds have the head uniform in color with the back. 7. Dendrceca blackburniee. 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 shy. Their song is similar to that of V. plumbeus, but 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, both 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, but 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. annectens, 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 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 .58 x .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 Hock 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 1 heard a screaming noise proceeding from a Woodpecker's hole in a pine. I climbed the tree, and pulled out a female McCalPs Owl, and immediately after a male Sparrow- Hawk tlew 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, 1 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 of JEgialitis mf.loda var. circumcixcta, Ridu., on Long Island. — While collecting April 30, 1873, on the outer beach, near Roekawav, 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 Bomewhat, 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 14.25x4.65; tail, 2.10 ; hill, .">•") ; tarsus, .90, male adult, agreeing in the main with Mr. EUdgway's type (breeding plumage, male adult, July 8, Poll]. Fori of the Platte, Am. Nat., VIII, L874, LOO) excepting length, which lie L;ives as (!.', inches, which is much below the average. The -.line 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. 1 doubt whether this should be regarded as the fe- male of var. circuiiicincta, however. — ( '. IP Lag i.e. 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 extreme southwestern corner of Colorado, near the head-waters of the Rio la Plata, with a branch 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 party was encamped on a small spring-rill, along 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 fastened to the main trunk or larger limbs of the shrubs, like the nests of our Ruby-throat. On the contrary, they were 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 within_a limited space." — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C. Nesting of Vireo olivaceus. — Mr. W. L. Collins, of Frankford, Philadelphia, Pa., writes : " 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. C. 96 General Notes. Californian Prairie Chickens. — It is always safest for naturalists to salt down newspaper extracts on scientific subjects, and usually besl to leave tliein 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 tacts 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 west to Winnemucca, and from there strik- ing "off the track," reached Surprise and Shasta valleys, California. I can scarcely believe that Dr. Cones 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. coln/mbianus, 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 t lie 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- ni, BR (Helmmthopkaga celata) in New Hampshire. — Mr. Edward (}. Gardiner, of Boston, informs me that a specimen of this rare Warbler was taken at the Isles of Shoals, September '.'. ls77, by two young collectors, Messrs. Outram and Edward A. Bangs. The bird was a female, and 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 la. 41°, but it was found near Salt l.akc City, by Nelson, in ] ,s;*j. General Notes. 97 from Massachusetts and one from New Hampshire.* — John Murdoch, Roxbury, Mass. Robins' Eggs, Spotted. — My friend, Mr. Oliver Lockhart, of Lake George, early in June, found a Robin (Tardus migratoriits) 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 erythrocephalus) . — A remarkable instance of foresight in several birds of this species in " looking out for a rainjr 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 shrivelled-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 Ridgway, History of Birds of North America, Vol. II, 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 aseries of about seventy specimens tour 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 both 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 differing 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. Batciielder, Cambridge, Mq#8- The European Widgeon (Mareca pendope) m the United States. — I take great pleasure in noting the capture on the Atlantic coast of the United States of two specimens of Mareca pendope, which I am assured have not been recorded. One is in the collection of Mr. Geo. X. 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. I. — N. T. Lawrenck, New York. Tiik Sn art-tailed Finch (A mmod ,-n in w ocmdacutvfi) in Maine. — Dr. Brewer strangely misquotes me on page 48 of the presenl volume of the " Bulletin," in reference to the Sharp-tailed Finch (Ammodramua ca%- 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 the capture of any specimen at all. What 1 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 iii October, 187(5, I observed a dw individuals of tin's 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 was consider- ably to the east of their previously known range, I was surprised to tind theni here, for 1 had carefully examined the I'oint and it- vicinity, at other seasons of the year, without detecting a single specimen. Accord- General Notes. 99 ingly, (luring the season of 1877, I made the Sharp-tailed Finch the ob- ject of almost daily expeditions, 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 (Helminthophaga leucobronchialis) ix Connecticut. — 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 e3relids, 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 Mtiarchus 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 he stated that this note was received for publication December 5, 1877, and was unavoidably omitted from the January number. Compare Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Survey of the Terr., Vol. IV, No. 1 (Feb. 5, 1878), p. 33, fifth paragraph. —Eds. 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 Brown, Texas. [I have carefully compared the two sets of the eggs of M. erythrocerus, here referred to, with sets of M. crinitus, M. cinerascens, M. cooperi, and M. stolidvs. These all have a strong family resemblance, those of the erytivrocercus 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. 33:0 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, winch was formerly quite characteristic of this wild mountainous region, is now becoming quite scarce. It was formerly known to uesl upon the cliffs 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 Weal Point and Cornwall ; but these dill's are so vast and inaccessible, thai 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 (luring their lave. ling season, I have not ascertained the fact of their presence there al that season ; bu1 in winter T have occasionally Been a Bingle individual living near the top of the mountains. Several years ago, a Golden Eagle was shot opposite those cliffs bya fanner at < Sold Spring, while in the act of destroying a goose belonging to the farmer. A few days since, through the kindness of my friends. Professor Robert Donald and .Mr. Sanford I!. Knapp, of Peekskill, I examined a finely mounted specimen of this E igle, in the possession of the latter gentleman. li waa 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. Mearxs, 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 Anhinga, but Anhina, 'an aquatic bird of prey in Brazil, called the Darter, Plotus.' 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 une figure etrange .... on dirait des canards qui ont pour cou un long serpent.' Hence the name ' Snake-bird,' Portuguese Anhina, from the Latin Anrjuina ? (Anguis, a snake)." This derivation seems to be undoubtedly correct, Anhinga being corrupted from Anhina. — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. G. Late capture of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in Massachu- setts. — Mr. 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 was, 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, Mats. THE [PSWICH Sparrow (Passerculus prinrepx) on Long Island, N. Y., — On the 1st of January, 1878, I took a fine specimen of the rasscrcuhis princcps at Rockaway, Long Island. The bird when taken was in com- pany with Savanna and Tree Sparrows (Passerculus savanna and SpizeU d 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, hut, 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, New York City. The Stilt Sandpiper (Micropalatna 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 "nut 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 Portland, Me., during the early part of autumn. — Nathan Clifford Brown, Portland, Me. Nesting-Habits of Parus montanus.* — The nest was built fit the bottom of a seam in a very rotten stump. The top of the seam was two feet from the ground, the bottom about afoot 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 al the nesl expecting to find a snake, but discov- ered only the owner, who, with wings outspread, mouth open, and eyea 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 lie dislodged so easily, and I left her, Imping to find her nol at home next * Communicated by R. Ridgway. t It would I"- interesting to know whether the eggs arc spotted or nol : it' unspotted, they form .\ notable exception to the rule in this genus. - H. R. General Notes. 103 morning. Upon my next visit, the clay after, she greeted me again -with hisses and other demonstrations of anger ; and after watching her several t 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 which she advanced, pecking 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 number of eggs or test the courage of the female while incubating. — L. Belding, Marysville, Cat Persistency in Nest-building by a Pair op 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, woidd 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 well 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 sympathizing neighbors, who brought materials faster than the architect seemed able to properly bestow them, so that iu 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 fastened by 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 General Notes. the same sad result. For the fifth time they began to rebuild the nest ; tliis 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, X. J., February 4, 1878. — Rcthven Deane. " We have had a Robin of the albino type winch 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 1 saw something moving or jumping on the ground 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 Robinscould be seen to make feasible the suggestion that a fledgling 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 Been again that day till towards evening, when the Robin was again on the lawn as usual. The next morning 1 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 weir 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 ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. Vol. III. JULY, 1878. No. 3. THE EAVE, CLIFF, OR CRESCENT SWALLOW (PETEOCEEL- IDON L UXIFRONS). * 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 bud may have been discovered by the celebrated John Reinhold Forster ; at any rate, the earliest note I have in hand respecting the Cliff* Swallow is Forster's, dating 1772, when this naturalist published in the Philosophical Transactions u 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 spadicetis, Strix nebulosa, Emheriza [i. e. Zonotrichia] leucophrys, Fringilla [i. e. Janco] hudsonias, Mus- cicapa [i. e. Dendrosca] striata, Partis hudsonicus, and Scolopax [i. e. Numenias] borealis, are described, with references to various other new birds by number, such as " Tardus 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- publicana [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. I. VOL. III. 8 106 Coues on the Have, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow. April, 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 II ir undo lunifrons by Say in 1823 ; and the following year Audu- bon published his hitherto MS. name respublicana 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 11 ir undo opifex. Meanwhile, Vieillot had described the West Indian conspecies as Hirundo fulva ; and the future Prince Bonaparte adopted this name for our species in 1825. Thus in the short space of two years, 1823 - 25, the interesting Anonyma, " Xo. 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 Petrochelidun, 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 LTnited States ; but it does not appear that any broad theory of a general progressive eastward extension is fairly deductible 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 distribution 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 on the Eave, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow. 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. Boardman tells me that they were no novelty at St. Stephens, New Brunswick, in 1828. Dr. Brewer received their eggs from Coventry, Vt., in 1837, when they were new to him ; but the date of their appearance 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 the last-mentioned year they were present, apparently for the first time, in Boston and neighboring metastatic foci of the globe. 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 umst be be- cause they fly over the country in their migrations, and do not stop to breed. It is authenticated that they nest at lea|£ 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 Have, Cliff, or Crescent Svmllow. 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 unnumbered 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 tributaries, 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 anest 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 llirundine nature, and implying perfect covering for the eggs ; and the indication is fully met in one of the very commonest tonus 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 Fare, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow. 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 melted 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 affording 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. Bichardson 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 colonj^ 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 offspring 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- no vnnce, and repeatedly ejected from the premises by destruction of their nests. I have two notable cases in mind. At Fort Pem- bina, Dakota, a colony insisted on building beneath the low portico of the soldiers' barracks, almost within arm's reach. Being noisy 110 Coues on the Eave, 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 07i the Eave, 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 \mder 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 enfant 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 twigs together, and glues the frail cup to the wall with 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 natural 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' mouths 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 and imperturbable Herodias, when she folded up her legs and closed her eyes, and went off into the dreamland of incubation, undisturbed 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 polyagms, 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 understanding, perhaps like that which the Purple Crackles 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 Cliff 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 DO 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 Crow. 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 pifion 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 during a bad year any of the smaller seeds are acceptable, and perhaps 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 term " 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-moiTow there, according as their tastes suggest a change of diet, or as mere caprice may urge. Thus they may often appear to have migrated from a district wThich 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 on the Nest and Eggs of the Blue Crow. 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 ye%rs, and reared many successive generations of young. Mr. Parker visited the locality during the latter part of March, and found the pairs then leisurely at woi'k 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 complement, 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 pinon-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 pihon, and have utilized long strips of the tough, fihrous, 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 eg<*s are of a greenish-white color, profusely Bpotted 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 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. Ill* 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 plumage : young female. Crown precisely as in spring adult ; interscapular region 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 BREWSTER'S Descriptions of the First Plumage $ with white. Rest of upper parts uniformly blue-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-hands 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 huff. 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 <>n 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 -hade of the s.une color j 1 a il-roverts and rump dull yellowish-red ; wing- bande 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 ^7. 1^74. Young birds in the second or autumnal plumage exhibit almost endless variations of coloring. The males may be distinguished in most cases ),v the coppery-red on the crown and rump ; but some females have the ordinary brownish-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 ton-head and supra Loral line streaked with grayish. Under parte dull white, thickly Btreaked everywhere, excepl on crissum and anal region, with very dark brown. From a specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, July 9, 1^7:;. Although this bird is in strictly first plumage, it differs scarcely appn ciably in coloring from autumnal specimens. in Various Species of North American Birds. 117 55. Loxia 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, differ 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 pronounced on the back and crown, although there somewhat obsciired 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 apparently adult birds. 56. Loxia curvirostra americana. First plumage : female. Upper surface 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 autumnal plumage. 57. Chrysomitris pinus. First plumage: female. Strong mustard-yellow, 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 fulvous. 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 the 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. "Wing-bands and a broad edging upon the secondaries intense fawn-color. Forehead and entire under parts fulvous-yellow, most prominent on the sides. From a specimen in my collection, shot at Upton, Me., August 29, 1873. 118 Brewster'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 bjr Dr. Coues, September 3, 1873, at Souris River, Dakota. 60. Passerculus 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. Coturniculua henslowi. 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 buffy 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 tristia, this is the only species of the Fringillido; so far as I am aware, in which the young in first plumage are entirely immaculate beneath. A ut a in mil plumage: young female. Bill black. Crown, cheeks, and su- perciliary line, 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, link, nape, and back anteriorly dull olive-green, the nape dotted finely with dusky. Tertiaries, upper tail-COVertfl, 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-buff, fading into soiled while upon the abdomen. Abroad 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. 119 my cabinet, collected at Osterville, Mass., November 6, 1874. In the absence of sufficient material for comparison, I am unable to say whether this specimen 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. Cotumiculus passerinus. First plumage : 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 Brewster's Descriptions of 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 Btreakings 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 leather 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 huffy 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 brown, everywhere suffused with ashy, but most appreciably bo 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 Btreakings of dull black. Rest of under parte dull ashy-white, with a faint bully 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 ;ies of specimens in ant 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 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 country, destroy large quantities of fruit, "ripe cherries and pears seeming to be a favorite repast." * Like other Woodpeckers they procure larvse by puncturing dead limbs, and mature insects by searching crevices in tin- bark, but. unlike other members of the family, they also capture their jury in mid-air, after the manner of the true Flycatchers. Thus occupied, 1 have several tim< them from fence-posts, and twice from the dead top of a the <>M gum-tree" (a large spruce), make frequenl sallies into the air after passing insects, which were almost invariably Becured, bo accurate was their aim. Atten- tion has already been called to their fly-catching proclivities by Mr. * J. r. Ghana1, 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 tbey some- times amuse themselves by braining young poultry. He says : " On watching carefully to ascertain the cause, a Red-headed Woodpecker (Mela- nerpes erythrocephalus) 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 ! " £ 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 Vermilion, 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, Xo. 24, p. 451, Jan. 17, 1878. J American Naturalist, Vol. XI, No. 5, p. 308, May, 1877. § Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. Ill, Xo. 2, p. 97, April, 1878. || Thos. G. Gentry. Life Histories of the Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania, Vol. II, p. 148, 1877. 128 BlCKNELL 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 snrj trised 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. BlCKNELL. 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 unconformable with iso- thermal lines. The boundaries of faunal areas are usually of an extremely irregular nature, and in their territorial relations con- tiguous fauna) 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 territory. Thus from near the northeastern boimdary 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 occurred somewhere near the mouth of the Hudson, thus includ- ing New York City and vicinity in the angle formed by their divergence. The northern limit of the HudBon River branch is as yet unde- * A Review of the Birds of Connecticut. By C. Hart Murium, p. 1, 1877. in the Loiver Hudson Valley. 29 termined ; but at Eiverdale, where, unless otherwise stated, the following observations were taken, the Carolinian Fauna is well represented by the regular occurrence of such characteristic species as Helmithervs vermivoms, Helminthophaga pinus, Icteria wrens, Myiodioctes milralus, Stelgidopteryx serripennis, and Empidonax acadicus, 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 wras 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 (Juniperus 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 I am almost certain of having heard it in January, and the following Marm 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 fewr miles from Riverdale. 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. t A Catalogue of the Birds observed in the Vicinity of New York. By Geo. N. Lawrence. 1866, p. 283. 130 BlCKNELL OTi 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* Myiodioctea mitratua. 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. Merriain,t and by Mr. E. A. Mearns,J 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 11. pinus, 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 Bpring, but few remain to breed. By the first week in August, however, the species again appears, apparently * Am. Nat., Vol. IX, p. 578. t Review of the Birds of Conn., pp. 25, 26. t This Bulletin, Vol. Ill, pp. 71, 72. § \V. G. Storms. Forest and Stream, Vol. VI, p. 215. in the 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 observed 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. Corvua ossifragus. Fish Crow. — As will 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 ethers, 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 stoutly 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 thein 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. Akhnrst 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 Avill prevenl my men- tioning here. With regard to Goniaphea at culm, 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 cifis 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 < lentral Park Museum, I recollect having Been 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 BUCh a supposition improbable. On the other hand, however, the condi- tion of plumage in which the birds were taken, as well a- the appearance of the bill and feet, are evidence which would argue in favor of their be- ing wild. * Birds of New York, p. l 16. V Brewster on Large- Billed Water- Thrush. 133 NESTING OF THE LARGE-BILLED WATER-THRUSH (SIUEUS 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. neevia), his account is decidedly unsatisfactory. Mr. T. M. Trippe says * 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 underneath 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 underlying 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 adhering 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. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. XV, 1873, p. 234. t Ainer. Nat., Vol. VIII, p. 238. 134 Brewster on Large-Billed Water-Thrush. wise evincing no particular anxiety or concern. The nest, which is hefore nie, 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 umber 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 mosses, 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, .71 X.60, .72X.60, .72X.61. In each of these two sets the eggs show unusually little variation inter se. Trotter on a Hybrid Swallow. 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 different 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 HORREORI-LUNI- FROXS) 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 lunifrons. This blended likeness stamps it as a hybrid 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 mesalliance 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 named the bird Ifirundo horreori-lunifrons, 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 upper 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 horreo- 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. Rump 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. Cris Min reddish-white, the longer feathers with a Blight 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 skin) : length, 5.83 ; wing, 4.63 ; tail, 2.69. %c(ttxt MUrnUtvt. 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 repori 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 I, 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, Firsl Lieutenanl of Engineers, U. S. A. Being appendix JJ of the Annual Reports <>f the Chief <>f Engineers for 1876. Washington, Government Printing-Omce, 1 n7'*>. Report on the Ornithology of the Portions of California visited during the Field Season of 15>7j. By Mr. II. W. Eenshaw. pp. 224-278. Recent Literature. 137 Channel, at which locality the first two weeks of June were spent ; Santa Barbara, where the party remained until July 13 ; the region about Mt. "Whitney, visited in .September ; ami, lastly, Kernville 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 Swainsoni ustulatus 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 is, we notice, accorded specific rank, and on apparently substantial grounds ; but in the case of the Fox Sparrows (genus Passerella) we believe the author's more recent investigations have 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 {Agelceus 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 frecpient 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 acceptable 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 prop- 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 Printing-Office, 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 a3 are suited to its needs." Among the species occurring upon the eastern slope of the Sierras, Tardus ncevvus 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 different and apparently more substantial arrangement decided upon. The three Western forms, schistacea, tmcnsendi, 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 res] Kits than the present one. Careful, conservative, almost to a fault, and as oearly 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 lor the first time. The first portion of this list presents the names of three hundred ami sixteen species of ascertained occurrence in Massachusetts, nol 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. Dt ml runt striata, for instance, * A List of the Birds of Massachusetts, with Annotations, by J. A. Allen. Hull, tin of tlie Essex Institute, Vol. X, pp. 3-37, April, 1- Recent Literature. 139 has been seen in North Adams, in August, with young so immature tha they must have been of local origin ; Mxjiodioctes canadensis breeds every summer in Essex County, the writer bavin.; two sets of their eggs taken in Lynn, and of course the omission of the * from Colaptcs auratus 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 where it is positively known that such species as Tardus pallasi, Mimus polyglottxis, Certhia familiaris, Dendroeca casrulescens, etc. have bred within the State, to mention when and where, as is done in the case of J unco 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 amanthe 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 Mxjiodioctes. Dr. Pickering's recollections 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 eATer 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 1 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 j-et 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 cinereum, Lynn, 1872 (History of North American Birds, III, p. 3:2), 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. Win. A. Jeffries, and that of a Short-tailed Tem(Hydrochelidon niger, Saunders) at Nantucket, August 8, 1877, by Mr. Geo. H. Mackay, both specimens being in the possession of their captors. That, these exceptions arc 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 1S07. — T. M. B. Mr. H. Saunders on the Sternin.e.* — Having had opportunities of examining interesting types of various real or supposed species of Sterninae, the author has anticipated in a measure the monograph of the La/rida upon which he has long been engaged, by giving the gist of his observations in the present revision of the subfamily Stemince, which may be regarded as the continuation of papers already published in the same periodical on the Larina 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 lias enjoyed. His examination of the types of various obscure species lias enabled him to clear up a good many points hitherto doubtful, and make an exhibit 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 Bubfamily Though 1 formerly admitted a somewhat larger Dumber, in view of my studies of our represent at i\e> of the group, than lie now recognizes, 1 freely •On the Sternine, or Terns, with Descriptions of three new Species. By Howard Saunders, F.L.S., F.Z.S. Proc. ZobL Soc, 1876, pp. Got>-U7J, PI I. XI. Recent 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 genus-warrant, the minimum number of five must be accepted. Out of more than thirty (!) 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 Anous. 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. tibetana, p. 649 (near longipennis and fluviati- lis), S. eurygnatha, p. 654. f. 1 (the Atlantic form ofelegans), 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. Want 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 Sterninoz stand as follows : 1. Hydrochelidon leucoptera (Meisn. and Schinz). SS. fissipcs and nazvia, Pall. — Hyd. leucoptera, Boie. — Viralva leucoptera, Steph. — Hyd. nigra, Gray. — S. nigra, Schleg. — Hyd. subleucoptera, C. L. Brehm. — Hyd. juvanica, Svvinhoe 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=nazvia, L. 1766 = lariformis, L. 1758, "as any one who is willing 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. — Larus merulinius, Scop. — S. surinamensis, Gm. — S. plunibea, Wils. — Hyd. nigra, Boie. — Hyd. fissipes, Gray. — Anous plumbea, Steph. — Hyd. plunibea, 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-Linnaean). — Gelochelidon nilotica, Gray. — Tha- Insscus anglicus, Boie. — Viralva anglica, Steph. — Laropis anglica, Wagler. — Gelochelidon anglica, Coues. — S. aranea, Wils. — Gelochelidon aranea, Gray. S. affinis, Horsf. (type examined, H. S.). — Gelochelidon balthica, G. mcridi- onalis, Brehm. — S. macrotarsa, Gould. — Gelochelidon macrotarsa, Gould. Since I joined aranea 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. coltimbinus, Scop. — S. fluviatilis, Naum. — 8. senegalensis, Sw. — S. vAlsoni, Bp. — SS. macrodactyla, macroptera, Bias. — S. dougalli, Layard nee auct. Probably no one thinks of separating the American bird now ; but it was otherwise then. 5. Sterna macrura, Naum. S. hirundo, L. in part. — S. paradisea, Briinn (nee auct.). — S. macrura, Naum. — <$'. arctica, Temm. — S. brachypus, Sw. — S. pikei, Lawr. [jn/kii, Bp. ]. — S. portlandica, Ridgw. The general impression seems to be that S. 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. (fide Coues). 7. Sterna dougalli, Mont. *S'. paradisea, Keys. & Bias, and authors, nee Briinn. ; macdougalli, douglasi, of some. — S. gracilis, Gould. — ? Larus polo-candor, Spamn. 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. boysii, Lath. — S. canescens, Mey. & Wolf. — »S". acuflavida, Cabot. — Thalasseus cantiacus, Boie. — Actochelidon cantiacus, Kaup. — Thalasseus canescens, Th. candicans, Brehm. — Thai, aeuflavidus, Coues. I long since relinquished my early attempt to separate aeuflavidus. 9. Sterna elegans, Gamb. Thalasseus elegans, Gamb. — Sterna comata, Phil. & Landb. — S. galcriculata, Scl. & Sal v., Coues, partly, nee Licht. I am glad to find that we may after all revert to Gambel's name, by which the speciea was long known. 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 maxima (=regta, Gamb.). 10. Sterna maxima, Bodd. S. maxima, Bodd. = P. E. 988. — 8. eayennensis, Gm. — S. cayana, Lath. — S . galericulata, Licht. (tyj xamined, H. S.). — 8. erythrorynchos, Wied, — S. crislata, Sws. (type examined, II. S.). — S. regius, Gamb. — S. bergii, Irby, nee auct. — Thalasseus cayanus, Bp. Thai, regius, Gamb. — Phcetusa Bp. - Thai, galerieulatus, Bias. - - Tlml. eayennensis, Gray. Tbia large Tern, which proves to inhabit Africa as well as the wanner parts of America, lias given much trouble. In 1872-74, I declined to follow S. & S., 1871, in identifying regia, Gamb., with Buffon's bird, con- Bidering that caspia might be in question, but I was apparently at fault Recent Literature. 143 here. Saunders makes a gratifying identification in the case of the trou- blesome galericulatn, Licht., and it is to be hoped that his examination of the type has settled that species. 11. Sterna caspia, Pall. S. tschcgrava, Lepech. — S. caspica, Sparrm. — S. megarhynchos, Meyer u. "Wolf. — > S. mclanotis, Hartl. — S. 'major, Ellman. — Thalasseus caspius, Boie. ■ — Hydroprogne caspica, Kaup. — Sylochclidon caspia, Syl. balthica, Syl. schil- lingii, Brehm. — Syl. strenuus, Gould. — Helopus caspius, "Wagl. — Thalassitcs mclanotis, Sw. (type examined, H. S.). — Syl. melanotis, Bp. 12. Sterna trudeaui, Aud. Phcetusa trudeauii, Bias. — Sterna frobccnii, Phil. & Landb. A remarkably good species, but as doubtful as ever as a North Ameri- can one. 4 13. Sterna antillarum, Less. S. argentea, Nutt. — S. frenata, Gamb. — S. superciliaris, Cab., Cones, 1872, nee V. — S. Superciliaris var. antillarum, 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. minuta 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 aneestheta, Scop. S. aneethetus (sic), Scop. — Haliplana anosthcetics (sic), Gray. — S. panay- ensis, Gm. — S. panaya, Lath. — Haliplana panayensis, "Wagl. — Onychoprion panayensis, S. & S. — Onychoprion panaya, Gould. — S. oahuensis, Bloxh. — S. "antarctica, Cuv." — S. melanoptera, Sw. (type examined, H. S.) — S. in- fuscata, Heugl. — Haliplana discolor, Coues. — ? Hydrochelidon somalensis, Heugl. 16. Sterna fuliginosa, Gm. Haliplana fuliginosa, and Onychoprion fuliginosa, "Wagl. — Planetis guttatus, Wagl. — Sterna infuscata, Licht. ! (type examined, H. S.). — Thalassipora in- fuscata, Gray. — Anous Vherminieri, Less. — S. gouldii, Reich. — S. luctuosa, Phil. & Landb. — Halip. fuliginsosa var. crissalis, Bd. 17. Anous stolidus, (L.). S. stolida, S. fuscata, L. — S. pileata, Scop. — S. senex, Leach. — S. unicolor, Nordm. — • Anous stolidus, Gray. — Mcgaloptcrus stolidus, Boie. — A. niger, A. fuscatus, 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 result- ; 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 Rio 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 under many annoyances, but intensely hot days, and numbers of centipedes, rattlesnakes, tarantulas, fleas, wroodticks, and red bugs did not prevent his securing some five hundred birds, one of which is new to science, namely, Sennett's Warbler (Paruhi nujrilora). The paper is most carefully commentated by Dr. roues, who gives detailed descriptions of the plumages, with pertinent remarks respecting the above-named Warbler, Molothrut emus (our new Cowbird, with a red eye), Myiarchus crinitus erythrocerens (which is the variety of the Great- crested Flycatcher occurring, and not cooperi or cinerascens), Ama&iHa cerviniventris (the Rufous-bellied Hummer), Glaucidium ferruginevm (both the second examples taken within our limits), and /Echmoptila atbifront (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 Dendrceca dominica albilora, which, Dr. Coues remarks, "seems 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 tvxana. The skins of Peuccea cautini are valuable as proving by their plumage that the specie- i- a good one. A specimen of the Painted Pinch or Nonpareil was -hot, which, though in * Notes on the Ornithology of the bower Rio Grande, Texas, from ohser- vstions made during the Season of 1877. By George B. Sennett. Edited, with Annotations, by Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A. Bull. I . 3, 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 oird. Mr. Sennett is confident that the Turnstone (Strepsilas interpres) breeds along the entire coast of Texas, — 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) guarauna; 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. Kidg- way's late investigations, and we again have for Ardea egretta, candidissima, and ccerulea the genera, respectively, Herodias, Garzetta, and Florida; also Hydranassa tricolor for late Ardea leucogastra var. leucophrymna ; Di- chromanassa rufa for Ardea ru/a, 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. Mayxard's Birds of Florida. — Part IV of this long-delayed and important work,* which has recently appeared, is wholly devoted to the family FringiUida; 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 (Passerculus 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 Eastern North America. By C. J. Maynard. Illustrated. 4to. Part IV, pp. 89-112, and one Plate. 0. J. Maynard & Co., Newtonville, 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. 12mo. pp. 407. Price, $2.50. 146 General Notes. some extent " revised," but enlarged by the addition of upward of fifty pages of new matter. The former accounts of the mammals, birds, and rep- tiles remain unchanged, with the exception of a few verbal changes in re- spect to nomenclature, but several pages of new matter are added in the " Addenda," in which are included fifteen species of mammals and seven of birds not contained in the former edition. The account of the fishes has been entirely rewritten ; generic diagnoses have been substituted for the "artificial keys" of the former edition ; and the latest results of this author's recent investigations of this class have been incorporated. The high praise we felt justified in bestowing upon the first edition (see this Bulletin, Vol. I, p. 93) consequently applies with a still greater force to the present one. We hope that at no distant day the author will feel justified in so far en- larging the scope of his work as to include all the Vertebrates of North America, or, at least, of that portion north of Mexico. — J. A. A. (general &att$. Capture of the Yellow-throated Warbler in Massachusetts, and Notes on other Rare Massachusetts Birds. — In the collec- tion of Mr. George E. Browne of Dedham I saw, a few days since, a Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendrceca dominica) that was shot by him on tin- banks of ( iharles 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 (Rtrflus ehgans) and the Snow Goose (Anstr 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, Newton, Mass. Capture of Two Rare Birds in the Hudson River Valley. — 1. Centurus carolinua (Linnc) 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, En September, L870. 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, 1^71',, mi the Hudson River, at Low Point, sixty-one miles from New York. — Edgar A. M earns, Highland Falls, N. Y. The Blue-grat Gnatcatcher (PoUoptila casruiea)lB 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 years' 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 {Chamazpeleia passerina) in New York. — In the month of October, 1862, while shooting Robins and Golden-winged "Wood- peckers 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. — I am informed by my valued correspondent, Dr. C. E. McChesney, U. S. A., of the occurrence of Elanoides forficatm at Fort Sisseton, Dakota, during nearly the wrhole of last winter. The Indians also informed Dr. Mc Chesney 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. G. 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 occasimi to regrel my careless mistake, since it has been the means*of eliciting an in- teresting and more full account of the occurrence of this species inabefore unknown and unusual locality. My statement that not a specimen of the Micropalama 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 tliis species as being common on the south side of Long Island (N. Y.). Hi lias 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 Boek- away for five summers, and on one occasion, when he was there, there was a flight of this species and Gambetta flaw 'pes, 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. hrimantoptu at one shot. He never saw so many together as on thai day, but all through the - scattering ones were shot. — T. M. I'.kkwkr, 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 thai he has taken the following-named species of "maritime" Ducks in the neighborhood of thai city. They were captured in the bo- called " American Bottom," on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. The record is of special Lnteresl as indicating how widely these birds wan- der beyond their supposed usual range. 1. CEdemia americana, Swain. AMERICAN BLACK. SCOTBR. "A sin- gle Immature bird, Bhol November 24, 1875." 2. CEdemia fusca, Swain. Yi.ivn SCOTBR. u Two specimens, both immature, taken November 24, 1877." General Notes. 149 3. CEdemia perspicillata, Fleming. Surf-Duck. " One specimen, immature, procured May 3, 1876. It was observed in company with ' Black Jacks' (Fuligula affi/nis)". Mr. Hurtur 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 common 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 southern species, re- sulting in a debatable or transitional narrow belt between two contiguous faunse 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 typically 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. J Several of the Carolinian birds, in certain years at least, straggle northward, especially in the valley of the Connecticut, to Massachusetts, while some are of quite regular appearance, in very small numbers, as far northward and eastward as Essex County. Yet they are too few in number and too uncertain in their occurrence to form a characteristic element of the fauna. In the opening paragraph of Mr. Bicknell's paper he refers to the limi- tation of faunse and florae as being " to a certain extent unconformable * Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol II, pp. 393, 394, April, 1871. t Amer. Nat., Vol. VII, p. 693, November, 1873. | 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 represented which do not occur at all at more northerly localities. 15«) 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 moan 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 linos are more strictly the boundary-lines for species and faunae and florae than the moan 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 hy 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- Bon, 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, (fraXapls." Now, Phalaropus, according to all rules for the compo- sition nf ( Ireek and Latin words, does not mean "coot-foot " at all, as Bris- son intended it should, but " white-patched-foot" (from phalaros, "patched with white," and pous, "foot"), which is a manifestly inapplicable name, since the Phalaropes all have black or green feet. 1'Italaridojuts (from phalaris, genitive phalaridos, "coot," and pous) would mean "coot-toot," * Amer. Journ. Sci. and Arts, 2d Ser., V 1. XLI, 1866, p. 249. t See Hull. Mas. Comp. Zool., Vol. II, 1871, p. 890. Merriam, Rev. Birds of Conn., 1877, p. 2, etc. J Oroithologie, VI, }>. 12, 1700. 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, llorhunj, Muss. Breeding of the Woodcock in Georgia. — Mr. A. T. Cunningham of Atlanta — an enthusiastic sportsman and competent 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 Bead's rice-planta- tions on the Savannah Biver about twelve miles from that city, in the swamp through which runs the trestle-work of the Charleston and Savan- nah Railroad, flushed 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, Go. (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, aiul also four chicks of another brood taken near the city on March 10, 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 by 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, Temni. — Northern Phalarope. — A single specimen, not in full plumage, was shot at the same place, and 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. 155 General Notes. [i have found Phalaropv.s hyperboreus to be of by no means rare occur- rence in Boston market, from Gape 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, Muss. 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, Eaup, the Falcinelhu ignens 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 flavo-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 Falcinelhu (" Bechstein, 1803") for the generic name, and -ignens (Gmelin, 1771) for the specific name. Reichenow, however, employs rufus (Scopoli, 1769). Salvin and Sclater have recently claimed Plegadis (Kaup, 1829) for the generic name, thereby teadermgfalcinellus (Linne, 1706) available for the specific designation. On this point these authors write as follows : "A reference to IJechstein's work shows that that author called the (Mossy Ibis Xumenius 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 Ibis." — /Ms, 4th Ser., Vol. II, January, 1878, p. 112. BULLETIN NUTTALL OENITHOLOGICAL 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 regard to its geographical range and nesting. Judging from the evidence recorded, its distribution is somewhat irregular and erratic, 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 purely 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 Prothonotary Warbler. the pleasant company of Mr. Robert Ridgway, with the delightful 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 1 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 was 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 Prothonotary "Warblers were seen. They seemed to be new arrivals, forerunners of the general migration ; shy, comparatively silent, and with that peculiar restraint of manner observable 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 bh'ds, 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 upon them by a sudden undefinablc 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 starlit, 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 Prothonotary Warbler. 155 broken, and among all the gay revellers none were more conspic uous than the beautiful Prothonotaries. Day by day their numbers rapidl}' increased, until by April 27 all had apparently arrived. We now found the Prothonotary Warbler 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 niger) grew, a few pairs were sure to be found. Among the button-bushes (Cephalanihus occidentalis) that fringed the margin of the peculiar long narrow ponds scattered at frequent intervals over the heavily timbered bottoms of the Wabash and White Rivers, 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 button-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 sevei'al hundred yards away from any water ; but such apparent ex- ceptions were in nearly every 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 Prothonotary Warbler. ito 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 near. 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, ^r<> 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 are 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 the Protlwnotary Warbler. 157 a simple peet, tweet, tweet, tweet, given on the same key throughout. Often when the 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 comparison 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, tsweet, tsweet, tsweet, or sometimes tweet, tr-siveet, ir-sweet, tr-sweet. When the bird sings within a few yards the sound is almost startling in its intensity, and the listener feels inclined to stop his eai-s. 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 Oven-Bird (Siurns auricajnllus). It is apparently uttered only while on the wing. Although so low and feeble as to be inaudible many rods away, it is very sweet, resem- bling somewhat the song of the Canary, given in an undertone, 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 frequently 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 through 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 on the Prothonotary Warbler. long, inclining, half-submerged log, peeping into every 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 land-snails in their stomachs. The nesting of the Prothonotary Warbler affords 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 tin' bird invariably nested in holes of trees or buildings. Since his discovery of the first nest in 18G3, others similarly situated have been found by Dr. rainier ami Mr. Robert Ridgway, at the Kiowa Agency, Indian Territory, and at Mount Carmel, 111. The first nest collected the pasl Beason 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 eir^s. To give an account of all the vari- ous situations in which these ne.-ts were placed, would entail a Brewster on the Prothonotary Warbler. 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 discovered 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 largely into its composi- tion, and although this substance is readily obtained, a week ia sometimes consumed in building the simple little affair. Most of the materials are gathered in the immediate vicinity from half- submerged 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 return, enters the hole to investigate the condition of affairs, pops out his golden head to assure 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 Ihe 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 .07 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 Frothonotary 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 Blender willows, while behind ami above them towered the light- green feathery crests of numerous cypresses. The low shores were Brewster on the Prothonotary Warbler. 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 [Nymphaea odoratct) or thickly studded with the delicate, star- shaped blossoms of the Cabomba caroliniana, 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 sound. 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 were 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, pter-dle, pter-dle of the Kentucky Warbler, and the emphatic song of the Hooded Flycatcher. Higher \ip among the^trees Woodpeckers rattled upon dead limbs, a Tanager sang at intervals, the Tufted Titmouse reiterated its monotonous peto, peto, and numerous Blue Warblers added their guttural little trills to the general chorus. From all along the pond edges came the Sandpiper-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 Mount Carmel. 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- notary Warblers was soon evinced by the presence of the birds on all sides in numbers that far exceeded anything which we bad 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 puiyureus), 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 lonely 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 relief against the darker mass behind. 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 bird among the upper 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 OX BIRDS OBSERVED AT MOUNT CARMEL, SOUTH- ERN ILLINOIS, IX THE SPRING OF 1878. BY ROBERT RIDGW.VY. Although the Bpring Beemed to have opened earlier than usual, the birds were, strangely enough, behindhand in their northward Ridgway 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 great dearth of transient Warblers, 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 Warblers 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 were 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 ruticilla, Oporornis fonnosus, Protonotaria citrea, Siurus auricapillus, Myiodiodes mi- tratas, Helminihophaga pinus, II. peregrina (migratory), Siurus mota- cilla, Dendroeca dominica albilora, D. cestiva, and Geotldypis trichas. Thryomanes bewicki. Bewick's Wren. — Very abundant, but confined 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 Warbler. — Very abundant in old clearings 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 i3 easily recognized from its peculiar modulation. Oporornis formosus. Kentucky "Warbler. — One of the most abundant of the smaller birds, far exceeding even the Golden-crowned Thrush in numbers. In its genenal habits and manners it is much like tin- litter 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. Myiodiocte3 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. ivalteri). 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 Cotyle 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) as 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 Bong far liner. Pooecetes gramineus. Grass Finch. — Breeds, but is rather uncom- mon. Chondestes grammaca. Lark Finch. — Common summer resi- dent, partial to roadsides ami fallow fields. Peucaea aestivalis. Ba.CE man's Finch. — Extremely local, and quite raie. ( lonfined to old fields where dead trees are left standing. Euspiza americana. Black-throated Bunting. — Probably the most abundant of the Fringillida, every meadow and grain-field being inhabited by a number of pairs. Must partial to clover-fields. Known usually as the M Little Field Lark," but, on account of its peculiar songfl, sometimes a< the " Dick-cissel." Pipilo erythrophthalmua. ToWHEE J CHEWINK. • — Abundant. Specimens obtained are absolutely typical of the Bpecies, none showing the Least approach to /'. areticus. Sturnella magna. MkadowLark. — Very abundant. The Larks of this district do not tend in any of their characters toward 8. neglecta. Ridgway on Birds observed at Mount Carmel. 165 Eremophila alpestris. Horxed Lark. — Abundant in suitable local- ities. Found mostly on commons and about fallow fields. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — One of tbe most numerous and generally distributed of all birds ; also probably tbe least wary. As an evidence of these facts, it may be mentioned that the writer killed live 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 (Chordeiles popetue) 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 C. erythrophthalmus in the proportion of about ten to one. Eggs of both species were found in the same nest ! Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-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 mutter. 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 on the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. have been not less than one hundred and fifty feet. Fonr 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 "Waslilmrne 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 FLAVIVEXTRIS). BY II. 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 (Empidonax 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 flaviventrit is pure white, unmarked, and not distinguishable from that of A', mini- mus" But he writes me, "I know nothing of the nest and eggs of E. flaviventrU, but what 1 have read." In "Ornithology of the Clarence King Survey" (Vol IV, p. 544) Mr. Etidgway, in a foot-note to the Western Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (A', dijfficilis), remarks : "It is with little hesitation that we consider this bird as distinct spe- cifically from E. fiaviventris. Nut only ate there very conspicuous and constant differences in proportions and colors (especially the Purdie on the Yellow-bellied Fit/catcher. 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. flaviventris, 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. Ruthven 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 Robert R. 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. We 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. 1G8 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 E. difficilis 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. difficilii 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 eiTor 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 seta of eggs accredited to E. 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. diffwilis 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 BROWX. 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, ami nowhere attains sufficient density to produce a regular village. The country is rather flat, occasionally rolling slightly, and in its uncultivated portions is mostly covered with a dense growth of pines of various Bpeoies. 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. 169 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 weeks of my stay. It has not been prepai'ed 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 Cyanospiza ciris, Helmitherus vermivoriis, Helmin- thophaga pinus, etc., is, therefore, to some extent a matter of doubt. 1. Turdus migratorius, L. Robin. — An abundant winter visitor, becoming uncommon towards the middle 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 hirds 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 April 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 aing. 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 hist 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 caerulea, (L.) Scl. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. — Ar- rived March 25, and soon became very common. They seemed to affect no particular 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 occurrence 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 1 had been led to expect, they generally proved very Bhy indeed. More than once they completely baffled 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 bo of the familiar chick-a-dee-dee, which was in- variably uttered by the Southern bird as loudly and emphatically as I •. er beard it at the North. 1 failed to find a nest, although the birds appeared to be engaged in building about the see >nd week in April. Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 171 13. Sitta carolinensis, (Gm.) Lath. White-bellied Nuthatch. — Rather uncommon during the winter, ami 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. Brown-headed Nuthatch. — An abun- dant resident. In the winter, when they were particularly numerous, they associated in hands of from six 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 Nuthatch is remarkably like the Goldfinch's meditative be'yr- be'h, — 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 neste 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. Thev 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 ludovicianus, (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 frequently as after mating. 17. Thryothorus bewicki, (Aud.) Bp. Bewick's Wren. — Only two specimens taken : one by myself, February 7, amongst the ddbris of 172 BBOWN on Birds observed at Coosad", Alabama. fallen trees, in a partially cleared field ; one by Mr. J. EL Bond, February L6,by the roadside, in piny woods ; both silent, and much less active than the preceding species. 18. Anorthura troglodytes var. hyemalis, (Vieill.) Coues. Winter Ween. — 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 alter about February 20. 19. Cistothorus stellaris, (Licht.) Cab. SHORT-BILLED Marsh Ween. — I captured a Bingle pair in an old rice-field, March 21. 20. Anthus ludovicianus, (Gin.) Lieht. 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 arrival. 22. Parula americana, (L.) Bp. Blue Yellow-backed Warbler. — — Haifa dnxt/ii shy individuals met with, the first on March 25. 23. Protonotaria 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-wiss', eh-wiss', eh-wiss1, eh-wi&s1, eh-wi&s1, eh-wistf, eh-wis8'. A female dissected April 23 contained eggs almost ready for deposition ; no nests, however, were found. 2 1. Helmitherus swainsoni, (And.) lip. Swainson's Warbler. — On April 12, while forcing my way through the dark, rank forest winch boul 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, 1 awaited its repetition. The woods immediately about me were ipiite dry and comparatively deserted by birds, hut along the neighboring creek many Vireos, Thrushes, and Swamp- Warblers were producing such a babel of sounds that I feared the voice of my unknown songster might escape me. After the lapse of a few minutes, however, a bird emerged from a thicket within a tew yards of me, where he had been industriously scratching amongst the fallen have-, flew into a small sapling, and gave utterance to a Loud, ringing, and very beautiful song. Seen in the dim Lighl of the wood-, he bore a decided resemblance to the Louisiana Water Thrush, and his Bong might almost bave passed for an exceptional per- formance by that bird ; hut 1 at once BUSpected his true identity, and in a few seconds held in my hand the Lifeless body of a male Swainson'8 Warbler. During the succeeding nine days I repeatedly and most carefully searched this tract of woods and other Localities apparently equally favor- Beown o?! Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 173 aide, without detecting additional specimens. Finally, April 22, while ex- ploring a slough near the union of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivt rs, 1 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. Oraxge-crowxed 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. Dendrceca sestiva, (Gm.) Bd. Yellow Warbler. — Arrived April 26, in song. But few seen. 27. Dendrceca caerulescens, (L.) Bd. Black-throated Blue War- bler. — A single male found singing in thick, swampy woods, April 26. 28. Dendrceca coronata, (L.) Gr. Yellow-rumped Warbler. — Very numerous up to about the middle of April. 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. Dendrceca 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- appeared, and for nearly three weeks none were to be found. During the wreek before my departure I met with two or three solitary males. I saw no females. Although generally frequenting the dry pine woods, this bird occasionally visits swampy growths of deciduous trees. 31. Dendrceca 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 variety paknairwm. On April 13 the males began their simple song, and thereafter both sexes were more uniformly and abundantly distributed. 32. Dendrceca pinus, (Wils.) Bd. Pixe-creepixg 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 part of 174 Brown on Birds observed at 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 Bpent at Coosada the Pine Warblers were uninterruptedly tuneful. No other winter birds sang so continuously ; oven 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 iters. 33. Siurus motacilla, (Yieill.) Coues. Large-billed Water Thrush. — Abundant after March 13, in swampy localities. 34. Oporornis formosus, (Wils.)Bd. Kentucky Wabbler. — 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. Geothlypia trichas, (L.) Cab. Maryland Yellow-throat. — < In I'l unary 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. Myiodioctes mitratus, (Gm.) And. Hooded Warbler. — Rather the most numerous summer resident of this family. Tin- males arrived March 28 ; the females, about two weeks later. A female taken April 22 was nil the point of laying. 38. Setophaga ruticilla, (L.) Sw. Bedstart. — First Been April 19. Not very common. No females observed. 1 39. Pyranga rubra, (L.) Yieill. Scarlet Tanaoer. — But one speci- men observed : b female, in swampy woods, April -I'y. 40. Pyranga aestiva, (L.) Yieill. StJMMEB EtEDBTRD. — First speci- men lmted March 31 ; became common April 8. Apparently not breed- ing at the time of my departure. Found almost exclusively in pine (To be continued.) Brewster's Descriptions of First Plumage?. 175 DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FIEST PLUMAGE IN VARIOUS SPE- CIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. IV.* 78. Agelaeus 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 eye, 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 Cambridge, 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 part.s 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 plumage (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 afforded by a fine adult male in my cabinet, which has a broad * For Parts I, II, and III, see this volume, pp. 15-23, 56-64, 115-123. 176 Brewster's Descriptions 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 l>ut less conspicuous mark. It pn_>l>ahly 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.phceniceus 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 the 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 feathers. In each specimen a worn central pair of rectrices projects about three inches beyond the others, which are of a uniform length, and evidently jusl 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, fife., June -2, 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 leathers of the uape. No con- cealed red on the crown. Wing-bands yellowish-white. Breasl Boiled white, with a band of ashy-white across the breast From a specimen in my collection shut at Opton, Me., July 24, 1872. 83. Sayornis fuscus. I plumage: female. Crown and nape dark sooty-brown. Rest of ill 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 white, 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 Eye 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-defined 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 young in autumnal plumage differ from adults in having the wingjbands 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. Empidonax 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., Julv 21, 1874. 178 BREWSTER'S Descriptions of the First Plumage 88. Empidonax minimus. First plumage: male. Similar to the adult, but with a Btronger 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 Blightly stronger yellowish cast upon the abdomen and crissum. Distinguishable from E. trailli and E. ocadicus in corresponding by the decidedly paler and less yellowish under part- ; especially by the nearly clear ashy on the sides of the breast. Prom a specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, Mass., July 2, 1872. I >ther specimens in fir-t plumage before me differ little from the one above described, but autumnal specimens, singularly enough, are much yellower below and more olivaceous above. 89. Empidonax flaviventris. First plumage : male. Above uniform yellowish-olive. Beneath dull yellow, with a brownish cast, tinged strongly with olive upon tin- 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 subterminal 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 Tetraonida 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 jofi whitish down which must have constituted its entire covering at an earlier period. 91. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. First plumage: female. Above lustrous plumbeous-ashy, feathers upon the crown, nape, and anterior pari of the hark, narrowly tipped with pale ashy ; those of the interscapular region and rump, together with the scap- ular- 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, Blightly tinged with pile brownish-yellow on the throal and breast. From a specimen in my collection shot in Lincoln, Mass., June 17. L87L Autumnal specimens (probably only the young birds) differ from spring adults in having the naked skin around tin- eye yellow instead of red. in Various Species of North American Birch. 179 92. Picus villosus.* First plumage: male. Forehead Bpotted thickly with white; crown dull ■scarlet, each feather subterminally spotted with white ; nuchal crescent entirely wanting. 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) differs 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. Picus villosus harrisi. First plumage : male. Differs 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 plumage : 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 very 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 Xoitli American species examined, and it may probably he found to hold good among all excepting, perhaps, 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 Colaptes auratus, Picus 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 Blightly spotted with white; croum- patch scarl t, exactly as in the male. Nape unspotted. Beneath brownish- white, haired obscurely upon the Hanks and spotted continuously across the breast with 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, hut no scarlet. Still a third, in the collection of Mr. C. J. May- nard, has the crown irregularly patched with scarlet feathers. The sex of all these specimens was determined by the most careful dissection. 95. Picoides arcticus. First phi/mage : male. Similar to the adult, hut 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., duly 31, 1874. Unfortunately no females in strictly first plumage arc available for comparison. A moulting Bpecimen, 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 •">. still retains several similar feathers. There can be little doubt hut that among a good series df young females in hist 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 eve 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 In-low tie throat-patch, mottled with dusky. Central line of abdomen greenish-yellow ; rest of under part- dull greenish and olive, barred ev< ry- where with dusky or dull black Prom a Bpecimen in my collection Bhot at dpton, 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 Bpotted with brownish-white. First plumage: female. Crown very pale greenish-buff, each feather narrowly tipped with brown ; feathers of interscapular region dusky, with in Various Species of North American Birds. 181 transverse bands of yellowish-white ; rest of upper 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 Upton, Me., August 6, 1873. The first plumage of this species is worn for a longer period than that of any other bird with which I am acquainted Some specimens taken as late as October and November seem not to have fully perfected their first 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 writers 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 upon 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 plumage : female. Crown dull ashy, each feather tipped broadly with plumbeous ; nape with a narrow, inconspicuous collar of pale dull brick-red. Eest of upper parts marked as in the adult, with, however, a brownish tinge in the transverse white bands. Abdomen dull saffron ; 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 plumage : 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 arc 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. ISUcent 21 iterating Elliot's Review of the Ibidi>\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 Ibididce. After a short resume ol' 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 Bhorf account of their habits and geographical distribution. The genus Ibis La very properly re- stricted to embrace only the Sacred fhifl of the Egyptians and a U-\v other allied species. Falcinellus is employed as the generic designation for the Glossy this and its allies. Of this group four Bpecies are recognized, three of which (F. guarauna, F. ridgwayi, and F. thalassinus) are exclu- sively American, the other (F. in.<) being " cosmopolitan," and repre- sented with us by the " Ibis ordii" of Bonaparte and most American writers. The generic name Ibis being untenable for any of the New World Bpecies, 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 Berodiones. — The first t of the series of papers here begun deals mainly with the Ardeida and Cico- * Review of the Ibidinse, or Subfamily of'the Ibises. By D. <;. Elliot, F. R. S. iv, !•'. L 8., etc. etc Proc. ZooL Soc. London, 1877, pp. 477-510, PL LI. + Studies of the American Berodiones. Part 1. Synopsis of the American genera of Ardeida and Ciconiidce; including descriptions of three new genera, and a monograph of the American species of the genus Ardea. By Robert Ridgway. Hull. I'. S. GeoL and Geogr. Survey, VoL IV. pp. 219-251, February 5, is; Recent Literature. 183 niidce. Five families of American Herodiones are recognized, namely, Cancromidcr, Ardeidce, Ciconiidcr, Ibididoe, 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 genns Ardea. These are four in number, Ardea occidentalis, A. herodias, A. cinerea ("accidental in Greenland''), and A. cocoi (South American). Of these four species detailed descriptions of the different phases of plumage are given, with copious tables of bibliographical ref- erences. The .4. wiirdemanni 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. " vnirdemanni." 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 (' wiir- 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 which two are new. Among the North American we have Herodias, Garzetta, Florida, and Butorid.es 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 Syrigma (= Buphus, Bon. 1855, nee Boie, 1826), with the South American Ardea sihillatrix as type. The Ciconiidce (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 stiffened, so as to resemble rectrices, the tail proper being short and deeply forked. — J. A. A. Reichenow's Review of the Herons and their Allies. — Dr. ReichenoVs order, " Streitvo'gel," or " Gressores," * embraces the ordinary * Systematische Uebersicht der Schreitvogel (Gressores), einer natiirlichen, die Ibidae, Ciconiidce, Pheenicopteridce, Scopidm, Balcenicipidcc, und Ardeidce umfas- senden Ordninig. Yon Dr. Ant. Reichenow, Assistant am kgl. zoolog Museum in Berlin. Journal fur Ornithologie, XXV Jahrgaug, pp. 113-171, 225-278, pll. I, II. April and July, 1877. 184 Recent Literature. lb rodiones of authors, with the addition of the; Flamingoes (PhcenicopU ri- 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, PlataUa ajaja becomes P. rosea; Ciconia maguari becomes G. dicrura, Reichenow ; Ardea herodias becomes A. lessoni, etc. ; the generic name (subgeneric in Reichenow's system) Grosarchius is replaced by Butio, Reichenow, Zehrilus by Microcnus, Reichenow, Agamia by Doryphorut, Reichenow (a name essentially preoccupied in entomology by Doryphora), Garzetta and Egretta by Erodius, etc., the earlier names being in each case supplanted because " barbarous." The specific names major , fuscus, jinrj'a- 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 Bynonyms. Under the head of each family are general remarks upon the number of species, their distribution and habits. Tin' whole number of species recognized i- one hundred and twenty-three, with, in addition, quite a number of " sub- species" and "varieties." These are arranged in six families (" Ibidte," twenty-seven species; Cit'oniidn; nineteen species; Pfamicopteridas, five species ; Scopidce and Balamicipidce, each one species; Ardeida, sixty- seven species), fourteen genera, and twenty-two subgenera, In respecl to the matter of genera, l>r. Reichenow displays extreme con- servatism, his genera having in mosl Instances a value mosl writer- regard as supergeneric. His subgenera even are more comprehensive than are the genera of the ultra-divisionists, but in the main are Buch groups as we Bhould consider as properly constituted genera. The contrast in respecl 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. ] 85 hand and 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 work 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 without any recorded evidence of their right to be there. It moreover in- cludes two or three forms that some do not 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^e. — 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, Larus canus and L. affinis, of purely accidental occurrence. It is not a little remarkable 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. hi. 13 186 Recent Literature. bohm and Harvie Brown now show that its true habitat, in the breeding Beason, 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 Bhodostethia. To PagopMla he assigns but a single species, regarding brachytarsvs as only a synonym ; to Bissa two, treating kotzebui as only a form of tridactyla; to Larus forty-three species; to Xema two, sabiuii and furcatum ; and to Bhodostethia one. Although the absence of a hind toe has been regarded as the principal characteri the genus Bissa, 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- terns of Kittlitz and with chalcopterus of Lawrence. Its relationship to glaucus is shown by its changes of plumage to he closer than to "/•;/< ntatus. Larus occidentalis is regarded as "a very recognizable form and fulby deserving of consideration as a species," L. affirm 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 /'. eburnea." This species incurs on the Japan coast, crossing the North Pacific, corresponds with the nim u« of Pallas, and there is little doubl of its identity. The figure given by 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 tin- species cannot be the L. anjnitatnidfs of Bonaparte's "Synopsis," for thai is Spoken of as "common near New Fork and Philadelphia," and as occurring f* on the southern coasts of England," while the description and measurements suit delaimrcnsis. Neither can L. argentatoides of Richardson be identical with L. californicus, for reasons equally conclusive. Larus delawarensis is held to be the argentatoides of Bonaparte (net Brehm). An immature specimen of this bird is recorded as from Ilako- dadi, Japan. Larus brachyrhynchus, synonymous with suckUyi and septentrional'*, 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 of La/rus franklini are given cucullatus of Bruch, Lawrence, and Coues, kittlitzii and schim-peri, 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. Ehodostethia rosea, the rarest of this family, is known by some thirteen examples. With two, perhaps 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, in latitude 8° south. The example Avas in the adult plumage. Mr. Saunders's paper evinces a remarkable success in disentangling the complicated web 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 syuonymy of leucop- terus, argentatus, cachinnans, — which at last takes its place as a good species, a synonym not of argentatus, but of leucoplmus and michahellesii, — affinis, ridibundus, and icthyaetus. A more complicated tangle than these six species presented, thanks to such splitters as Boie, Brehm, 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. General #!trte& The Nesting of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax fla- rxr, ntris). — 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 l>erries. The eggs, four in number, are white, with a very delicate creamy tint, which differs in its intensity in the different specimens, and are spotted, mostly at the larger end, with a few clots 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, X. Y. The Blue-winged Yellow Warbler (Helminthophaga pinus) in 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 by 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 Roxbury, 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. — Rlthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass. The Skua Gull (Stercorarius catarractes) on the Coast of 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 inquiry 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 onlj North America proper, but also of New England and Massachusetts. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. Rufous-headed Sparrow (Peuca-a ruficepe) in Texas. — On April -24, L878, Mr. George II. Ragsdale, of Gainesville, Texas, shot a male and female of this species in Gilliespie County, Texas, about one hundred miles west of Austin. The Bpecies was firsl described from specimens taken in California. In 1873 it w;is found in Arizona by Mr. If. W. Henshaw, and also at Fort Bayard, N. M. He speaks of finding il mnner- * l'roc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. VI, p. 3Sli. General Notes. 189 our south of Camp Grant in Arizona, and says that in its notes and habits it bears a close resemblance to the Song 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. Eagsdale. — 7, lines -1 and :?), and since then its presence has been noted every Beason when search has been made. In order to verity its presence in this its favorite Locality, this summer I made a successful exploration, June 30, in company with my nephew, Willard S. Brewer. We found pair, with young, which the female was busily engaged iii feeding with -mill grasshoppers, while the male was intent upon his tpiainl serenade mi a near heap of stones. They Were quite tame and unsus- picious, and permitted a very close approach. We .-aw two other males, General Notes. 191 evidently in the neighborhood of their respective families, but the heat compelled us to desist from further investigations. In the same locality we found Spizella pusilla, Pocecetes gramineus, and Melospiza melodia, 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 prove 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, Washington, D. G. The Kentucky "Warbler (Oporornis formosus) 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 * Meinoire sur une nouvelle niethode de preparer et de rendre durables les collections d'ceufs destines aux cabinets d'histoire naturelle ; par M. F. P. Danger. Annalcs des Sciences Naturellcs, l"e ser. V, 1828, pp. 338 - 348, pi. 10. t Am. Nat., Vol. IX, No. 10, October, 1875, p. 573. 192 General Notes. originally must have been much 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, under which there is little undergrowth, and the rays of tin- -in hardly penetrate their thick foliage, making a cool and shady retreat. Here, this spring 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. George 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 foui 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, ami. a- 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 thai you will overlook the seeming presumption if the tact is one well known." Al- though there is, I think, no record of the presence in the breeding mjm.h of the Snow-Bird on Mount Wachusett, it is well known to occur there at, that season, where it has hern met with by Mr. Brewster ami 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, Maw. An Albino Anna Hammin<;-Bird. — 1 had sent to me, July l<», 1878 a tine Bpecimen of an albino Hummer of the species t'uhjjtfr miiia. 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 ; hack ami tail with a pale creamy tint ; three longest leathers in upper tail-coverts pale cinnamon ; lull ami feel flesh-color ; eyes pinkish ; primaries and mvi.h- 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., Cal. Wilson's Thrush, with Spotted Egos and nesting on a Tree. — In a collection of nests and eggs received from Vermont this season was tin- 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 Lynn 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 quite 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 Kandolph, Vt. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. The Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium califomicum). — 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 my gun and went to see what was the matter. On approaching the spot, out flew a lot of birds of different species, and among them a G. califomicum, which, after much trouble, I shot as it was 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 (Chavuea fasciata), one pair of Pipilo oregonus, one pair of P. crissalis, and about twenty Blackbirds (Scolecophagus 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 off. — C. A. Allen, Nicasio, Cal. The Carolina Wren in Massachusetts. — My friend, Mr. Geo. O. Welch, secured a fine specimen of the Thryothorus 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 Ivdovicianua) 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- Bummer would seem, of itself, so improbable as to require confirmation. The example now referred to as taken on our coast was shut by Mr. Win. A. Jeffries, on a small island off the shore, at Swampseott, 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 supposition probable. The occurrence of this species on our coast, in the height of the breeding Beason, while it does not necessarily confirm that of Mr. Gilbert of Penn Van (see Bull., Ill, p. 35), goes a good way to establish it- eccentric and no- madic habits, and prepare us to accept as possible, irregularities that would be improbable in almost any other species. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mom, Nbsta and Eggs of Helminthophaga pinus. — Mr. S. X. Roads, of West Chester, Pa., writes respecting two nests of this bird, the imbrica- 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 tin- male fly to it with a worm in his bill. It was built in the midst of a clump of tall swamp- grass, on the outskirts of a forest where there was a good dial of weedy undergrowth not over two feet high. The nest rested Blightly on the ground, and was ignite 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 tine 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 cprarter of a mile from the same spot. These were pure white, dotted with red at the greater end, and were of just the Bize of those of Chrysomitris tristis, but less pointed. He also examined another set of eggs procured by a friend in the same vicinity. — Elliott Cuius, Washington, D. C. The Winter Wren rreeding in Southern New York. Six miles south of Ithaca, X. V., and leading eastward from Enfield fall- into the Cayuga Valley, La 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 anil, with the stream running below them, to secure for the glen a tem- perature and humidity 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. hyemalis) 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 which 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 was obtained there. — F. H. King, Ithaca, X. Y. The Sooty Tern in Xew 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, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, since September, 1876. 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 {Brev;ster, Amer. Sportsman, V, 1875, 370 ; Brewer, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVII, 1875, 449). — J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Muss. 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. * Merriam'a 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-belijed Nuthatch. — Having been observing tbe 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-brown 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 lasl 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 ; but while this is sometimes the case, they are ol'teiier 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, a- ihe W Lpecker lays directly upon tine chips, without any nest, and the Tit- mouse makes a nice nest of fur and Feathers, ami neither place any pitch round the holes, while the Nuthatch makes its not of short tin.- grass and protects with pitch outside the hole. — Manly Harpy. Brewer, .!/•. General Notes. 197 Tragic Fate of a Summer Warbler. — A pair of Dendmca (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. G.) Eggs of the Solitary Sandpiper (Rhyacophilus 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 {JEgialitis 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 was 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 Totanus 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 JEgialilis melodus. Over this are scat- tered small rounded markings 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 pyxiform. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. Lincoln's Finch (Mdospim 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 few minutes she came back to her treasures and was sacrificed to science. The nest was placed on the ground, where it was almost Bpongy 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 Borne last year's tail 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 with 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 much 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 I laird, 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 americantut) in Massa- chusetts.— During a recent visit to Nantucket I hail the pleasure of examining a fine specimen of the Whistling or American Swan in the possession of Mr. U.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 Qeese. The latter were all killed in the course of a few days, but the Swan, though repeatedly Bred 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 Earbor, between which points it appeared to confine its wanderings. The winter was a rery mild one on the island, and it accordingly had little difficulty in obtaining food. It General Notes. 199 was finally shot, March 4, 1878, on Coskata 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 wash upon the top and sides of the head, and for a short space on the neck behind. Its weight 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 Kiver and in sume 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 Suffield, Conn., July 3, 1875. It is an adult male in very worn plumage. In every essential particular it agrees well with my type of the species, though exhibiting certain peculi- arities of coloration not found in any 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 departure 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 superficial 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 season. Several young males in newdy 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 td 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 Mr. Shores's specimen they are widely separated. This, however, seems to be mainly due to the imperfect condition 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- ccmus) 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 Picoides 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 huh*, 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 friend'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.- mm., 23.6 X 17.^ 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 tlie eastern border of Lewis County, in the Adirondack region, where it is a resident species ; and even here it is much less common than it- congener, tlie Black-backed Woodpecker. — C Hart Merriam, Locust GroiX, L>ois Co.,X. V. INDEX. Accipiter cooperi, 41. jEchmoptila albifrons, 144. jEgialitis hiaticula, 51, 86. " meloda var. circumcincta, 94. " wilsonia, 139. Agelaeus phcenieeus, 175. " tricolor, 137. Alca bruennichi, 86. Aldrich, Charles, Red-headed Wood- pecker eating grasshoppers, 189. Allen, C. A., an albino Anna Hum- ming-bird, 192; the Pygmy Owl (Gluucidium californicum) , 193. Allen, J. A. , an inadequate " Theory of Birds' Nests," 23; note on Pipilo erythrophthalmus with spotted scapu- lars, 42 ; note on the Fish Crow, 47 ; the Lark Bunting (Calamospiza bi- color) in Massachusetts, 48 ; late capture of the Yellow-bellied Fly- catcher in Massachusetts, 102 ; per- sistency in- nest-building by a pair of cit}r 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 rnjiceps) in Texas, 188 ; early nesting of the Shore Lark (Eremophila alpestris) near Indian- apolis, Ind., 189; the Snow-Bird in summer on Mount Wachusett, 192 ; Sabine's Gull in Maine, 195. Amazilia cerviniventris, 144. Ammodromus bairdi, 2. " caudacutus, 48, 98, 119, 147. " maritinius, 43, 119. Ampelis cedrorum, 64, 70. " garrulus, 46. Anhinga, 101. Anorthura troglodytes var. hyemalis, 53, 172, 194. Anous fuscatus, 143. " riierminieri, 143. " niger, 143. " plumhea, 141. " rousseaui, 143. " spadiceus, 143. " stolidus, 143. " var. frater, 143. Anser hyperboreus, 146. Anthus ludovicianus, 35, 172, 194. Antrostomus carolinensis, 165. Aquila ehrysae'tus, 100. Ardea canulea, 145. " candidissima, 145. " cinereus, 183. " cocoi, 183. " egretta, 145. " herodias, 53, 183, 184. " lessoni, 184. " leucogastra var. leucophrvmna, 145. " occidentalis, 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 (Melospiza Hncolni) breeding in Ham- ilton County, N. Y., 197. Bailey, H. B., some new traits in the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erytlimcephalus), 97. Barrows, S. J., notice of his Catalogue of the Alcida?, 86. Batchelder, Charles F., spurious prima- ries in the Red-eyed Vireo, 97. Belding, L., nesting-habits of Partis montanus, 102. Bendire, Charles, breeding habits of Geoccyx californiamis, 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 Zono- tric/tia coronata, 42 ; the Seaside Finch [Ammodromus maritimus) in Eastern Massachusetts, 48 ; changes in our North American Fauna, 49 ; notes on Junoo canieeps and the close- ly allied forms, 72 ; note on eggs of Afyiurchtts erythrocercus, 100 ; the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila ccerulea in Massachusetts, 146 ; Apol- ogetic, 147; theStiltSandpiperfi/jcro- 202 Index. palama himantopus), 148 ; interesting; captures, 151 ; two more birds new to the Fauna of North America, 152 : notice of his Supplement tq hi> Cat- alogue of Nc« England Birds, 185; the Skua Gull [Stercorarius catar- ractes) off the coast of Massachusetts, 188 ; Bong of Hepburn's Finch (Leu- costicte littoralis), 189 ; the Black- throated Bunting (Euspizaamericcma), 190 : Wilson's Thrush, with spotted eggs and nesting in trees, l'.»3; the Carolina Wren in Massachusetts, 193 ; the Titlark. [Anthus ludovici- anu8) in Massachusetts in June, 193; the White-crowned Sparrow breeding in Vermont, 195; eggs of the Soli- tary Sandpiper [Bnyacophilus suli- tarius), 197. Brewster, William, note on nest and - of Carpodacus purpureas var. cutifornicus, 10; descriptions of the first plumage in various species of North American birds, 15, 50, 115, 175 : occurrenceofa second specimen ofSwainson's Buzzard (Buleo swain- soni) in Massachusetts, 39 ; breeding of the Hooded Merganser [Mergw cucullatus) in Florida, 40; note on Dendrceca daminica, 43; the White- throated Warbler [Helminthophaga leucobronchialis) in Connecticut, 99; nesting nf the Large-billed Water Thrush (Siurus motacilla), 133; note mi the breeding of the Woodcock in ( reorgia and Florida, 151 ; note on the occurrence of Phalaropus hyperbo- reus in Massachusetts, 152; the Pro- thonotary Warbler [Protonotaria <■'<- trea), 153; the Short-tailed Tern (Hy- drochelidon fissipes) in Massachusetts, 190; capture of the Whistling Swan ( ' ygnus americanus) in Massachusetts, 198 ; capture of a fifth specimen of the White-throated Warbler ( Helmin- thophaga leucobronchialis), 199. Brown, J. A. Harvie, notice of his pa- pers "ii the distribution of birds in North European Russia, p Brown, Nathan Clifford, the Shaip- tailed Finch in Maine, 98 ; the Stilt Sandpiper at Portland, Me., 102; a lis) of birds observed at Coosada, Central Alabama, H Bunting, Baird's, l . B! ick-throated, -15, 164, 190. ! Painted I. ark, '.12. Bureau, Louis, abstract of his paper, " De la Mne «iii Bee et des < (rne- ments Palpe'braux du Macareux aic- tique," e0 1 Buteo Bwainsoni, 39. Buzzard, Swainson's, 39. ( ' LLAHO8FIZA bicolor, 48. Calidris arenaria, 86. Calypte anna, 192. Cardinalis virginianue, 131. Carpodacus cassini, 66. purpureus, 116. " californicus, 8. Catbird, 18, 76, 169. Catharistes atratus, 166. Catherpes mexicanns /3 conspersus, 65 < 'i'lar-hird, 70. Centronyx bairdi, 2, 3. " ochrocephalus, 1, 2. Centurus carol in os, 146, 180. Ceratorhina monocerata, 87. " suckleyi, 8'J. Certhia familiaris, 171. Ceryle alcyon, 92. Chamaepeleia passerina, 147. Chat, iellow-breasted, 174. Chaulelasmus couesi, 81. Chewink, see Tow hee. Chickadee, see Titmouse, Chicken, California Prairie, 06. [164. Chondestes grammaca, 43, 44, 66, 121, Chordeiles virginianus, 178. Chrysomitris lawrencei, 66. pinus, 66, 1 17. tristis, 66, 117. Chuck-will's-widow, 165. Ciconia dicrura, 1 >4. " maguari, 18 i. Cinclus mexicanns, 65. Cistothorus stellaris, 22, 17-2. ( 'oeew.u- americanus, in.'). " er\ throphthalmns, 178. ( !olaptes auratus, 67, 181. " ■) hybridus, 67. " " (8 mexicanns, 67, Collin-, W, I... tragic late of a Summer Warbler, 197. Colhu-io Ludovicianus, 66, 174. " ludovicianus var. excubitoroi- des, 53, 55 Colymbus septentrionalis, 86, 146. torquatus, 53. Contopus borealis, 53, 177. " richardsoni, 67. " \ irens, 1 77. Cooper, William A., note- on tin- breed- ing habits oi Carpodacus purpureus var. californicus, with a description of it> nest ami eggs, 8; on the breeding habits ol Hutton's Vireo [Vireo hut- toni) and the Graj Titmouse [Lopho- phanes inornatus), with description ol their nest and 1 Coriphilus kuhli, 81. Cor\ 11- americanus, 71, U4. corax, 53, >so. Index. 203 Corvus ossifragus, 45, 47, 181. Cory, Charles B., the Glossy Ibis in Massachasetts, 152. Coturniculus henslowi, 39, 118. " passerinus, 118. Cotyle riparia, 64, 104. Cones, Elliott, note on Pasxerculusbairdi and P. princeps, 1 ; the Northern Phalarope in North Carolina, 40; the Willow Grouse in New York. 4! ; Pipilo erythrophthalmus with spotted scapulars. 41 : melanism in Turdus miyratorius, 47 ; on the moult of the bill and palpebral ornaments of Fra- tercula arctica, 87 ; habits ofthe King- fisher (Cerjle alcgon), 92; nest and eggs of S&asphorus plah/cercus, 95 ; nesting of Vireo olivacetis, 95; mean- ing of the word " Anhinga," 101 ; the Eave, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow (Petrochflidon lumjrons), 105; Swal- low-tailed Kite in Dakota in winter, 147; a hint to egg-collectors, 191; nest, and eggs of Helmintkophaga pinus, 1H4. 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, Cotnrnictdus henslowi in New Hampshire, 39 ; the Blue- gray Gnatcatcher (Poliopti/a ccertdea) in Massachusetts, 45 ; deadly combat between an albino Robin and a mole, 104; the Blue-winged Fellow Warbler [Helmintkophaga pinus) in Massachusetts, 188; the Sooty Tern in New Hampshire, 195. Dendrocygna fulva, 138. Dendroeea aestiva, 173, 197. " blackburniae, 53, 58, 93. " cserulea, 46. " cserulescens, 53, 57, 173. " castanea, 58. " coronata, 53, 58, 65, 76, 173. " discolor, 59, 17.5. " deminiea, 43, 146, 17.3. " " albilora, 144, 163. " maculosa, 53, 59. " occidentals, 65. " palmarum, 173. " " var. hypochrysea, 17.3. pennsylvanica, 59, 71. " pinus, 173. " striata, 105, 138. Dendroeea virens, 57. Dichromanassa rufa, 145. Diver, Red-throated, 145. Dove, Ground, 146. Duck, Pied, 79. " Snrf, 149. Eagle, C. EL, the Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) on Lon<; Island, 47; cap- ture of JEgialitis meloda var. circum- cinrtu on Long Island, 94. Eagle, Golden, 100. Elanoides forficatus, 147. Elliot, D G., notice of bis " Review of the IbtdiruB, or Ibises," 182. Emberiza bairdi, 2. " leucophrys, 105. Empidonax acadicus, 131, 177. [187. rlaviventris, 101, 165, 178, ditricilis, 137, 16G, 168. " hammondi, C6. " minimus, 178. " obscurus, 66. " pusillus, 66, 137. " trailli, 177, 188. Eremophila alpestris, 40, 53, 54, 165. Euspiza americana, 45, 122, 164, 190. Falcixellus guarauna, 145, 183. " igneus, 183. " ridgwayi, 133. " thalassina, 183. Falco candicans, 86. " communis anatum, 32. " " najvius, 165. " polyagrus, 112. " spadiceus, 105. Fauna, Carolinian, 128, 149. Feilden, II. W., notice of bis List of the Birds of Smith's Sound, etc., 86. Finch, Bachmau's, 164. " California Purple, 8, 10. Grass, 164. " Hepburn's, 189. " Lark, 43, 44, 164. " Lincoln's, 177. " Seaside, 4^. Sharp-tailed, 48, 98, 146. Fisher, A. K., Robin's eggs spotted, 97; the Kentucky Warbler [Oporor- nis formosus) at Sing Sing, N. Y.,191. Fratercula arctica, 87. Fringilla hudsonias, 105. " unalaskensis, 3. Flycatcher, Acadian, 131. Great-crested, 99, 165. " Small-headed, 139. " Yellow-bellied, 101, 165, 187. Gelochelidox anglica, 141. " aranea, 141 . " baltbica, 141. " macro tar sa, 141. " meridionalis, 141. Gentry, Thomas G., notice of his " Life- 204 Index. Histories of the Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania," 36. Geoccyx califomianus, 39. Geothlypis macjrillivravi, 62. Philadelphia, 53, 61, 69. " triclias, 62, 65, 174. Glaucidium ealit'ornicum, 193. " ferrugineum, 144. Gnatcatcher, Blue-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 Gronnd Dove ( Chnmcepeleia passerina) in New York, 147. Grouse, Sharp-tailed, 76. Willow, 41. Guiraca cseralea, 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 anosthyetus, 143. " discolor, 143. " fuliginosa, 143. " fuliginoea var. crissalis, 143. " panayensis, 143. Harporhynchus crissalis, 93. rufus, 18, 170. Hawk, Cooper's, 41. Duck, 32, 165. " Sparrow. 41 . Head, J. F., Breeding of the Woodcock in Georgia, 151. Helinsea swainsoni, 163. Helmitherus swainsoni, 172. " vernrivorns, 23, 56, 129. Helminthophaga celata, 46, 96, 173. " celata li lutescens, 65. " chrysoptera, 56, 130. " leucobronchialis, 44, 99, 1 99. " peregrina, 53, 71. " pinus, 130, 163, 188, 194. " ruticapilla, 54, 65. Helopus caspius, 143. Henshaw, 11. W., on the s|>ccies of the genus PaamreUa, 3; additional re- marks on Sdasphonu aUati, 1 1 ; nest and eggs of the Blue ( 'row ( Gyrnruh kiftu cyanocephala), 112; notice of his Ornithological Reports of the Whee- ler Expeditions for 1876, 1877, 136. Hesperiphona reepertina, 66, 93. Heteroscelus incantu, 137. Hirnndo lulva, 106 " borroornm, 68, 135. " borreori-lnnifrons, 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. Rafous-backed, 11. Hydranassa tricolor, 145. Hydrochelidon rissipes, 141, 190. " lariformis, 141. " leuc-optera, 141. " niger, 140. " nigra, 141. " plombea, 141. somalonsis, 143. Hydroprogne caspica, 143. Hylotonnis pileatus, 53. Ibis alba, 166. " falcinellus, 151. " ordi, 151, 152, 183. Ibis, Glossy, 151, 152. Icteria rirens, 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. " cinercus, 73. " dorsalis, 53, 73, 94. " hyemalis, 120, 192. " oregonus, 73. King, P. II., the Winter Wren breed- ing in Southern New York, 194. Kingfisher, Belted, 92. Kinglet, Golden-croated, 19, 170. " Ruby-crowned, 170. Kite, Swallow-tailed, 146. LtAOOFOg albas, 88, 41. " rapeetris, 38, 86. Langdon, F. W., notke of his Cata- logue of the Birds of tltc Vkinity of Cincinnati, 34. Lanirireo caashri, 66. " solitarius, 65. Lark, Horned, 40, 53, 165. " Meadow, 164. " Shore, see Horned Lark. Laropis an^liea, 141. Larns affins, 185. " argentatoides, 186. " argentatos, 187. " braehy rliyneliiis, 186. " caliloriiieus, 186. " canus, :>u, kss, 186, 187. " chalcopterns, 186. " cueullatus, 187. " frankliiii, 187. " fuscus, 186. Index. 205 Larus glancescens, 186. " glaucopterus, 186. " glaucns, 86, 186. " hatchinsi, 186. " iclithviit'tus, 187. *' kittlitzi, 187. " leucophteus, 187. " leucopterus, 187. " merulinius, 141. " michahellcsi, 187. " niveus, 186. " oceidentalis, 186. " polo-candor, 142. " ridibundus, 187. " schimperi, 187. " septentrionalis, 186. " sterna, 142. " sucklevi, 186. Lawrence, N. T., the European Wid- geon (Mareca penelope) in the United States, 98 ; the Ipswich Sparrow on Lons Island, N. Y., 102. Lobipes hyperboreus, 40, 54, 151. Lophophanes bicolor, 19, 54, 129, 170. " inornatus, 68. Loxia curvirostra americana, 53, 117. " leucoptera, 53, 117. Mareca penelope, 98. Mavnard, 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. Megalopterus stolidus, 143. Melanerpes ervthrocephalus, 97, 123, 189. formieivoras, 97. Melospiza fasciata, y fallax, 66. " " /3 guttata, 66. " " 5 heermanni, 66. " insiirnis, 3. " lincolni, 66, 197. " melodia, 120. " palustris, 120. Mergulus alle, 86. Merganser, Hooded, 40. Merriam, C. Hart, correction, 47 ; re- marks on some of the birds of Lewis County, Northern New York, 52, 123; nesting of the Banded Three- toed Woodpecker (Picoidia ameri- camts) in Northern New York, 200. Merrill, J. C, occurrence of Myiarchus crinitus var. erythrocercus at Fort Brown, Texas, 99. Micropalama himantopus, 148. Mimus caroltnensis, 18, 76, 170. " polyglottus, 65, 93, 129, 169. Mniotilta varia, 22, 172. Mocking-bird, 129, 169. Molothrus ameus, 144. " ater, 123. Mormon grubse, 88. Murdoch, John, effects of the warm winter on the migration of birds, 75 ; spcond captureof the Orange-crowned Warbler (Hehninthophaga celata) in New Hampshire, 96 ; Phalarope, an etymological blunder, 150. Muscicapa striata, 105. Myiadestes 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. Neisox, 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 (Lar/opus rupestris) in the Aleutian Islands, 38. Nuthatch, Brown-headed, 171. " Red-bellied, 20, 196. " White-bellied, 171. Nyctherodius violaceus, 145. CEdemia 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 fiaci- ventris), 187. Owl, Barn, 78, 132. '* Hawk, 54. " Pygmy, 193. Pagophila eburnea, 86. Parula americana, 22, 172. " nigrilora, 144. Par us atricapillus, 19. " carolinensis, 170. " cinctus, 37. " hudsonicus, 20, 105. " montanus, 102. " rufescens, 20. Passerculus 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. Passcrella iliaca schistacea, 7. " townsendi, 7. Pelodes surinamensis, 141. Pennock, C. J., rel lying of Hawks in the same nest when robbed, 41. Perisorens canadensis, 53. Perissoglossa tigrina, 60. Petrochelidon lunifrons, 63, 105, 135. Peucsea cassini, 144. " ruficeps, 188. Phsenopepla nitens, 65. Phaetusia elcgans, 142. " trndeauii, 143. " bicolor, 142. Phalarope, Northern, 40, 54, 151, 152. Phalaropus, 150. falicarius, 86. hyperboreus, 151, 152. Philohela minor, 17, 151. Picoides americanus, 53, 200. " arcticus, 53, 180. Picus nuttalli, 07. " pubescens, 67, 71, 179. /3 gairdncri, 67. " villosus, 179. " harrisi, 179. Pinicola enncleator, 116. " (3 canadensis, 66. Pipilo erythrophthalmus, 41, 122, 164. " aberti, 93. " chlorurus, 9.3. " fuscus, 93. " megalonyx, 93. " oregonus, 93. Planetis gattatns, 143. Platalea ajaja, 184. " rosea, 184. Plectrophanes nivalis, 86. " ornatus, 92, 118. " pictns, 92. Plegadis falcinellus, 152. Plover, Piping, 94. " Ringed, 51. Podiceps cristatus, 47, 52. Polioptila caerulea, 19, 45, 146, 170. Pocecetes gramineus, 66, 174. infinis, 66. Porzana jamaicensis, 85. Procellaria glacialis, 86. Protonotaria citrea, t>, 139, 153, 172. Ptarmigan, Rock, 38. White, 88, 41. Ptychorhamphus aleuticus, 87. Puffin, Arctic, B7. Puffinus (Nectris) nati\ itatia, 81. Purdie, II. A , the Lark Finch (Chon- dettes grammaca) again in Massachu- setts^ : the Black-throated Bunting [Euspizaamericana) in Massachusetts, 45 ; capture of the Yellow-throated Warbler in Massachusetts, and notes on other rare Massachusetts birds, 1 16 ; nesl and eggs ol the Ycllow- bollicd Flycatcher (Empidonax flavi- ventris), 1JD6. Pyranga aestiva, 164. 174. " rubra, 62, 174. Pyrrhuloxia Binuata, \2-2. Quib< ai.i - purpureas, 176. Ragsdale, - serred at Mount Carmel, Southern Illinois, in the Spring of 1878, 102; notice of his " Studies of the Ameri- can Herodiones, Part I.," 182. Rfssa tridactyla, 86. Rhodostethia rosea, 187. Rhyacophilus solitarius, 107. Robin, 17, 47, (.i7, 103, i<>4, 169. Roosevelt, Theodore, Jr., and Minot, IL ]>.. notice of their List <>f the Sum- mer Birds of the Adirondacks, 36. Rowley, f his Memoir on the Pied Duck, 79. SaOHATOBRHIKA latliami, 87. Sandpiper, Baird's, l4t). " Green, 49. " Solitary, ">o, 197. " Stilt, 102, 147. Saunders, Howard, notice of his Rci iew of the Sti rnimz, or Terns, 140; notice of hi^ Kc\ iew of the Lai no , l 85. Saxicola oenantha, 139. Sa\ ornis fuscus, 1 70. " nigricans, 66. Scolecophagus ferrugineus, 105, 176. Scolopax borealis, 105. Scops asio \ ar. maccalli, 94. Scoter, American Black, .')4, 148. Velvet, N*. Sea-mew, European, 50. Selasphorua alleni, 1 1. Index. 207 Selasphorus platvccrcus, 95. " rufus, 11. Sennett, George B., notice of his Notes on tlie Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande, 144. Betophaga ruticilla, 70, 174. Sharpe, \\. 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. " mexicana, 93. " sialis, 76, 171. Simorhynchus cristatellus, 87. " microceros, 87. " pusillus, 87. Sitta canadensis, 20, 53, 65, 196. " caroiinensis, 171. " " /3 aculeata, 65. " pusilla, 171. Siurus anricapillus, 60. " motacilla, 72, 133, 174. Snow-bird, 192. Somateria labradoria, 79. " mollissima, 86. " spectabilis, 86. Sparrow, Henslow's, 39. " Ipswich, 102. " Rufous-headed, 188. White-crowned, 195. Spizella breweri, 137. " pusilla, 121. " socialis, 121. " " /3 arizonaa, 66. Sphyropicus thyroideus, 67. " varius, 53, 180. Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 46, 130, 164. Stercorarius catarractes, 188. " longicaudatus, 86. Sterna acuflavida, 142. " ale u tie a, 143. " anasstheta, 143. " anglica, 141. " antarctica, 143. " antillarum, 143. " aretiea, 142. " argentea, 143. " balthica, 143. *' bergii, 142. " boysii, 142. " brachypus, 142. " camtschatica, 143. " candicans, 142. " canescens, 142. " cantiacus, 142. " caspia, I43. " cay ana, 142. " cayennensis, 142. " comata, 142. " cristate, 142. " discolor, 142. " dougalli, 142. " douglasi, 142. Sterna elegans, 142. " erythrorhynchus, 142. " lissipes, 141. " nuviatilis, 142. " frenata, 143. " froheeni, 142. " fuliginosa, 143, 195. " galericulata, 142. " gracilis, 142. " havelli, 142. " hirundo, 142. " infuscate, 143. " javaniea, 141. " luetuosa, 143. " macdougalli, 142. " maerodactyla, 142. " maeroptera, 142. " macrotarsa, 141. " macrura, 142. " major, 143. " maxima, 142. " megarhynchos, 143. " melanoptera, 143. " melanotis, 143. " nrevia, 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 " tscliegrava, 143. " trudeaui, 143. " nnieolor, 143. " wilsoni, 142. Stevens, F., Vireo vicinior 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 interpres, 86, 145. Strix flammea americana, 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. " Rough-winged, 46, 130, 164. 208 Index. Swan, Whistling, 198. Syrnium cinereum, 140. " lapponicum, 37. Tachycineta bicolor, 63. Tanager, Scarlet, 1 74. Telmatodvtes palustris, 22. Tern, Short-tailed, 190. " Sooty, 195. Tetrao canadensis, 53. " columbianus, 96. " phasianellus, 96. Thalasseus acunavida, 142. " anglicns, 141. " candicans, 142. " canescens, 142. " cantiacus, 142. " caspius, 143. " cavanus, 142. cayennensis, 142. " elegans, 142. " regius, 142. Thalassipora infuscata, 143. Thalassites melanotis, 143. Thrush, Brown, 18, 169. "' Hermit, 17, 169. " Large-billed Water, 72, 133, 174. " Olive-backed, 18. " Wilson's, 18, 193. " Wood, 169. Thryomanes bewieki 8 spilurus, 65. Thrvotliorus bewieki, 163, 171. " felix, 10, 11. " lawrencii, 10, 11. " ludovieianus, 21, 129, 171, 193. Tinnunculus sparverius, 41. Titlark, 35, 165, 172, 194. Titmouse, Black-capped, 19. " Carolina, 170. " Chestnut-backed, 20. " Hudsonian, 20. " .Mountain, 102. Tutted, 19, 129, 170. Totanus ochropus, 49. Towhee, Eastern, 41, 164. Tringa bairdi, 140. " canuta, 86. Trochilus ruins, 11. Troglodytes aedon, 21. " parvulna hyemalis, 22. Trotter, Spencer, a third specimen of Helminthophana leucobronchialis, 44 ; description or a Hybrid [Hirundolior- reori-lunijrons) between two North American Swallows, 1.35. Turdus fuscescens, 18, 193. " migratorias, 47, 92, 97, 103, K>4, [69. " mu-telinus, 17, 169. " n;e\iiis, 188. " pallasi, 17, 58, If,-.), nanus, 187. " iwainaoni, 18, .'>•'!. " " ustulatus, 137. Turkey, Wild, 139. Tyrannus earolinensis, 176. Uria grylle, 86. Viralva anglica, 141. " leucoptera, 141. " nicra, 141. Vireo flavifrons, 115. " flavoviridis, 152. " gilvus, 115. " huttoni, 68. " noveboracensis, 116. " olivaceus, 95, 97, 115. " pbiladelpbicns, 46. " pusillus, 93. " solitarius, 116. " vicinior, 42, 93. Vireo, Gray, 42. " Hutton's, 68. " Philadelphia, 46. " Red-eyed, 95, 97. Vireosyh ia gilva 3 swainsoni, 66. Warih.kr, Black-throated Blue, 173. " Blue-winged Yellow, 130, 188,194. " Blue Yellow-backed, 22, 163, 172. " ( Vrulean, 46. " Chestnut-sided, 71. " Golden-crowned, 46, 130. " Hooded, 71, 130, 164, 174, 191. " Kentucky, 130, 164, 174. " ^louming, 69. " Orange-crowned, 96, 173. " Pine-creeping, 173. " Prairie, 173. " Prothonotary, 22, 153, 172. " Swainson's, 163, 172. " Tennessee, 51, 71. " Worm-eating, 28, 129. " White-throated, 44, 99, 173. " Yellow or Summer, 173, 197. " Yellow Red-poll, 173. " Yellow-throated. 43, 146,163. " Yellow-iiiillpeil, 70, 173. Waxwing, Bohemian, 4ii. Widgeon, European, 98. Willard, 8 1.., notice of his List of the Birds of Central New York, 83. Woodcock, 151. Woodpecker, Banded Three-toed, 200. 1 >ou -ii\ , 71 . " Red-bellied, 145. Red-headed, 97, 123, 165, 189. Wren, Bewick's, 1 •',.!. 171. " Carolina, 21, 129, 171, 193. " House, 21, 168. " Long-billed Marsh, 22. " Short-billed Marsh, 22, 172. " Winter, 22, 172, 194. X i Ki -aliinei, 195. YkLLOW-THBOAT, Marxian. I, 174. Zonotiuchia albicollis, 58, 121. roronata, 42. " leueophrys, 66, 121, 195. BULLETIN Nuttall Ornithological Club % (guarterb jjournal of #rmtIjologu. VOLUME IV Cbttor, J. A. ALLEN. Itgjsoriate (£t>itorss, S. F. BAIRD and ELLIOTT COUES. CAMBRIDGE, MASS. : PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB. is 79. CONTENTS OF VOLUME IV. NUMBER I. Page Remarks on Some of the Ethos of Lewis County, Northern New- York. By C. Ilmi Merriam 1 A List of Birds observed at Coosada, Central Alabama. By Nathan Clifford Brown 7 The Terns of the New England Coast. By William Brewster . 13 On the Coloration of Eggs. By S. D. Osborne 23 Nest and Eggs of the Cerulean Warbler. By J. A. Allen ... 25 Additional Casks of Albinism and Melanism in North American Birds. By Ruthven Deane 27 List of Birds observed in the Naval Hospital Grounds, in Brook- lyn City. By George Hughes Coues 31 Notes on Some of the less hardy Winter Residents of the Hudson River Valley. By Edgar A. Menrns 33 Breeding of the Winter Wren at Houlton, Me. By Ruthven Deane . 37 Descriptions of the First Plumage in Various Species of North American Birds. By William Brewster ...... 39 Notes on the Habits and Distribution of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Peuccea ruficeps). By William Brewster 47 RECENT LITERATURE. Lawrence and Ober on the Birds of Dominica and St. Vincent, 48; Coues's Field-Notes on Birds observed along the Forty-ninth Parallel, 49; Merrill's Notes on the Ornithology of Southern Texas, 50; .Tones and Shulze's Illus- trations of the Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio, 52; Adams's Notes on the Birds of Alaska, 52; Wilson and Bonaparte's American Ornithology, 53; Coues's Birds of the Colorado Valley, 54. GENERAL NOTES. Kirtland's Warbler again in Ohio, 5s. — Vireo atricapillus in Texas, 58. — Some Light on the History of a Rare Bird, 59. — Occurrence of the Western Variety of the Yellow Red-poll Warbler in Massachusetts, 60. — The Golden- cheeked Warbler and Black-chinned Humming-Bird in Texas, 60. — Cap- tare of two Rare Birds at Riverdale, N. Y., 60. —The White-bellied Nut- hatch concealing Food, 61. — The Great Carolina Wren ( Thryothorus ludoviciamts) in Connecticut, 61. — Occurrence of several Rare Birds near Sing Sing, N. Y., 61. — Occurrence of Birds rare to the Vicinity of Colum- iv Contents of Vblwne TV. bus, 0., 62. — The Great White Egrel in New Brunswick, 63. — The Still Sandpiper [Micropalama himantopus) on the New Jersey Coast, 62. — Notes on New England Birds, 63. — The Frigate Pelican in Nova Scotia, 64. — Fulmurus glacialis on the Massachusetts Coast, 64. NUMBER II. History of the Evening Grosbeak. By Elliott Coues .... 66 On the Habits and Nesting of Ceutain Rare Birds in Texas. By Will hi in Brewster 75 Late Fall and Winter Notes on some Birds observed in the Vicin- ity of Princeton, N. J. By W. E. I). Scott 81 Notes on the Breeding Habits of the California Pygmy Owi.(Glau- cidium calif or nicum), with a Description of its Eggs. By William A. Cooper 80 The American Brown Creeper. By T. .U Brewer . .... 87 Notes on Birds OBSERVED AT Twin Lakes, Lake County, COLORADO. By PP. E. h. Scott 90 Nest and Eggs of the Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa). By T. M. Brewer 96 Notes upon the Distribution, Habits, and Nesting of the Black- capped Vireo ( Vireo atricapillus). By William Brewster ... 99 The Ipswich Sparrow {Passerculus princeps, Maynard). By W. A. Jeffries lU-'-t Notes on a few Birds occurring in the Vicinity of Portland, Mb. By Nathan Clifford Rrown loci Strange Story of a California Bird. By Miss Fannie Miller 109 RECENT LITERATURE. Aughey'n Notes on the Food of the Birds of Nebraska, 110. — Langdon's Re vised Lisl of Cincinnati Birds, 112; A Woman's Work as a Naturalist, 113. — Mnynard's Birds of Florida, 114. GENERAL NOTES. Olive-backed Thrush {Turdus swainsoni) in Texas. 116. — Albinism in the Tufted Titmouse, 116. — Hooded Warbler in Western New Fork, 116. — Note on Dendraca townsendi, 116. — The Yel'ow-rumped Warbler (Den draca coronata) wintering in Swampscott, Mass, lis. — Capture of K inland's Warbler [Dendraca kirtlandi) in the Bahama Islands, lis. — The Eggs of the Redstart (Setophaga ruliciBa), lis. — Rough-winged Swallow in Connecticut, 119. — The Loggerhead Shrike (C>illi ludovi- cianus) breeding in Northern New England, 119. — Capture of the Logger- head Shrike in Winter in New Hampshire, 119. — The White-rumped ami Loggerhead Shrike- in Ohio, 120. -The Great Northern Shrike in New England, 120. — JSgiothus exilipes in Massachusetts, L21. — Record of the Breeding of Crossbills in Northern Vermonl in 1796, 121. — Notes on the Purple Finch, 122. — Nesting of the Black-throat 1 Bunting I Euspiza ameri- ciiiin) iii Massachusetts, 122 —Rare Birds in Michigan, 128. — The Cow- Contents of Volume IV. Blackbird of Texas and Arizona (Molothrus obscurus), 128. — A Spotted Eggof Empidonax minimus, 124. — Additional Captures of the Curlew Sand- piper in New England, 124; A Second Specimen of the Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctiardea violacea) in Massachusetts, 124. — Additional Notes on the Whistling Swan ( Cygnus americanus) in New England, 125. — Occurrence of Ross's Goose (Anscr rossii) on the Pacific Coast and Inland, 126. — Note fin Bucephala islandica, 126. — Notes on the Sea-Birds of the Grand Banks, 127. NUMBER III. On the Use of Trinomials in Zoological Nomenclature. By Hubert Riflffway . ..... ... . . 129 Remarks upon Turdus pallasi and its Varieties. By II. W. ffenskav) . 134 Notes on Birds observed during the Spring Migration in Western Missouri. By IV. E. D. Scott 139 The Rocky Mountain Golden-eye (Bucephala islandica). By T. M. Brewer 148 Notes on some Minnesota Birds. By T. S. Roberts 152 Melospiza meloda and its Allies. By //. W. Henshaw .... 155 A Partial List of the Birds of Fort Klamath, Oregon, collected by Lieutenant Willis Wittich, U. S. A., with Annotations and Additions by the Collector. By Edgar A. Mearns . . . .161 RECENT LITERATURE. Belding and Ridgway's Birds of Central California, 167. — Cory on the Birds of the Magdalen Islands, 171. — Roosevelt's Notes on some of the- Birds of Oyster Bay, Long Island, 171. — Ingersoll's Nests and Eggs of American Birds, 172. — A Revised List of Birds of Central New York, 172. — Hallock's Sportsman's Gazetteer, 175. — Coues's Bibliography of Ornithology, 175. ' GENERAL NOTES. Odd Behavior of a Robin and a Yellow Warbler, 178. — The Blue-gray Gnat catcher and Sanderlingin Minnesota, 182. — Nest and Eggs of the Gray Tit- mouse (Lophopli fines inornatus), 182. — Nesting of Certhin familiaris, 183. The Carolina Wren ( Thryotliorus ludovicianns) breeding in New York, 183. — The Great Carolina Wren breeding on Long Island, 184. — Record of Additional Specimens of the White-throated Warbler (Ilelminthophaga leuco- bronckialis), 184. — Additional Capture of the Cserulean Warbler in New- England, 185. — Another Rutland's Warbler [Dendrceca tertlandi), 185. — Correction, 186. — Rare Birds in Michigan, 186. — The Loggerhead Shrike breeding in Maine, 186. — Notes on some of the Winter and Early Spring Birds of Fort Sisseton, Dakota, 187. — Capture of a third Specimen of the Flammulated Owl (Scops flammeold) in the United States, and first Dis- covery of its Nest, 188. — MacFarlane's Gerfalcon (Falco gyrfalco sneer) in Maine, 188. — Nesting of Buteo zonocercus in New Mexico, 189; Capture of the Golden Eagle at Gravesend, L. I., 189. — The Eggs of the Curlew Sandpiper (Tringa tubarquata), 190. — Capture of the European Widgeon in North Carolina, 190. — Bonaparte's Gull in Kansas, 190. — The Booby Gannet (Sula fiber) in Massachusetts, 191; A Word in Defence, 191. 193 ( 'ontt nts of Volutin I V. NUMBER [V. Note on the Black-capped Greenlet, Vireo atricapiUus of Woodhousb. (Plate.) By Dr. Elliott Cones, U. 8. A \ Partial List of the Birds of Fort Klamath, Oregon, collbi ran by Lieutenant Willis Wittich, U.S.A., with Annotations and Additions by the Collector. By Edgar A. Mearns . . . .191 Breeding Habits of the American Brown Creeper [CerthiafanuKark americana). By William Brewster 189 \ Partial List of the Birds < f Chester County, South Carolina. By Leverett M. Loom.it 209 Oh a New Species of Peuo-ea from Southern Illinois and Central Texas. By Robert Ridgway . 21* Notes on Birds observed at Long Beach, New Jersey. By II' /•-'. D. Scott 223 RECENT LITERATURE. Obituary, 228. — Lawrence on the Birds ofthe Lesser Antilles, 228. — Elliott's Synopsis of the Trockilidee, 280. — Brewer on the Nests and Egga ofthe Empidonaces, 232. GENERAL NOTES. The Use of Trinomials, 232. — Note on Helmmthophaga guttmi, Gibbs, 233.— Helminthophaga leucobronckialis in New York, 234. — Helminthophagapinus, Oporondt formosa, and Mniotilta varia breeding in Pennsylvania, 234. — Notes on the Occurrence of certain rare or uncommon Birds at Philadelphia and adjacent Localities, 235. — Nesting of the Kentucky Warbler* Oporornu formosa) in Ohio, 236. — Vireo gilvus and Vireo flavifrons in Northern New England, 237. — The Loggerhead Shrike in Central New York, 237. — The Evening Grosbeak in New Mexico, 237.— Note on Hesperiphona vespertina, 237. — Southward Range of Centrophaneslapponica,238. — Henslow'a Hunt big ( Coturnicuhu henslowi) near Washington, 21s. — The Snowbird [Junco hyemaUs) in Southern Michigan in Summer, 238. —Nesting ol the Snowbird co hyemalit) in Eastern Tennessee, 238. — Capture of a Fish Crow vs ossifragus) near Seabright, Monmouth County, New Jersey, 239. — The Rocky Mountain Whiskey-Jack [Perisoreut canadensis capitalist 239.— Another Nesl of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher {Empidonax Jim tris), 240. — Nesting of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (.fi^Btdonaaj^awBei*- tris), 241. — A Correction, 242. — Wilson's Plover on Long bland, X. Y., 242. — The Black Skimmer [Rhynchopt nigra) in New England, 242.— The Black Skimmer in Massachusetts, 243. — Occurrence of the Caspian Tern {Sterna caspia) upon the Coast "f Virginia, 248. — Note on AUe nigricans, 244. India 245 BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. Vol. IV. JANUARY, 1879. No. 1. REMARKS ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OF LEWIS COUNTY, NORTHERN NEW YORK. BY C. HART MERRIAM. {Continued from p. 128, Vol. Ill) Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — This ele- gant species, second only to the Red-headed Woodpecker in point of beauty, is a common summer resident in Lewis County, frequent- ing alike the orchards and hard-wood groves of the central district, and the dense evergreen forests, Canadian in Fauna, of the Adiron- dack region in the eastern, and the Tug Hill range in the western, portion of the county. The males reach us about the middle of April (April 13, 1878), and are followed by their partners about a week afterwards. They depart during the latter part of August, though a few scattering individuals, chiefly young, may be seen throughout September and even into October. These individuals I believe to be migrants who breed farther north and tarry with us but a day or two during thsir journey southward. Still it is true that they are most frequently seen about the " food-trees " (to be mentioned farther on), and it may be that a few inexperienced young of our own summer resi- dents remain, reluctant to leave these favorite provision stores, after their parents and brothers are already well on the way to their winter-quarters. Their breeding habits have been so fully and graphically por- trayed (in an early number of this Bulletin *) by the able pen of * Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. I, No. 3, pp. 63-70, September, 1876. VOL. IV. 1 2 MEBRIAM on Birds of Lewis County, New York. Mr. William Brewster, that I omit all reference to their nidification, and will only mention such peculiarities of habit as have escaped the observation of others, or which, by their oddity, merit further notice. In few species can the date of arrival, in spring, be ascertained with such precision as in the bird now under consideration; for, no sooner are they here, and recovered from the fatigue of their north- ward journey, than the country fairly resounds with their cries and drumming. For two or three weeks after reaching us, and before the migrants have passed farther north, they are extremely abun- dant, and during this period behave in a very un- Woodpecker-like manner ; for, though less conspicuous in plumage, they are even more clamorous and more often seen than their Red-headed cousins. Noisy, rollicking fellows, they are always chasing one another among the trees, screaming meanwhile at the tops of their voices, and when three or four vociferous males alight on the same tree, as often happens, their boisterous cries are truly astonishing. But, not satisfied with these vocal manifestations of their din-making pro- clivities, and ever desirous of demonstrating their weakness in this direction, these indefatigable creatures take special delight in pounding upon any hard resonant substance which chance may have tin-own in their way, and are never more happy than when they discover some tin-roofed dwelling on which to drum. At this season scarcely an hour passes, from daylight till sunset, that one or more cannot be heard drumming with commendable persever- ance upon the tin roofs, eave-troughs, or escape-pipes of our house or some of the out-buildings. They strike the tin violently half a dozen or more times, evidently enjoying the sound thus produced, and then rest a few minutes before repeating the performance. Each Woodpecker usually returns to the same spot, and on our roof are several patches, the size of one's hand, from which the paint has been entirely drummed off. On the escape-pipe they sometimes follow around a joint, and by constant and long-contin- ued pounding so loosen the solder that the dependent portion of the pipe falls down. How they manage to cling to these vertical pipes and the nearly perpendicular portions of the roof is a mystery to me. I have seen both sexes at work on our roof, bul the female does not often indulge in this pastime, and is rarely obseived to take part in the boisterous gambols of the males. In the groves and 3, where tin-roofed buildings do not abound, the Yellow-bellied Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, New York. 3 Woodpeckers amuse themselves by pounding \ipon such dry hollow trees and hard resonant limbs as multiply the sound tenfold, so that one can, at a distance, readily distinguish them from other members of the family. Before they have been with us three weeks, however, an inward change takes place, and by the middle of May their manners are so different that one would scarcely recognize the species. The migrants have passed on, and those which remain to breed have already given up their idle frolics, and in comparative silence are preparing for the graver task of rearing offspring. In the Adirondack region, during the migrations, they outnum- ber all the other species of the family together, and throughout the entire summer are second in numbers only to the Hairy Woodpecker (Picas vi/tosufi). Here they often, in search for insects, strip off the " shag-bark " from the spruce, and it is no uncommon thing, in passing through these primeval forests, to meet with many large trees thus almost completely denuded of their outer bark for nearly the entire length of the trunk. These trees are very conspicuous objects, and never fail to excite the curiosity of straugers, who are much more willing to believe theexisting condition "due to the ravages of the Black Cock of the Woods \Hylatomus pileatus] or Porcupine " (Erethizon dorsati(s) than to the present innocent-looking species. In the central district they really do considerable mischief by drilling holes in the bark of apple, thorn-apple, and mountain-ash trees in such a way as to form girdles of punctures, sometimes two feet or more in breadth (up and down), about the trunks and branches. Whether in like manner they affect trees (excepting occasionally a young elm) pertaining to other genera than the one (Pyrm) to which the above belong, I am unable to say ; but the fact of their destroying some of these, notably the apple, and es- pecially in the West, has often been recorded. The holes, which are sometimes merely single punctures, and sometimes squarish spaces (multiple punctures) nearly half an inch across, are placed so near together that, not unfrequently, they cover more of the tree than the remaining bark. Hence, more than half of the bark is some- times removed from the girdled portions, and the balance often dries up and comes off. Therefore it is not surprising that trees which have been extensively girdled generally die, and mountain ash are much more prone to do so than either apple or thorn-apple trees, due, very likely, to their more slender stems. The motive which induces this species to operate thus upon 4 Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, New York young and healthy trees is, I think, but partly understood. It is unquestionably true that they feed, to a certain extent, both upon the inner bark and the fresh sap from these trees, but that the procurement of these two elements of sustenance, gratifying as they doubtless are, is their chief aim in making the punctures I am in- clined to dispute. As the sap exudes from the newly made punc- tures, thousands of flies, " yellow-jackets," and other insects congre- gate about the place, till the hum of their wings suggests a swarm of bees. If, now, the tree be watched, the Woodpecker will soon be seen to return and alight over that part of the girdle which he has most recently punctured. Here he remains, with motionless body, and feasts upon the choicest species from the host of insects within easy reach. Therefore it is my firm belief that their chief object in making these holes is to secure the insects which gather about them. Some time ago Mr. C. L. Bagg called my attention to a clump of mountain-ash whose leaves had turned yellow and were fast falling off. Here a pair of these birds, with their young, had established an unfailing food supply, and at almost any time of day several of their dark motionless forms might be seen adhering to the trunks and branches of the young trees. Evidently this had been their headquarters for several seasons, for all the main stems in the cluster were girdled for at least five feet (commencing two or three feet from the ground), and most of the branches of any size were likewise punctured. In making each girdle they work around the trunk, and from below upwards, but they may begin a new girdle below an old one. They make but few holes each day, and after completing two or three remain over the spot for some little time, and as the clear fresh sap exudes and trickles down the bark they place their bill against the dependent drop and suck it in with evi- dent relish, — a habit which has doubtless given rise to the more appropriate than elegant term, " Sap-Sucker," by which they are commonly known in some parts of the country. I have several times watched this performance at a distance of less than ten feet, and all the details of the process were distinctly seen, the bird looking at me, meanwhile, " out of the corner of his eye." When his thirst is satisfied he silently disappears, and as silently re- turns again, after a few hours, to feast upon the insects that have been attracted to the spot by the escaping sap. This bird, then, by a few strokes of its bill, is enabled to secure both food (animal Merrtam on Birds of Lewis County, New York. 5 :md vegetable) and drink in abundance for an entire day ; and a single tree, favorably situated, may suffice for a whole season ! To explain the origin of this habit, at first thought so wonderful, is not difficult when we bear in mind the fact that all Woodpeckers are " fitted by nature " for drilling holes in trees. Now let us sup- pose that one of the ancestors of this species, while pounding off a bit of dead bark from an apple-tree in search for the insects that might lurk beneath it, should, by chance, have struck his bill into tm adjoining strip of sound bark. Seeing the crystal drops of sap islowly issuing from the wounded spot, he would naturally enough have tasted it, and, finding it agreeable to his palate, would be led to repeat the experiment. A little of the inner bark, partaking of the same flavor, might also be swallowed. Then, after the lapse of a few hours (during which digestion would be completed and the ap- petite again become manifest), is it strange that he should return to the spot where, a short time before, his hunger had been so easily satisfied 1 Here he would find himself surrounded by a swarm of insects, feeding upon the sap which had exuded during his absence, and from among their numbers an unexpected repast would be soon finished. Now, it is not at all likely that the bird would forgot this day's experience, but, on the contrary, he would profit by it, and on the morrow, and day by day thereafter, would repeat the experiment, at first upon the same tree, and afterwards upon others of the same kind, till the habit would become firmly estab- lished. Though the bird's attention was first attracted by the oozing sap, and his first return to the spot was doubtless due to his recollection of its agreeable flavor, yet I cannot but believe that the insects which he then found there served to keep up his interest in the place much more than the few drops of fluid swallowed beforehand, just to prepare the alimentary tract, as it were, for the solid food to come, — as we take a glass of Congress-water a half-hour before breakfast. Hence it is easy to see how a chance stroke of the bill sufficed to establish a habit by which the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker is always enabled, with a minimum amount of labor, to obtain an unlimited supply of the food most pleasing to its taste. And yet some people, who ought to know better, would still call this another example of " that curious instinct " which leads birds and other animals to do those things which are best adapted to their needs. Before the commenpement of the breeding-season they are pre- 6 Merriam on Birds of Zeu-is County, New York. eminently a noisy species, filling the woods with their discordant cries, while during and after incubation they are seldom heard, and in the vicinity of the food trees their silence is very remarkable, for never have I heard a note of any description uttered either while in the neighborhood of these trees or in flying to and fro between them and the forests. Picoides arcticus. Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker. — ■ This bird is not an uncommon resident in those portions of Lewis County which pertain to the Canadian Fauna ; for they are found both in the Adirondack region and in the coniferous forests border- ing Big Alder and Fish Creeks, in the Tug Hill range. Picoides americanus. Banded Thuee-toed Woodpecker. — This is also a resident species, but is much less common than the foregoing. For an account of its nesting and a description of its eggs see the last Bulletin (Vol. Ill, No. 4, October, 1878, p. 200). Hylatomus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker ; Black Loo Cock ; Cock of the Woods. — This splendid species, commonly known among our hunters as the " Black Cock of the Woods," and, once common, is now becoming rare in Lewis County, although it is still a resident of the deep Canadian forests along our eastern border. A few are killed each year in the Adirondack region, and Mr. Dayan informs me that scarcely a season passes but that two or three specimens are taken in the vicinity of Lyon's Falls, — so near do they approach civilization. Centurus carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — Mr. C. L. Bagg has a mounted specimen of this Woodpecker, which he shot here (Locust Grove, Lewis County) during the winter of 1871 - 2. Melospiza lincolni. Lincoln's Finch. — In my cabinet is a female specimen of Lincoln's Finch, which I shot here (Locust Grove) May 23, 1873. Mr. Egbert Bagg, Jr., of Utica, on the 13th of June last (1878), took its nest, containing three eggs, at Moose Pond, Hamilton County, N. Y.* (in the Adirondack region, and not many miles distant from Lewis County). As there is no ijuestion concerning the identity of this nest (the female parent having been Bhol and sent to Mr. Robert Ridgway for identification), ami since niv bird was taken BO late as the L'.">d of May, 1 think then- can be no reasonable doubt of its breeding in Lewis County. Cistothorus stellaris. Shobt-billbd Mabbh Wben. — Mr. R evn B. Hough lias, in his cabinet, two females of this Wren, which he killed mar Lowville, in this county. October '27, 1877. * Bull Null. Oroith. Club, V*oL III, No. 4, pp. 197, 198, October, 1878. Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 7 Myiodioetes mitratus. Hooded Warbler. — On the 9th of September last (1878), at Lowville, an adult male of this species was killed by a cat and brought, while still warm, to Mr. Romeyn B. Hough, who now has the specimen. So far north of its known range it can hardly be considered more than a straggler. A LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED AT COOSADA CENTRAL ALABAMA. BY NATHAN CLIFFORD BROWN. (Concluded from p. 174, Vol. III.) 41. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (And.) Bd. Rough-winged Swallow. — Rather common summer resident. Arrived March 22 ; not generally distributed until the first week in April. 42. Progne purpurea (X.) Boie. Purple Martin. — Although abundant in Montgomery, this bird is seen at Coosada only as a " bird of passage." I saw the first specimen on March 13. 43. Ampelis cedrorum (L.) Scl. Cedar-Bird. — Of very irregu- lar occurrence. Seen, at intervals, in flocks of from six to twenty indi- viduals. 44. Vireo olivaceus (L.) Vieill. Red-eyed Vireo. — An uncom- mon summer resident, generally distributed. Arrived the last of March. 45. Vireo solitarius (Wils.) Vieill. Solitary Vireo. — An un- common winter visitant. The males began their song on March 6. After this date they were somewhat more numerous, but all had disappeared by March 20. 46. Vireo noveboracensis (Gm.) Bp. White-eyed Vireo. — Arrived March 27, and the following day both sexes were found in abun- dance, the males in full song. A nest containing four fresh eggs was taken, April 20, in a swampy wood by the roadside. 47. Collurio ludovicianus (L.) Bd. Loggerhead Shrike. — Uncommon up to about April 1, after which none were seen. The song, which I heard but once, is very like that of the Northern Shrike. This bird is well known in Alabama as the " French Mocking-Bird." 48. Carpodacus purpureus (Gm.) Gray. Purple Finch. — Rather uncommon during the winter ; most numerous about the middle of March, when the males began to sing; stragglers seen a month later. They generally associated with Goldfinches. 49. Chrysomitris tristis (L.) Bp. Goldfinch. — Of irregular occurrence throughout my stay. 8 Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 50. Passerculus savanna (Wils.) Bp. Savannah Sparrow. — Very common during the winter and early spring. Last seen about the middle of April. None heard singing. 51. Pooecetes gramineus (Gm.) Bd. Grass Finch. — Common at the same time as the preceding. 52. Coturniculus passerinus ( Wils.) Bp. Yellow-winged Spar- row. — A single male was captured by Mr. Bond, in an open field bor- dering the Alabama River, late in the afternoon of March 1 9. 53. Coturniculus henslowi (And.) Bp. Hknslow's Bunting. — Ten specimens were taken between the dates of February 18 and April 4, inclusive, in old fields of rice and broom-sedge. In the course of a good deal of varied field experience I do not know that I ever met with a bird more difficult to procure, when found, than this one is. Wonderfully adapted as they are for running and dodging about upon the ground, they cannot be made to fly unless come upon abruptly and unexpectedly ; and once under the protecting cover of a patch of bushes, no amount of shouting and thrashing about will avail to get them a-wing. On one occasion Mr. Bond actually trod upon one and caught it alive. Even when once made to fly, — and amongst the luxuriant, tan- gled grass which they most affect they may hardly be shot except on the wing, — their short, low flight is often scarcely more than a respectable jump over the grass-tops. There is a general but mistaken supposition that this bird never alights in trees. It does so occasionally, even at quite a distance from the ground. Neither song nor call-note was heard from any of the specimens taken by Mr. Bond and myself. The ovary of a female killed April 3 was found to be quite undeveloped. 54. Coturniculus lecontei (.1ml.) Bp. LkConte's Bunting. — This beautiful bird, which, if I am not mistaken, has never before been detected east of the Mississippi River, was found to be a rare winter visi- tant at Coosada. Seven specimens were taken, — three during the latter half of February, four during the first three weeks of March. In habits they were very like the preceding species, except that they intrusted themselves to longer flights and were found more regularly in and about brier-patches and clumps of low bushes. 55. Melospiza palustris (Wils.) Bd. Swamp Sparrow. — First seen March 6. Soon became abundant in swampy woods and moist fields. Did not sing. 56. Melospiza melodia ( Wils.) Bd. Song Sparrow. — Rare dur- ing the winter. On February 27 I heard the first song, and within a few days the birds became quite common, but were not seen after the latter part of March. 57. Peuceea aestivalis (Lichl.) Cab. Baciiman's Finch. — Appar- ently resident, bul very rare in the winter. Increased in numbers about the first week of March, and finally rather common. But one female was Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 9 taken (April 8), and I am confident the birds were not breeding at the time of my departure. Their haunts were exclusively scattering growths of pine. When upon the ground they lie very close, and often baffle all attempts at capture. The song of the male (first heard March 8) is simple, but passionate and very sweet. It consists of a long-drawn initiatory note, followed by a leisurely trill four tones lower in the scale. A few embellishments are occasionally added, and the singer sometimes varies his strain by begin- ning upon a low note and rising to the trill. Shy and suspicious as this bird usually is, the singing male is apparently quite oblivious of danger. More than once I have approached an absorbed singer within five or six feet, without exciting the least alarm. 58. Junco hyemalis (Z.) Scl. Snow-Bird. — Seen commonly up to about the middle, of April. 59. Spizella socialis ( Wils.) Bp. Chipping Sparrow. — Found in large flocks throughout my stay. 60. Spizella pusilla (Wils.) Bp. Field Sparrow. — Abundant during my stay. On April 24 I found a nest containing four fresh eggs. I am not aware that this bird has previously been known to breed south of Virginia. 61. Zonotrichia albicollis (Gm.) Bp. White-throated Spar- row. — Rather common during my stay. 62. Passerella iliaca (Merrerri) Sio. Fox-colored Sparrow.— Rather common winter visitant. Stragglers were seen in an old rice-field until the third week of March. 63. Goniaphea caerulea (£.) Bp. Blue Grosbeak. — A single female taken April 30, in a thicket bordering a brook. 64. Cyanospiza cyanea (Z.) Bd. Indigo-Bird. — Common in 6wampy places, after April 6. 65. Cardinalis virginianus (Brisson) Bp. Cardinal Redbird. — One of the commonest and most conspicuous winter birds, but seldom seen after mating, — about February 15. At this time the males began their song, but I did not detect the females singing till a fortnight later. Although the birds paired so early in the season, nearly two months passed before they began to work upon their nests. I found the first eggs on April 29. 66. Pipilo erythrophthalmus (L.) Vieill. Towhee. — Common ; apparently resident. First song March 6. A single specimen of var. alleni was taken in a partial clearing, March 28. 67. Agelaeus phoeniceus (Z.) Vieill. Red- winged Blackbird. — A common resident ; forming immense flocks in the winter, the sexes usually separated. 68. Sturnella magna (Z.) Bd. Meadow Lark. — Common during my stay. Not less shy than at the North. They began to sing about the 15th of February. 10 Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 69. Icterus spurius (L.) Bp. Orchard Oriolk. — Arrived April 8, and by the 13th of the month both sexes were found in abundance. I met with them almost everywhere except in the deep woods, but they were most numerous amongst the scattered pine saplings which have sprung up in once cultivated fields. There is a great variation in the musical abilities of different males. Immature birds sing a brief strain which can almost always be distinguished from the more elaborate song of their older breth- ren ; but the most talented old males are by far the finest songsters that I heard in the South. Their melody is gushing and fervid, and often bears a remarkable resemblance to the inimitable outpourings of the Bobolink. 70. Scolecophagus ferrugineus (G'wi.) Sw. Rusty Grackle. — Not very common winter visitant. I was surprised to see them so late as about the middle of April. 71. Quiscalus purpureus var. aglaeus (B<1.) Cs. Florida Grackle. — Apparently not very common resident. 72. Corvus americanus var. floridanus (Aud.) Bd. Florida Crow. — Not very common resident. 73. Corvus ossifragus Wih. Fish Crow. — Not uncommon, but apparently not resident, and seen only in their nights from one part of the country to another. They were most extraordinarily shy, and all attempts to secure specimens, either by direct approach or strategically, resulted in failure. 74. Cyanurus cristatus (L.) Sw. Blue Jay. — Very common resi- dent, and, to one who has known the species only at the North, remarka- bly tame. I observed them feeding in the streets of Montgomery, and unsuspiciously flying about much after the manner of the domestic pigeons ' of Northern cities. The obvious reason is, as Dr. Brewer has observed of their kind in the West, that they have not in Alabama been driven to shy and solitary habits by constant persecution and cruelty. I secured a nest with two fresh eggs on April 28. 75. Tyrannus caroliuensis (L.) Temminck. Kingbird. — Arrived March 30. Not very common. 7C. Myiarchus crinitus (L.) Cab. Great-crested FLYCATCHER. — Common after April 8 in all localities. 77. Sayornis fuscus (Gm.) Bd. I'kwkk. — Bather uncommon win- ter visitor, usually inhabiting deep pine woods. 78. Contopus virens (L.) Cab. Wood Pewee. — Arrived April 9 ; rather common thereafter. 79. Empidojiax acadicus (Gin.) Bd. Acadian Flycatcher. — Common after April 20 in swampy woods. No females were taken. The cry of the male is very like that of Traill's Flycatcher. 80. Antrostomus carolinensis (Gnu) Gould. Chuck-wii.i.'s- widow. — Arrived April 10 ; became rather common. A fanciful imagi- nation maj detect in this bird's cry a resemblance to the syllables of its common name, but the resemblance is certainly very slight. Heard at a Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 11 distance the bird distinctly enunciates die qui'bro, che qui't/ro, making a brief pause after the first three syllables. 81. Chordiles virginianus (Briss.) Bp. Night-Hawk. — Appar- ently common summer resident. First seen about the middle of April. On April 24 I found a deserted egg in a swampy pine grove. 82. Chaetura pelagica (Z.) Bd. Chimney Swallow. — Arrived about the last of March. Few seen. 83. Trochilus colubris, L. Ruby-throated Hummer. — Arrived March 30. Rare. 84. Ceryle alcyon (Z.) Boie. Kingfisher. — Uncommon resident. 85. Coccyzus americanus (Z.) Bp. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Common summer resident, well known in this locality as " Rain-Crow." Arrived the last week in April. 86. Hylotomus pileatus (Z.) Bd. Pileated Woodpecker. — Rare resident. 87. Picus borealis, Vieill. Red-cockaded Woodpecker. — The commonest of its family at Coosada, and one of the most notable birds, being active, social, and always noisy. Its notes resemble those of the Hairy Woodpecker, with the addition of a rattling quality which at once identifies their author. I observed no signs of nest-building. 88. Picus villosus, Z. Hairy Woodpecker. — Uncommon resident. 89. Picus pubescens, Z. Dowxy Woodpecker. — Rather rare during the winter ; common after the first of March. 90. Sphyrapicus varius (Z.) Bd. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — Seen rather uncommonly throughout my stay. 91. Centurus carolinus (Z.) Sw. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — Rather uncommon throughout my stay, and invariably quite shy. I found it with equal frequency in the pine woods and in the deep swamps. It has a croaking note like that of the following species. 92. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Z.) Sw. Rkd-headed Wood- pecker.— Arrived April 21, and became at once abundant. 93. Colaptes auratus (Z.) Sw. Golden-winged Woodpecker. — Abundant resident. Note. Conurus carolinensis (L.) Kuhl, the Carolina Parrakeet, is well known to most of the older local sportsmen, and is said to have once been common. None have been seen, however, for many years. At least two species of Owls were resident at Coosada, one of them undoubtedly Bubo virginianus (Gm.) Bp., but I secured specimens of nei- ther variety. 94. Accipiter cooperi (Bp.) Gray. Cooper's Hawk. — Mr. Bond shot a superb male on March 5. 95. Buteo lineatus ( Gm.) Jard. Red-shouldered Hawk. — Com- mon resident. Less shy than usual in New England. 96. Cathartes aura (Z.) Illiger. Turkey Buzzard. — Abundant resident. 12 Brown on Birds observed at Coosada, Alabama. 97. Cathartes atratus (Bart.) Less. Black Vulture. — About equally common with the preceding. On March 22 I found a bird sitting upon two fresh eggs, in a tangled swamp. The eggs were placed on the ground in an upright, hollow stub. In front of the hole by which the parents had ingress were scattered about bits of broken crockery, bleached bones, etc. 98. Ectopistes migratoria (L.) Sto. Wild Pigeon. — Said by sportsmen to b(j occasionally common in autumn. 99. Zenaedura carolinensis (L.) Bp. Carolina Dove. — An abundant resident ; very shy until the time of mating, when they became remarkably tame. About the middle of April the large flocks in which they associated "during the winter were broken up, and the birds, though still occurring in small flocks, appeared to be mated. The first set of eggs was brought me early on the morning of my departure for the North, — May 1. 100. Chamaepelia passerina (L.) Sw. Ground Dove. — None seen at Coosada. Dr. W. C. Jackson of Montgomery tells me that they are numerous immediately south of that city. I am indebted to him for a specimen in corroboration of his statement. 101. Meleagris gallopavo var. americana (Bart.) Cs. Wild Tur- kky. — Once common, but fast becoming exterminated by pot-hunters. 102. Ortyx virginianus (L.) Bp. Quail. — Resident in great num- bers. Seen in bevies throughout my stay. [Two Coosada specimens, both females, submitted to me for examina- tion by Mr. Brown, differ very slightly from Massachusetts examples. The colors arc absolutely identical. In size the Alabama birds are about intermediate between the Northern and Florida forms, hut the bill agrees best with that of the former. Although Florida Quails from different localities vary considerably in coloring, the lightest in a large series before me is much darker than either of the Coosada specimens. Compared with var. texanus, Mr. Brown's birds' differ as much as do typical northern spe- cimens. In short, they seem to represent a slightly smaller but otherwise typical form of Ortyx vlrr/inianus. — W. Brewster.] 103. .flEJgialitis vocifera (L.) Bp. Killdeer. — Of irregular occur- rence up to about the first of April ; always quite shy. One or two large flocks were seen ; usually, however, the birds associated in parties of less than a dozen individuals. 104. Philokela minor (Gm.) Gr. Woodcock. — A single individ- ual was seen by Mr. Bond about the first of March. Sportsmen consider it very rare. 105. Gallinago wilsoni (Tcmm.) Bp. American Snipe. — Abun- dant (luring winter anil early spring. 10G. Totanus solitarius ( Wih.) Awl. Solitary Sandpiper. — Common after March 28. At first they were rather shy, but subsequently became much tamer than I have ever found them elsewhere. Brewster on Terns of the New England Coast. 13 ' 107. Tringoides macularius (L.) Gr. Spotted Sandpiper. — One or two individuals seen on the banks of the Alabama River, in April. 108. Actiturus bartramius (]Vils.) Bp. Upland Plover. — Sev- eral small flocks seen flying over, between March 22 and 28. 109. Ardea herodias L. Great Blue Heron. — Apparently not common. I did not meet with it myself, but sportsmen brought me word of its occurrence at irregular intervals. 110. Ardea candidissima (Jacquin) Gin. Little White Egret. — Several small "White Herons seen at a distance, April 29, were probably of this species. It is said to be very common during summer. 111. Ardea caerulea, L. Little Blue Heron. — Another small Heron, of which I obtained no specimens, was quite common during the last two weeks of April. It was apparently this species. 112. Fulica arnericana, Gm. Coot. — One of a pair shot in the Alabama River, April 9. 113. Branta canadensis (X.) Gr. Wild Goose. — A large flock spent the winter in a cornfield, on the banks of the Coosa River, and left for the North about the second week in March. 114. Anas boschas, L. Mallard. — Specimens seen in the Mont- gomery markets. Said to be a common migrant. 115. Anas obscura, Gm. Black Duck. — Known to sportsmen, but considered very rare. 116. Querquedula discors (L.) Steph. Blue-winged Teal. — Common migrant ; arrived about the last of March. 117. Aix sponsa (i.) Boie. Wood Duck. — Common resident. 118. Plotus anhinga, L. Water Turkey. — Well known to sports- men, by whom it is said to be common in summer. 119. Colymbus torquatus, Briinn. Loon. — A dozen or so seen flying north, in March. THE TERNS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. Among all the sea-birds that with the changing seasons visit our New England shores there are none half so beautiful as the Terns, or Sea-Swallows. Family Laridce, sub-family Sternince, genus Sterna, — thus they are classed in the books. What a pity their names could not have been more aptly chosen ! There is much in a name, and Sterna sounds hard and cold. Nor is the English appellation, Tern, a whit more appropriate or beautiful. Why could not these birds of graceful motion and faultless coloring have borne the name 14 Brewster on Terns of the New England Coast. of Aphrodite 1 Perhaps like her they were evolved from the sea-foam. No sea-foam can be purer than their spotless breasts, and the softest tints of the summer sky are impressed upon their pearly mantles. If ever birds were born of the sea, surely they are these. The del- icate rosy blush of at least one species must have been borrowed from some rare shell. But Science, plodding and realistic, frowns upon such imagery, and her solid columns of facts and figures are resistless. Occurring more or less regularly along the coast of New England, we find eleven species of Terns, all of which, with one possible ex- ception (Sterna caspia), are cither summer residents or migratory during the spring or fall months. Of this number five species may be set down as accidental visitors, which are either blown from their course by adverse winds or wander beyond the usual range. The Royal Tern (Sterna maxima), the Marsh Tern (S. anglica), the Sandwich Tern (S. cantiaca), and the Sooty Tern (S. fuliginom) are Stragglers from the South, while the Forster's Tern (S. forsteri), breeding in the interior well up into the fur countries, probably strikes across to the coast and follows its indentations southward. The last-named species, though rare, is of perhaps too regular oc- currence to be classed among the accidentals, for one or two speci- mens are reported nearly every season, usually during the month of September. The Caspian Tern — all previous statements to the contrary not- withstanding— must be considered a regular visitor every season, and one by no means uncommon. They come down from their northern breeding-grounds during the latter part of September and for several weeks, at least, are to be found in moderate numbers all along our seaboard. I have observed them at various points from Ipswich to. Nantucket. At the latter place, upon one occa- sion, six individuals were seen fishing in the harbor near the town. As to their wintering within New England limits, I can offer only negative evidence, but that points to the inference that they pass farther south with the approach of severe weather. During the first week of May, 1875, I found them quite numerous at Chatham, Mass. They frequented the sand-liars near the shore, and kept apart from the Herring and Black-backed u:/r make up a whole that must satisfy the most aesthetic eye. The delicate blush that suffuses the breast of the Roseate Tern can only be seen in its perfection for a brief period after death, for either it fades altogether, or turns to a dull salmon tint bet. .re the bird becomes cold. Like an ethereal grace, it shrinks and perishes before the gaze of vulgar ey< 8. When the cares of incubation are over, — and sad, unprofitable Brewster on Terns oj the New England Coast. 21 cares they must be in most cases for these poor birds, — the Terns resort again to the sand-bars nearest their chosen fishing-grounds. The waters about Nantucket are a favorite haunt, and through the month of September they swarm about every bay and cove that in- dents the shore. Their movements, however, depend largely upon those of the blue-fish. These voracious creatures prey upon the -smaller fishes, and, hunting always in schools, by their combined action drive the feeble fry to the surface, when they are seized by the Terns. The fishermen rely almost wholly upon the actions of the latter to discover the presence of fish in the Sound, and when a flock of Terns is seen hovering over a certain spot, a school of blue-fish is pretty sure to be at work beneath. It is an interesting sight to watch the birds collect. A moment before, perhaps only a few were to be seen, leisurely winuowing their way along the shore ; but in an incredibly short spaoe of time the lucky discoverer of a school is surrounded by hundreds of his fellows, and a perfect swarm of eager, hungry birds poises over the spot. Dozens dash down at once, cleaving the water like darts, and, rising again into the air, shake the salt spray from their feathers by a single energetic movement, and make ready for a fresh plunge. Every bird among them is screaming his shrillest, and the excite- ment waxes fast and furious. Beneath, the blue-fish are making the water boil by their savage rushes, and there is fun and profit for all save the unfortunate prey. Their position is perhaps the best exemplification of the " frying-pan and the fire " that can be found in nature. The descent of a Tern upon its victim is performed with inimi- table ease and grace. The bird frequently disappears entirely be- neath the surface, and occasionally even swims a short distance under water before reappearing. The flight of the Roseate Tern is especially dashing and beautiful, with the long cleft tail streaming out behind, or inclining, rudder-like, to either side, as the bird suddenly changes its course. I have seen the Wilson's Tern pick- ing up floating garbage from the surface in the manner of a Gull, but the food is ordinarily small fishes, which are taken alive. In clear calm weather in September few Terns will be seen along shore. They probably wander farther out to sea at such times, or congregate upon the sand-bars to rest and plume themselves. The cleanliness of these birds is remarkable. Not only is the plumage invariably spotless, but I have on more than one occasion seen a 22 Brewster on Terns of the New England Coast. wounded one, which had been taken into the boat, begin to arrange its disordered feathers, and its feeble efforts to remove the blood- stains from its fresh wounds were truly toviching. When the wind blows hard the Terns spend much of their time on the wing, and then display great restlessness and activity. They seem to exult with the freshening breeze, like ships that have been jbecalmed. At such times I have seen them play for many minutes with a fish which one of their number had captured. The holder would drop it, evidently by design, and the whole troop go sweep- ing down in pursuit. The foremost was sure to seize it before it reached the watei', when it was taken up into the air and again dropped. In this manner the prize would be in turn passed from one to another. The game was apparently well understood by all, as no attempt was made by any of them to devour the fish. Swallow swill frequently play with a feather in a similar manner. The ease with which sea-birds find their way through the densest fog is as astonishing as it is inexplicable. I have seen the Terns passing between the fishing-grounds and Muskegat when it was im- possible for human eyes to discern an object many yards away, and yet their course was as direct and decided as in the clearest weather. Indeed, at such times the fishermen are often guided by their flight. The Least Terns usually leave for the south in the latter part of August, and the Short-tailed species commonly departs before the close of the succeeding month. But the Wilson's, the Roseate, and the Arctic Terns linger about Nantucket through the first half of October. After that their numbers thin rapidly, and by the 25th all arc gone. The fishermen say that they follow the blue-fish in their southward migration. However that may be, when the chill- ing blasts gf early November sweep across the sea, the Herring and Black-backed Gulls have taken their places upon the sand-bars about Nantucket; the Eider Duck, the Scoter, the Whistler, and the Sheldrake flock to fish among the Muskegat "tide-rips"; ami troops of Snow-Buntings whirl over the bleak sand-hills. ' Osborne on the Coloration of Eggs. 23 ON THE COLORATION OF EGGS. BY S. D. OSBORNE. A short time ago my attention was called to the peculiar appear- ance presented in the markings of certain eggs. I allude more par- ticularly to the purple marks on the eggs of Uria grylle, which have the appearance, mentioned in several descriptions, of being laid on under the surface ; and the idea occurred to me that the purple shade was just such a color as the dark markings of the egg would produce if they were covered with a coating of white, and that therefore it was possible that the bird was provided with only one shade of coloring matter, the varied appearance being given by the manner in which it was deposited. The determination of this point seemed easy : so, taking a knife, and choosing one of the most distinct of the purple marks, I began carefully to scrape it, and in a very short time had reduced the spot to the color of the darker mai'kings on the egg ; thus showing that instead of two dis- tinct pigments, the glands of the oviduct deposit only one, namely, a peculiar blackish-brown. Of course, in working up a question of this sort, the first thing to do is to make the observations as general as possible ; and, in the present case, the only way to accomplish this end was by continued experiment. Accordingly, I began with the intention of proceeding with the investigation through all the different orders. The second experiment was with an egg of Alca torda, which I chose as being most similar to that of Uria grylle, and one in which the same result would be most likely to be obtained. As I expected, the apparently purple markings became blackish-brown. I then made a slight deviation and took an egg of Sterna fuligi- nosa, which has a reddish-cream ground-color, over which are spots of a distinct purple, and also of a beautiful shade of reddish-choco- late. It was with some misgivings as to the result that I began to scrape the shell over one of the purple marks, but the effect was instantaneous, and by a very little work I could have made all the mai-kings conform to one color, namely, the chocolate. I then took eggs of Lams argentatus and Sterna macrura, as they were easy to woi'k upon. In both cases the dark purple changed to dark brown. T4 Osborne on the Coloration of Eggs. These examples made me pretty certain that the law applied at least to the Natatores, but I had still the other orders to investi- gate, and, beginning with the Raptores, I made two experiments ; one with an egg of Cathartes aura, in which purple marks changed to reddish-brown, and the other an egg of Accipiter fuscus, in which a very deep purple blotch became a distinct chocolate-brown, sim- ilar to the majority of the markings on the egg. Next turning to the G ' rallatores, I first took an egg of Rallies crepitans, and worked at one of the purple dots until it became a brown similar to the darker dots on the specimen. In an egg of Ibis alba, purple changed to light brown, and in those of jEgialitis meloda and Tringoides macidarius, lilac and purple became dark brown. The Insessores alone now remained for me to work upon, and here the great diffi- culty was in being able to scrape the shell in such a way that, while the outer laj'er of calcareous matter should be removed, the shell should yet remain unbroken. In the case of Corvas ameri- canus this was easy, and light purple became light brown without any difficulty, but when I came to experiment upon the smaller eggs, it was no easy matter to persuade the shell to stay together long enough to give the desired result ; but after quite a number of disasters I obtained very satisfactory results in the cases of Tyran- nus carolinensis, where all the markings became chocolate-brown, in Ampelis cedrorum, where the peculiar purple marks turned to dark brown, and in Agelams phcenicetis, in which purple became almost black. These are all the experiments which I have thus far been able to make, and as they comprise all orders of birds, and as the result was uniform in every instance,- it is fair to suppose that, at least, the purple, lilac, and lavender marks on eggs are not the results of corresponding pigments in the oviduct, but are formed merely by the darker pigments covered by a layer of calcareous matter. In regard to the brown markings of different shades which occur in very many eggs, the same experiments bring about a rather differ- ent result ; for, while the darker shades seem more fixed, a very little scraping will cause the lighter ones to disappear altogether, show- ing that where the color is light, the layer of coloring matter is thin, and where the color is dark there is always a large deposit ; and I have never seen an egg in which the different shades of brown were not such as a greater or less quantity of tlr> same pigment could produce. Allen on Nest and Eggs of the Cerulean Warbler. 25 ; This appears to cover all cases, and, unless something different is shown, it seems to me to be fair to consider that, in regard to the spotting pigments, a single bird has but one color, which may be varied according to the way in which it is deposited on the shell, — either with respect to the thickness or position in depth from sur- face of the deposit, — and. even may itself vai-y temporarily among birds of the same species, owing to a temporary condition of the system. In regard to the ground-tint of the egg, which in many cases is colored, it can hardly be accounted for on the same principle. Of coiu'se those eggs which have a white or even a soiled ground-color offer no objection ; neither do those which have a colored ground but are unspotted, as we might justly say that the remarks in re- gard to there being but one coloring matter still apply. But there are certain eggs which are spotted on a colored ground, and which make it necessary to account for the ground-color in some different way, or else to widen the theory, and to allow these few cases to enter as exceptions. As to which of these two hypotheses is more apt to be the correct one, I am not as yet prepared to hazard an opinion, but am at present pursuing a course of chemical experi- ments by which I hope to settle the question. NEST AND EGGS OF THE CERULEAN WARBLER. BY J. A. ALLEN. The Museum of Comparative Zoology has recently received a nest and four eggs of the Cerulean Warbler (Dendroeca ccerulea), collected at East Penfield, Munroe County, N. Y., June 7, 1878, by Mr. P. S. Fuller. The female was shot as she left the eggs, which were nearly fresh. The nest was placed in the fork of a small ash- tree, about twenty-five feet from the ground. It is neatly and com- pactly built, consisting externally of fine dry grasses of an ashen tint, bound firmly together with sj)ider's silk, to which are affixed a few bits of whitish lichen ; it is lined with strips of bark and fine grasses, of a reddish-brown color. The nest is thus gray externally and brown within. It measures as follows : inside diameter, 2 26 Allen on Nest and Eggs of the Cerulean Warbler. inches; outside diameter, 2.50 inches; depth inside, 1.40; external depth, 1.75. The eggs vary little in size or color, and mainly in respect to the size of the blotches. The ground-color is dull creamy- white, thickly covered with rather heavy blotches of reddish-brown. In one egg the blotches are coarse and cover the greater part of the surface ; in another the markings are finer, quite evenly diffused, and of a lighter tint ; in the other two about two thirds of the sur- face is covered by the markings. The eggs measure .GO X .47 of an inch. The Museum has also two other nests of this species. One was taken, with one egg, at Drummondsville, Ontario, in June, 1873, and, with the egg, was soon after described by Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Amer. Birds, Vol. Ill, p. 505). The other nest was taken at Mount Carmel, 111., May 1G, 1878, by Mr. William Bryant of Boston. It contained four eggs, which are now in his collec- tion. The nest described by Dr. Brewer differs from the Penfield nest in no essential point, except that it is rather slighter, and has a more nearly continuous covering of lichens, with which are mixed small pieces of hornet's nest. The bottom of the nest shows that it was built in the fork of a small branch. The Mount Carmel nest differs from the others in having somewhat thicker walls, thus giving to the structure greater bulk and firmness. Like the others, it is partly covered externally with lichens, which enclose some of the smaller twigs amidst which it is fixed to the upper surface of a small branch. These nests agree as closely in their general struc- ture, as well as in the material of their composition, as three nests of the same species are often found to do, and differ quite widely from the nests of any other species of the genus known to me. The Penfield and Mount Carmel nests were placed respectively twenty and twenty-live feet from the ground, and the Drummondsville nest at a height of fifty feet. Audubon describes the nest of the Cerulean Warbler as placed in the forks of a low tree or bush, and as being partly pensile, and tin' eggs as being pure white, with a few reddish spots about the larger end. In the light of present information, Audubon's description is evidently erroneous in nearly every particular. The only other de- scription of the nest and eggs of this species is that given by Dr. Brewer, as already stated. Dr. Brewer describes the egg as somewhat similar in its general appearance to the eggs of the Yellow Warbler (D. oestiva), but as be- Deane on Albinism and Melanism in Birds, 27 ing smaller, with the ground-color of a different shade of greenish- white. On calling Dr. Brewer's attention to the discrepancy between his description and the set of eggs above described, he was led to re-examine the subject, and also to compare his egg with the set obtained by Mr. Bryant. As a result, he writes me that his egg corresponds exactly with those obtained at Mount Carmel. He fur- ther states that while they seem to resemble the eggs of D. wsliva, a comparison shows that while the spots on the eggs of the last- named species are " olivaceous-brown," those on the eggs of D. cceruha are " decidedly red-brown." He also still further observes, " In my egg and in Mr. Bryant's the ground-color is very conspicu- ous, the spots sparse. In yours the spots are large and confluent, obscuring all the ground-color." In the eggs collected at Penfield the blotches are probably exceptionally large and heav}', but the differences between these eggs and the others are not greater than occur not uncommonly between different sets of eggs in most spe- cies of birds that lay spotted eggs. There consequently appears to be no reason for doubting the authenticity of either of the sets of eggs here attributed to D. caeruha, which in two of the instances at least were identified by the capture of the parent bird. ADDITIONAL CASES OF ALBINISM AND MELANISM IN NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS, BY RUTHVEN DEANE. In Volume I (pp. 20 - 24) of this Bulletin I gave a list of sixty species which were affected by albinism, either partial or complete, and five species representing a melanistic phase of plumage. Since- then I have been enabled to add twenty-seven species to the list of albinistic birds, and one case of melanism. In March, 1878, Mr. N. C. Brown of Portland, Me., saw a pair of pure white Mocking-Birds confined in a cage at Coosada, Ala. ; they had been taken from the nest, and retained the snowy whiteness of their plumage. Mr. George A. Boardman of St. Stephens, N. B.. writes me that he has in his possession a specimen of the Mocking- Bird which is nearly white, which he shot at St. Augustine, Fla. Mr. C. J. Maynard has in his possession a Black-capped Titmouse 28 Deane on Albinism and Melanism in Birds. with the two middle tail-feathers white. This is the only instance of albinism occurring among the Paridce of which I have heard. I have recently procured an immature specimen of the Catbird from Mr. H. K. Coale of Chicago, 111., which was shot at Hyde Park, 111., the 21st of July, 1878. Dr. Charles C. Abbott informs me that a pure white bird of this species with pink eyes was captured alive on his grounds at Trenton, N. J., and sent to the Museum of Biology at Princeton, N. J. I have recently obtained from Mr. W. H. Collins of Detroit, Mich., a strange-looking specimen of the Shore Lark. The under parts are white, the upper parts being slightly washed with a rusty brown. The feathers are much worn, and the bird has a sickly ap- pearance. Mr. Charles E. Aiken of Colorado Springs has kindly presented me with a specimen of Audubon's Warbler which he collected at Camp Apache, Arizona, September 23, 187G, with albinism represented by a distinct white l-ing around the neck ; the feathers being only tipped with white. Under date of the 25th of July, 1878, Mr. Charles A. Allen of Nicasio, Cal., writes me : "I had a fine specimen of Audubon's Warbler that I shot in the Sierras this spring. It was a male, and had a white collar extending around the back of the neck and on each side of the neck and shoulders, meeting in a large white patch on each side ; otherwise the bird was in its ordinary plumage." It is a little odd that two specimens of the species should have been taken showing the freaks of albinism in such a similar way. A white specimen of the American Goldfinch is in the collection of Mr. J. B. Gilbert of Penn Yan, N. Y. Mr. John Akhurst of Brook- lyn, N. Y., writes me that he once shot a Savannah SpaiTow pure white with the exception of the head and neck, which had a creamy tint. Mr. George A. Boardman has in his fine collection, in which so many albino birds are represented, a pure white Purple Finch ; and through the kindness of Mr. H. Hcrrick of New York I have in my collection a dull cream-colored bird of this species which he shot at Umbagog Lake, Me., some yean ago. 1 am indebted to Mr. N. « '. Brown fin- a specimen of a male Sharp-tailed Finch, which ho collected at Scarborough, Me., October 19, 1S77, showing alight traces <>f albinism. A few white feathers may be seen over each superciliary stripe and also on the secondaries and coverts of one Deane on Albinism and Melanism in Birds. 29 wing. An albino Swamp Sparrow is in Mr. Boardman's collection, taken at St. Stephens, N. B. On the 30th of November, 1878, Mr. William Brewster saw a pure white Black Snow-Bird in his garden, in Cambridge, Mass. It was in company with a flock of the same species, but unfortunately he was unable to secure it. Mr. S. Palmer of Ipswich informs me that he has au albino Indigo-Bird. A mottled Rusty Blackbird has been mounted by Mr. W. H. Collins of Detroit, Mich., and Dr. J. G. Cooper of Haywood, Cal., writes me that he has seen a partial albino specimen of Brewer's Blackbird. In a letter from Mr. Charles E. Aiken, this gentleman states that his friend, Mr. C. N. Holdtn of Chicago, 111., has a perfect albino Wood Pewee. The only instance of albinism occurring in the Chimney-Swift, which has come to my notice, is a fine pure white specimen in the collection of Mr. Jesse Warren of West Newton, Mass. In Volume III, page 192 of this Bulletin, Mr. C. A. Allen gives a description of partial albinism in the Anna Humming-Bird. Mr. Boardman informs me of a partially white Belted Kingfisher which he saw at Halifax, N. S., and Mr. Collins writes me that there is a male specimen at the Museum of the Detroit Scientific Associa- tion which was taken near that city in 1872. It is of a creamy- white color, though the natural markings of the plumage can be seen. Through the kindness of Mr. N. C. Brown I have been enabled to procure a most beautiful specimen of the Black-billed Cuckoo ; the plumage is of immaculate whiteness ; the bill and feet are dull white, and the collector said that the eyes were pink. It was taken in the vicinity of Portland, Me. Mr. Robert R. McLeod of Houlton, Me., has generously pre- sented me with a fine specimen of the female Spruce Partridge, which was shot in the vicinity of that town. The tail is pure white, a few primaries and secondaries of each wing are white, while on the upper and lower parts the white feathers are quite evenly interspersed with the black and buff plumage, and present a beautifully marbled appearance. I have in my collection a skin of the Semipalmated Sandpiper, which was found in Quincy Market, Boston, by Mr. J. T. Heftye of Christiania, Norway, in October, 1876, who kindly presented it to me. The head, neck, and upper parts are of a uniform light gray, and it lacks the buff on the breast and sides. In the Museum at 30 DeANE on Albiniwi and Melanism in Birds. Detroit is a specimen of the Coot {Fulica americana) which is white, marked with dark blotches. It was shot at Detroit, Mich., in 1873, and was mounted by Mr. Collins. Mr. Aiken informs me that he once saw a beautiful white specimen of this species in the Calumet Marshes in Indiana, but failed to procure it. I have in my possession a wing of the American Bittern with one secondary quill pure white. Mr. R. L. Newcomb of Salem, M:iss., who shot the bird, states that the rest of its plumage was normal. In Mr. Boardman's collection is a Lesser Scaup Duck in white plumage. Mr. John Akhurst informs me that he has seen an albino specimen of the Surf Duck. The only instance of albinism detected among tho Laridce which has come to my notice is in a specimen of Heermann's White- headed Gull, which Dr. Cooper informs me he shot in California. He writes : " I never shot but one albinistic specimen in California, a Larus heermanni, with a white patch about three inches square across the secondary quills. It looked very pretty in the air." Dr. Cooper also says that he has seen a pale and mottled specimen of the Fulvous Tree Duck. The only additional example of melanism which I can add to the previous list is represented by the Carolina Rail, for which I am indebted to Mr. Oilman W. Brown of West Newbury, Mass., who presented me with the specimen. It was one of about sixty of this species shot by Mr. Brown on the shores of the Merrimack River at West Newbury, September 1, 1877. At a short distance the bird looks almost black. The upper parts are black with a tinge of rufous, more especially on the scapulars, which are only tipped with this color. The throat, sides of the neck, and breast are dull brown, belly and under tail-coverts black. There is a white ring around each eye, and a small patch of white behind each eye on the occiput. As 1 remarked in my previous list, it is Btrange that albinism should occur so frequently in some families and be of such rare occurrence in others ; and it would lie interesting to learn from any of the readers of the Bulletin of any instances which may have come to their notice of this abnormal plumage in such families as the Troglodytidcey Vireonidae, or subfamily Icterince. Coues on Birth at Brooklyn Naval Hospital Grounds. 31 LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED IN THE NAVAL HOSPITAL GROUNDS, IN BROOKLYN CITY.* BY GEORGE HUGHES COUES. The Hospital enclosure contains about twenty acres, occupied by several public buildings and private residences; the land is divided into ornamental grounds with large shade-trees, a ' cemetery, a kitchen-garden, and a cultivated field. Contiguous to the enclosure is a tract of marshy land containing five or six acres, overflowed at times by tide-water. The neighborhood is a populous one, and full of manufacturing establishments, the gaseous emanations from which are very noticeable. 1. Falco columbarius. Pigeon Ha wk. — Very common. 2. Falco sparverius. Sparrow Hawk. — I have seen three indi- viduals. 3. Buteo lineatus. Red-shouldered Hawk. — Quite common. 4. Syrnium nebulosum. Barred Owl. — One seen in the imme- diate vicinity. 5. Picus villosus. Hairy Woodpecker. — Common ; but no in- stance of its breeding observed. 6. Picus pubescens. Downy Woodpecker. — Common; breeds. 7. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — Common during summer. 8. Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker. — Common ; breeds. 9. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummixg-Bird. — Com- mon. 10. Chaetura pelagica. Chimney Swallow. — Common; breeds. 11. Chordiles popetue. Night-Hawk. — Common. 12. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kixgfishkr. — Common. 13. Tyrannus carolinensis. Kingbird. — Common ; breeds. 14. Empidonax minimus. Least Flycatcher. — Common ; breeds. 15. Turdus fuscescens. Tawny Thrush.- — Very common. 16. Turdus migratorius. Robin. — Very common ; breeds. * This list, prepared at my request by my nephew, who has proved himself a close observer, is of interest as showing how many birds may be found in the very heart of a great city. Others than those here given doubtless occur, the present list being restricted to those actually observed, and identified beyond question. — E. C. 32 Coues on Birds at Brooklyn Naval Hospital Grounds. 17. Harporhynchus rufus. Browx Thrush. — Common ; breeds. 18. Mimus polyglottus. Mocking-Bird. — One specimen seen in 1877, which I unfortunately could not secure. 19. Mimus carolinensis. Catbird. — Common ; breeds. 20. Sialia sialis. Bluemrd. — Common ; breeds. 21. Regulus calendula. Ruby-crested Wren. — Common in spring and autumn. 22. Parus atricapillus. Chickadee. — Common. 23. Sitta carolinensis. White-bellied Nuthatch. — Quite rare. 24. Certhia familiaris. Brown Creeper. — Common. 25. Cistothorus palustris. Long-billed Marsh-Wren. — Very rare. 2G. Troglodytes aedon. House Wren. — Common ; breeds. 27. Mniotilta varia. Black-and-White Creeper. — Very common. 28. Dendrceca coronata. Yellow-rumped Warbler. — Common. 29. Dendrceca pennsylvanica. Chestnut-sided Warbler. — Quite rare. 30. Dendrceca aestiva. Yellow Warbler. — Common ; breeds. 31. Pyranga rubra. Scarlet Tan ager. — An occasional visitor. 32. Hirundo horreorum. Barn Swallow. — Common ; breeds. 33. Ampelis cedrorum. Cedar-Bird. — Common. 34. Vireo olivaceus. Bed-eyed Vireo. — Common; breeds. 35. Passer domesticus. English Sparrow. — Very abundant. 36. Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. — Quite common. 37. Plectrophanes nivalis. Snow-Bunting. — Common at times in winter. 38. Junco hyemalis. Snow-Bird. — Common. 39. Spizella socialis. Chipping Sparrow. — Very common; breeds. 40. Melospiza melodia. Song Sparrow. — Common ; breeds. 41. Melospiza palustris. Swamp Sparrow. — Once seen. 42. Passerella iliaca. Fox-colored Sparrow. — Quite common. 43. Guiraca ludoviciana. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. — One specimen secured. 44. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Chewink. — Very abundant. 45. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink. — Three specimens secured. 46. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Once seen. 47. Agelaeus phoeniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — Seen only occasionally. 48. Icterus baltimore. BALTIMORE Oriole. — Very common. 49. Quiscalus versicolor. Crow BLACKBIRD. — Seen occasionally. 50. Corvus americanus. Crow. — Seen occasionally. 51. Cyanurus cristatus. Bue Jay. — • One specimen secured. 52. Botaurus lentiginosus. Bittern. — One specimen seen. •">;{. ^Jgialitis semipalmata. Rihg-Neck. Sei n occasionally. 54. Tringa minutilla. Beast Sandpiper. — Quite common. Mearns on Less Hardy Winter Residents. 33 55. Totanus melanoleucus. Greater Telltale. — Seen occa- sionally. 56. Totanus flavipes. Lesser Telltale. 57. Bucephala albeola. Buffle-iiead Duck. 58. Anas obscura. Dusky Duck. — One specimen seen. 59. Querquedula discors. Blue-winged Teal. Five specimens seen. CO. Graculus carbo. Cormorant. — One pair seen. NOTES OX SOME OF THE LESS HARDY WINTER RESI- DENTS IN THE HUDSON RIVER VALLEY. BY EDGAR A. MEARNS. 1 . Turdus migratorius. Robin. — A rather scarce winter resident throughout the Hudson Valley ; occurring at least as far north as the northern limit of the red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), perhaps much farther. In the Highlands sizable flocks of Robins generally remain all winter amongst the cedars, in sheltered situations, near the Hudson River. I have found them quite as common in cold as in warm winters. Very few — scarcely any — were seen during the winter of 1877-78, which was the mildest I have ever experienced. The wintering birds affect only certain favorite spots, where they subsist mainly upon the ber- ries of the sumach {Rhus typkina) and red cedar. 2. Turdus pallasi. Hermit Thrush. — A few sometimes winter along the Hudson. In the Highlands, during the severe winter of 1874 - 75, when birds of the Canadian Fauna, such as Pinicola enucleator, Loxia leu- coptera, L. ctiroirostra var. americana, jEgiothus linaria, Chrysomitris pinus, and Plectrophanes nivalis, were very numerous, the Hermit Thrushes were frequently observed or shot. They were found only in the cedar groves by the river, and were very shy and silent ; only occasionally uttering, in a low tone, their customary chuck. These wintering birds remained until the middle of March, and the regular migrants began to arrive April 2. No Hermits were seen here during the past extremely mild winter (187 7 -78) ; but " Mr. A. J. Huyler, a competent observer, told Mr. Ernest Inger- soll, on several occasions, that he had seen Turdus pallasi at Tenafly, N. J. [opposite Riverdale, N. Y.], during each month of the past winter, — of course not in any great numbers." * Mr. Huyler since writes me that he " took a specimen of T. pallasi during the past winter, about the mid- dle of February." Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, of Riverdale, N. Y. (to whom I am indebted for many valuable notes on our winter birds), writes * E. P. Bicknell fide Ernest Ingeisoll. VOL. IV. 3 34 MeaTjns on Less Hardy Winter Residents. me : " The extremes of early arrival and late departure of this species are April 11 and November 20, both dates being in 1875; though on February 28 (.same year) I saw one in a grove of pine-trees, feeding on the dried berries of sumach (Rhus), and appearing quite at home. I again observed it (doubtless the same bird) at the same place, on March 28." * I have observed a great irregularity in the migrations of this species, both as to abundance and time of arrival. 3. Sialia sialis. Blukbikd. — The -winter range of the Bluebird is about co-extensive with that of the Robin. In the Highlands they are seen every winter, and are generally abundant when the weather is mild ; but there are often long periods when none are seen. They were present — but not numerous — in the winter of 1874-75. During the past win- ter they were very abundant throughout; they warbled their pleasant notes even in January ; fed upon cedar and sumach berries. 4. Lophophaiies bicolor. Tufted Titmouse. — This species is to be included among our winter birds on the recent authority of Mr. Eugene P. Bieknell, j- who observed one on November 29, 1874, in a piece of open woodland, near his residence, at Riverdale, N. Y. For several weeks thereafter this bird was occasionally noticed about the same spot, and without doubt remained during the winter, as he felt certain of haying heard it in January, and the following March it was often seen or heard about the same woods, being then in full song. It disappeared after March 28. As long ago as 1844 Dr. DeKay wrote: J "This lively and noisy bird appears in the southern counties of our State about the first of May, and remains with us until very late in the autumn, and indeed may be said to be a constant resident." It has never been observed in the Highlands. 5. Anorthura troglodytes var. hyemalis. Winter "When. — The Winter Wren is found in winter in the Hudson Valley at least as far north as Rhinebeck. Mr. Bieknell writes me that " it is somewhat irregular as a winter resident," but does " not consider it unusual to see it anytime between October and May (May 4, 1877). It is, however, most abundant in the fall (October)." In the Highlands it is generally common all win- ter, but is somewhat irregular. It has been abundant during the severest winters, and uncommon, at times, in mild ones. Not plentiful last winter. It is often found in the rushes of the salt marshes beside the Hudson River ; feeds, at BUch times, upon small mollosks. 6. Deudroeca corouata. YelloW-RUMPRD WARBLER. — The Yel- low-rumps generally stay with us in autumn till November; a few rcmain- • * There is a notice in "Forest and Stream" newspaper of the occurrence of ;i Hermit Thrush, at St. John, X. B., on January 11, 1 878 ; and there are numerous records of its capture, in winter, in Southern New England. t Sec this Bulletin, Vol. Ill, p. 129. J New York Fauna, Part 11, p. 50. Mearns on Less Hardy Winter Residents. 35 ing among the cedars, in sunny places, till the early part of the following month, after which all depart to a more genial climate farther south. But during the past winter (1877-78) they remained in considerable num- bers throughout that section of the Hudson Valley known as the High- lands. Their food consists mainly of the berries of the red cedar. The following notes are extracted from my journal : " November 26, 1877. Still abundant, flying about uttering a loud chip, and feeding on the berries of the red cedar. December 19. Yellow-rumps still here; have been stead- ily abundant up to this time. January 8, 1878. Still present; weather intensely cold; ground covered with snow. January 18. Quite numer- ous. They are flying about in the orchards, and inhabit bushy places near the river, or among the cedars. They seem to be quite contented so long as the ground is bare ; but after a long snow-storm they are seen flying restlessly about, seeking with great alacrity any bare spot of ground. Numbers were seen during the last storm about the woodpile, in company with Panes alricapillus. February 1 2. Very numerous among the cedars and all along the way ; feeding on cedar berries, in company with the Robins ; just beginning to acquire the summer plumage, as are also the Yellow-Birds (Ckrysomitris fiistis). This change, as in the Yellow- Birds, is confined, at this season, to a few feathers of the rump and crown. March 8. One small flock seen ; still in winter plumage. March 18. Numerous at Rhinebeck, Duchess Co., N. Y. April 3. Several seen. One that I shot was in the midst of the spring moult ; the new feathers being those of the nuptial dress." From the above notes it will be seen that the Yellow-rumps were steadily present in considerable numbers throughout the past winter. They were always gentle and familiar ; uttered a sprightly chip, — the solitary ex- pression of their various emotions, — and were very agreeable winter com- panions. Later in the spring they favor us with a very pleasant little song. 7. Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. — These beautiful birds and sweet songsters are regular winter residents. In winter there is always a great preponderance of females, — almost as marked as was noted in the case of Pinicola enucleator and JEyiothus linaria, in the early part of the winter of 1874. Even the females are heard singing during the coldest weather ; this is of common occurrence in early winter. They are gregarious, often assembling in very large flocks. On such occasions they are quite wild, and, on being approached, all rise at once on wing, with a loud, rushing noise, accompanied by certain peculiar wild notes, which produces quite a startling effect. They feed upon seeds, chiefly those of the iron-wood (Ostrya virginica), and red cedar berries. 8. Melospiza melodia. Song Sparrow. — A regular winter resi- dent, throughout the severest winters, in favorable situations ; its abun- dance and dispersion depend on the character of the winter. 9. Melospiza palustris. Swamp Sparrow. — I have an impression 3G Mearns on Less Hardy Winter Residents. that a few sometimes remain, even in the Highlands, throughout the milder winters. I remember one bird that seemed to be permanently established in a pile of lumber and debris on Consook Island, in the Hud- son River; but it was unfortunately shot on the 19th of November, 1874. Mr. Bicknell writes me : " The only instance which has come to my knowl- edge of M. paluslris wintering was in the severe winter of 1874 - 7.0, when a single individual remained during the winter about a roadside drain, which, owing to a continual inflow of water, was not often frozen. The water was supplied through a small passageway passing beneath the road, in which the bird doubtless found a desirable and effectual retreat in severe weather, as I several times started it from within the opening of this passageway, where the water was quite shallow. Other than the above, the latest record I have is November 30, 1876, when two were noted." 10. Zonotrichia albicollis. White-throatkd Sparrow. — Mr. Bicknell writes me : " A regular winter resident here (Riverdale) is Zono- trichia albicollis. I rarely find it, however, in winter, except in the vicin- ity of private residences, where an abundance of spruce-trees and other evergreens affords it a suitable shelter. At that season it often approaches familiarly about the kitchen doorstep, in company with Junco hyemalis and Spizdla monlicola." 11. Passerella iliac a. Fox Sparrow. — Possibly a few may stay in sunny sheltered situations all winter. I found them as late as December 8, 1877, and as early as February 28, 1878. Mr. Bicknell furnishes the following dates: " December 4 (1874 and 1876); February 24, 1874 (a warm day, temperature 74° !) " 12. Sturnella magna. Mkadow Lark. — They remained at Fish- kill, Duchess Co., N. Y., during the winter of 1874 - 75. Found at various points along the Hudson in winter. 13. Ceryle alcyon. Belted KINGFISHER. — None of the collectors seem to have found this bird wintering, though it might easily have done so during the past winter. My latest capture was November 4, 1874; also saw two November 30, 1878. It probably occurs on the lower part of the river in winter. 14. Sphyrapicus varius. Yki.i.oyv-hki.i.ied Woodpecker. — Fre- quently observed in the Highlands during the severest winter weather. Mr. Bicknell gives the following record from Riverdale: "November 24, 1872 ; December 3, 1874 ; and January 22, 1876. On the latter date one was shot while feeding on some decayed apples that still hung on the branches of a tree, close to the bouse." Another was taken the same month, also feeding on decayed apples. Mr. A. J. Huyler Btates that "the Yellow-bellied Woodpeckers stayed at Tcnally, X.J., until the last. now very rare, though General Notes. 63 a few remain in the vicinity of Toledo, and in Erie, Ottawa, Crawford, and Marion counties. Mr. R. E. Neil informs me that a few years since, a few remained at Radnon, Delaware Co. — J. M. WheaTON, Columbus, 0. The Great White Egret in New Brunswick. — Mr. C.J.Maynard has informed me of the capture of an immature specimen of Ardea egrella, which he examined in the flesh, shot at Whitehead, Island of Grand Menan, on the 3d November, 1878. It is a singula'- fact that so many instances have occurred in late years of southern species having wandered north to New England and more northern localities in the fall and winter months. Besides a bird of this species recorded for Nova Scotia by Mr. J. Matthew Jones of Halifax, this is, I think, the most northern locality in which this bird has been detected. — Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass. The Stilt Sandpiper (Micropalama himantoptis) on the New Jer- sey Coast. — During my stay at Squam Beach, N. J., last summer, from July 15 to September 15, ten Stilt Sandpipers were shot there. Nearly all were killed about September 1, and, excepting a flock of three, all were single birds. Six are now in my possession. I believe the Stilt Sand- piper has been rarely taken in New Jersey, as I know of but one other recent capture. This species will now have been recorded, in numbers, all along the Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Long Island, and New Jersey coasts, at suitable places from Portland, Me., to Squam Beach, N. J., showing not only that it is a regular migrant, but also that there is every probability of its being taken farther north and farther south. It would now seem that it can hardly be regarded as a rare straggler on that part of the Atlantic coast from Maine to New Jersey. The question arises, Has the Stilt Sandpiper been much overlooked, or has it, of late years, increased in abundance ? — J. Dwight, Jr., Cambridge, Mass. Notes on New England Birds. — Mr. George H. Mackay furnishes me with the following memoranda, which are not without interest. 1. Gallinula galeata. Florida Gallinule. — An immature bird was shot late in the autumn of 1872, probably in October, near the north end of Hummock Pond, Nantucket. The specimen is now in the collec- tion of the Boston Society of Natural History. 2. Micropalama himautopus. Stilt Sandpiper. — A single speci- men, in company with one Gambeita fiacipes, was shot July 25, 1878, at Nantucket. The capture is interesting on account of locality and its early date. [See this Bulletin, Vol. Ill, p. 148.] 3. Gallinago wilsoui. Wilson's Snipe. — Obtained August 29, at Nantucket. 4. iEgialitis meloda. Piping Plover. — Taken at Nantucket as early as April 14, 1878. 64 General Notes. 5. Mimus polyglottus. Mockixg-Bird. — A young male, evidently a wild bird, was shot by Mr. Mackay at Nantucket, October 8, 1878. Besides tbe above I bave to record : — 6. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus, Lawr. — A female was shot at Easthain by Mr. Frank L. Tileston, November 2, 1878. Without presum- ing to decide whether this is entitled to rank even as a variety, tbe fact remains that this bird was in a very different form from the common M. griseus and was shot at a period much later than the latter bird has been known to appear. 7. Limosa hudsonica. Hudsoxiax Godwit. — A female was shot by Mr. Tileston on Cape Cod, November 2, 1878 ; also late in the season for this species. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. The Frigate Pelican in Nova Scotia. — The occurrence of Tachypelcs at/uila so far from its usual range is a note of much interest, the only instance previously recorded of its capture as far north even as New England being a specimen taken at Faulkner's Island, Long Island, in 1859.* Mr. Andrew Downs of Halifax, N. S., to whom I am indebted for the following information concerning its capture, writes me: "The Frigate Bird which I sent to Boston was shot October 1G, 187G, outside of Halifax Harbor. It is the only one which has ever been seen here, and was driven here by a strong southwest gale. It was very warm weather for the time of year." The specimen, which is a fine adult male, is in the possesion of Mr. Charles J. Maynard of Newtonville, Mass. — Ruthvex Ueane, Cambridge, Mass. Fui.MARUS GEACIALIS ON THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST. — In my Catalogue of the Birds of New England this bird is spoken of as gener- ally supposed to be found off our coast, but as unsupported by fact. 'Ibis can be said of it no longer. On Monday, November 4, 18 78, I saw a liv- ing specimen of it in the yard of Mr. George O. Welch of Lynn, to whom it had been sent to be mounted for the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. James W. Milncr writes me that this specimen of the Fulmar Petrel was taken by Captain William Sweet of the fishing-schooner Grace C. Ilad- ley, " on a cod-book, on the eastern part of George's Bank, which is a very lit tit' south of east of Boston, and certainly belongs to the New England coast. It was taken October 28, 1878." — T. M. Brewer, 233 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. * J American Naturalist, Vol. IX, j». 470, August, 1875. % f upper mandible. Tibire black. Bill greenish-yellow. I apparently dusky flesh-color. Length, 7J-8J inches; wing, 4-4.\ ; tail, 2A - 3 ; lull, \ long, 3 deep, and \ broad at the base. $ adult. Brownish ash-color, paler below, and whitening on the belly, irregu- larly mixed or patched with yellowish. Lining of wings ami axillars bright yellow. White Bpeculum on tin1 wing incomplete, the feathers being partly black, ami sometimes having the white pari tinged with yellow ; the primaries, which are entirely black on the male, having also large white areas on the inner webs, ami being sometimes tipped with white. The adult males differ much in the shade of the yellow, ami degree to which it is obscured by the sooty-olive. Taking age and sex also into account, the range of variation in color is wide, but the remarkable species cannol be mis- taken for any Other. Specimens from the Southern Rocky Mountain region and southward are said to have the bill less turgid, the yellow frontlet narrower, and less white OU the wings. Such constitute Mr. Etidgway's variety montana, a typical example of which 1 have seen from Illinois. Coues's History of the Evening Grosbeak. 67 Once seen, the Evening Grosbeak will not likely be forgotten, even though we only glance at what was once a brilliant denizen of the maple groves, and is now but a bunch of feathers stuffed with tow; for there is no bird of our country that in the least resembles this striking likeness of a sunset. They say he has a near relative in the land of Montezuma,* but he is otherwise quite an isolated magnificence, his closest kinship being with the Hawfinch of Europe {Coccothraustes vulgaris), whom he resembles in his stature and pro- portions, though not at all in coloration. Nor has he the curious construction of the wing-feathers that the typical Hawfinch displays, these quills being as simple in form as they are in any other mem- ber of the extensive family of the Finches. No very distant relatives among our Fringillkhe are such species as the Blue, the Cardinal, the Rose-breasted, and other Grosbeaks, as well as those, like the Pine, with which we have grown accustomed to see him associated in our books and catalogues. He is rather a late aspirant to the questionable honors of our literature, having remained unknown to fame all through the Wil- sonian period, and until brought to our notice by Mr. William Cooper, whose letter of introduction, originally published in the " Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History," was soon ex- tensively copied by the editors of other periodicals. + The bird thus * Hesperiphona abeillii (Less.) Bp. Guiraca abeillii, Less., "Rev. Zool. 1839, 41 (Mexico)." Hesperiphona abeillii, Bp., C. A. I, 1850, 505. — Sumich., Mem. Bost. Soc. I, Pt. IV, 1869, 550. — B. B. & R., Hist. N. A. B., I, 1874, 449. Coccothraustes abeillii, Scl. & Salv., Ibis, I, 1859, 19. — Scl., P. Z. S. 1859, 365. —Scl., Cat. A. B., 1862, 123. Hesperiphona vespcrtina, Jun. ex Mex., Bp., C. A. I, 1850, 505. Coccothraustes maculipcnuis, Scl., P. Z. S. 1860, 251, pi. 163 (Vera Cruz). — Sot. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1860, 398. . + Special papers on Hesperiphona vespcrtina : — 1825. Cooper, W. Description of a New Species of Grosbeak [Fringilla vespcrtina, p. 220], inhabiting the Northwestern Territory of the United States. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., New York, I, Pt. II, 1825, pp. 219-222. (Read Janu- ary 10, 1825.) This is the original description of the species, from the Schoolcraft specimen, Saute Ste. Marie, Michigan, April, 1823. 1826. Cooper, W. Description of a New Species of Grosbeak [Fringilla vespcrtina, p. 136], inhabiting the Northwestern Territory of the United States. Thomson's Ann. of Philos. (new series), XI, 1826, pp. 134-136. Reproduced from Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, I, 1825, pp. 219-222. 1826. Less[on, R. P.]. Description d'une espece nouvelle de Gros-bea 68 CoiTES's History of the Evening (rrosbecik. speedily became known to ornithologists of all parts of theworld. The actual discovery of so welcome an addition to onr recognized Fauna was made by Mr. Schoolcraft, who secured the original exam- ple of the species in April of the year 1823, at or near the Saute Sainte Marie, Michigan. This individual, upon its presentation to the Lyceum just named, became the basis of Mr. Cooper's communica- tion, and was supposed for a little while to be the only representa- tive of the species known to naturalists ; but other specimens soon became available for the purposes of science. Thus Bonaparte, who first figured the interesting acquisition, in 1828, states that at this date he had examined two other specimens, besides Mr. School- craft's, which had been shot early in the spring on Lake Athabasca, and were preserved in the Leadbeater collection in London ; one of them serving him for the elaborate description which he gives in his "American Ornithology." Soon after this, we find Sir John Richardson's allusion to specimens sent to the authors of the "Fauna Boreali-Americana " by Mr. Prudens, Chief Trader at Carlton House ; and this author remarks that the bird is a common inhabitant of the maple groves of the Saskatchewan region, — a circumstance from which its Cree Indian name Seesebasquit-jirtlnn/sish, or Sugar-Bird, is derived.* A very characteristic likeness of the male bird of natural [Fruifjillit vespertina, Coop.], etc., habitant le tcrritoire X.-O. des Etats- Unis ; par William Cooper Feruss. Bull. 2' sect. VII, 1826, p. 110. Extrait des Annales du Lyeee d'Hist. Nat. de New York, I, 1825, pp. 219- 222. 1827. Lesson, R. P. Description d'une espeee muivelle de pros-bee [Frin- gUla vespertina, Coop.], habitant la partie nord-ouest des Etats-Unis; par William Cooper. . . . Feruss. Bull. 2* sect. XII. 1827, pp. 267, 268. Tin', des Annal. de Philos. XI, 1826, pp. 134-1:.*:. 1832. Cooper, W. Neue Gattung Kernbeisser [Fringilla vespertina]. Oken's Isis, 15,1. XXV, 1832, p. 1073. Auszug mis d. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, I, 1825, pp. 219-2-JJ. 1855. Cottle, T. Coccothraustes vespertina. — Evening Grosbeak. Canad. Journ. Ill, 1855, p. 287. Historical and descriptive ; occurrence of the Bpecies in ( lanada. 1869. Kiktlam), .1. 1'. [Occurrence of Hesperiphona vespertina in Ohio.] Ohio Fanner, IX, March 21. 1860. The original ascription of the species to Ohio; but it bad been observed in tint State in 1847. * The accompanying descriptions an' of a male killed <>n the Saskatchewan in 1829, and of a supposed female from Borne locality not stated ; tin' latter is, however, tin' immature male; for Bonaparte, in stating that the female scarcely Coues's History of the Evening Grosbeak. 69 size, drawn and colored in William Swainson's well-known style, accompanies the notice to which I refer ; the remainder of the account in the work just named consisting of the junior author's fanciful speculations on the quinary affinities of this remarkable Grosbeak. His ingenuity brings him to the sage conclusion that the bird is related to certain temdrostral types, notwithstanding that it has one of the largest, stoutest, stockiest bills to be found in the whole Fringilline assemblage. It is sometimes interesting, and it may not seldom become edify- ing, to look back through the perspective of time and see how the heaviest artillery of the systematists may turn to Quaker guns, when thus viewed through the telescope reversed. It is no less profitable to ponder how the disputes of the schools arise in partic- ular ways of looking at things that never change, and are fostered by the varying idiosyncrasies of individuals who aspire to solve the silent, persistent, unending mysteries that Nature will never fully reveal to man's unaided understanding. We play a game of chess with brilliant pieces of natural workmanship, each on a checkered field of his individual experiences, all too small for the full development of the game, yet quite too large for us to cover successfully ; and the most we may indulge a hope of, is the ban-en victory of a perpetual stale-mate. We shift and shift positions, but can never extricate ourselves. Thus Bonaparte wrote in 1828 : " The Evening Grosbeak is .... so precisely similar in form to the Hawfinch-type of the group, as to defy the attempts of the most de- termined innovators to separate them"; and in 1850 he established a genus Hesperiphona upon a basis which he had thus declared not to exist. We seem to be no wiser after than before such events as these, in anything that pertains to our actual knowledge of the Evening Grosbeak. Let us turn another page of written history respecting the sub- ject of the present notice. The statements of fact I have made are all staple accounts, copied by each successive compiler with no less scrupulous exactitude than I have myself exhibited. Quite a fresh ditfers from the male, spoke from insufficient evidence, and Richardson, making note of this inadvertence, committed another error. The subject was not recti- fied until Audubon described and figured the female from specimens and infor- mation furnished him by Townsend. The female obtained by Audubon from Townsend was marked " Black Hills, June 3, 1824," and therefore missed being the earliest specimen of which we have any account by only one year. 70 Coues's History of the Evening Grosbeak. and interesting chapter was added by J. K. Townsend, who contrib- uted his observations to Audubon's work, under date of "Columbia River, .May 27, 1836." He corrected two grave errors which had already cropped out, namely, respecting the sexual similarity in plumage, and concerning the wrong notion that the bird sings only at evening, as implied in the term vexpertina. His notice is worth transcribing, even at this late day, so little further information have we acquired respecting the habits of the Evening Grosbeak. " The Evening Grosbeak," says Townsend, " is very numerous in the pine-woods at this time. You can scarcely enter a grove of pines at any hour in the day without seeing numbers of them. They are very unsuspicious and tame, and I have, in consequence, been enabled to procure a fine suite of specimens. The accounts that have been published respecting them by the only two authors to whom I have access, Mr. Nuttall and Prince Bonaparte, are, I think, in many respects, incorrect. In the first place, it is stated that they are retiring and silent during the day, and sing only on the approach of evening. Here they are remarkably noisy during the whole of the day, from sunrise to sunset. They then retire quietly to their roosts in the summits of the tall pines, and are not aroused until daylight streaks the east, when they come forth to feed as before. Thus I have observed them here, but will not say but that at other seasons and in other situations their habits may be different. They are now, however, very near the season of breeding, as the organs of the specimens I examined sufficiently indicate. They appear fond of going in large bodies, and it is rare to see one alone in a tree. They feed upon the seeds of the pine and other trees, alighting upon large limbs, and proceeding by a succession of hops to the very extremities of the branches. They eat, as well as seeds, a considerable quantity of the larvae of the large black ant, and it is probable that it is to procure this food that they are not uncommonly seen in the tops of the low oaks which here skirt the forests. Their ordinary voice, when they are engaged in procuring food, consists of a single rather BCreaming note, which from its tone I at first supposed to be one of alarm, but soon discovered my error. At other times, particularly about mid- day, the male sometimes selects a lofty pine branch, and th< tempts a song ; but it is a miserable failure, and he seems conscious of it, for he frequently pauses and looks discontented, then remains silent sometimes for some minutes, and tries it again, but with no Coues's History of the Evening Grosbeak. 71 better success. The note is a single warbling call, exceedingly like the early part of the Robin's song, but not so sweet, and checked as though the performer were out of breath. The song, if it may be so called, is to me a most wearisome one : I am constantly listening to hear the stave coutinued, and am as constantly disappointed. Another error of the books is this — they both state that the fe- male is similar to the male in plumage. Now, this is entirely a mistake : she is so very different in color and markings that were it not for the size and color of the bill, and its peculiar physiog- nomy, one might be induced to suppose it another species." * The nest and eggs of this elegant Grosbeak have not been dis- covered yet ; nor have we, in fact, gained much further insight into the bird's mode of life than Townsend's note affords. I was greatly disappointed in my expectations of making the personal acquaintance of the " Sugar-Bird " in the solitudes of the Saskatche- wan region ; for my search was never rewarded with a glimpse of the fugitive among the lowering pines of northernmost Montana, nor has it ever been my fortune to see him in the mountains of Colorado, New Mexico, or Arizona, where we are informed he is to be found. But, before mapping what we have learned of the geo- graphical distribution of the species, I may continue with the obser- vations of others who have watched the course of the bird in his native haunts. A fresh glimpse of the Evening Grosbeak was lately given (Am. Nat. XII, July, 1878, p. 471) by Mr. W. L. Tiffany, of Minneapo- lis, Minn., where the interesting bird is said to have resided during the winters of the past few years. The Grosbeaks were seldom seen except in each other's company, the flocks sometimes number- ing scores of individuals. They frequented usually the groves of the sugar-maple ; and the buds of these trees, together with the seeds of the box-elder, formed their principal food. They were very familiar in their demeanor, appearing even less suspicious of man than the confiding Bohemian Waxwings seemed to be, for they established their headquarters in the town itself, among the shade- trees, and were sometimes seen to ramble over house-tops and porches like so many Wrens. Their notes are called by Mr. Tiffany * A nominal species had, in fact, already been named by the French orni- thologist, E. P. Lesson, who, in 1834, described the female or young male Evening Grosbeak as Coccothraustcs bonapartii. (See anted, p. 66.) 72 Coues's History of tlie Evening Grosbeak. " strangely ejaculatory as well as harshly piping," and thus scarcely to be considered musical ; still, the birds seemed to be fond of such performances, and occupied much of their leisure in practising both as soloists and as choristers. The writer adds that his female spe- cimens usually showed whitish edgings of the inner webs of the tail- feathers, apparently overlooked by some of our standard authorities. Dr. J. G. Cooper has recorded the Evening Grosbeak as a com- mon resident of the forests of Washington Territory, where the bird's habit. of keeping in the summits of the tall trees screened him to a degree from observation. In January, 1854, he obtained sev- eral specimens from a flock that had descended during a snow-storm to some bushes about Vancouver ; and he subsequently observed it flying high among poplar-trees, or feeding upon the seeds, and uttering a loud, shrill call-note. In later years he was enabled to make further observations in various portions of California. Thus, he speaks of one flock of about a dozen individuals which wintered near Santa Cruz, remaining until the end of April. " Their favorite resort was a small grove of alders and willows, close to the town, where their loud call-note could be heard at all hours of the day, though I never heard them sing. When the herbage began to grow in spring, their favorite food was the young leaves of various annual weeds that sprouted up under the shade of the trees. They then fed on the buds of the 'box-elder' (Xegundo), and frequented the large pear-trees in the old mission garden, probably to eat their buds. They were generally very tame, allowing an approach to within a few yards of them when feeding." The annual movements of the Evening Grosbeak within the area of its usual dispersion have nut been well determined It is a migratory bird in one sense, but does not appear to be subjected to the impulse of migration with periodical regularity, as a strict and proper migrant should be. It is certainly able to endure a very rigorous climate, for its presence during the most inclement weather of winter along our Northern border, and even in British America, is sufficiently attested Thus it appears, from Captain Blakiston's article in the "Ibis," that the Evening Grosbeak occurs in the inhospitable region of the Saskatchewan between the months of November and April, when birds of this kind were seen feeding on the asli leaved maples in company with the very boreal Pine Grosbeaks. Mr. Tiffany's note, already quoted, shows that they endure a Minnesota winter, which is not a thing to be lightly dis- Coues's History of the Evening Grosbeak. 73 regarded. On the other hand, we have witnesses to their occur- rence and probable residence on the table-lands of Mexico, not far from the capital city of that country, where Sumichrast observed them in the pine woods of Monte Celto, in May, 1857. Mr. Hen- shaw considers the species to be "doubtless a rare resident" in Arizona, in which Territory he secured a specimen in September, near Camp Apache. As I have intimated, our rather meagre rec- ords do not furnish the data for the full solution of the question ; and they are in some respects so conflicting apparently, as well as fragmentary, that we feel our doubts rather increased than removed when we compare them. It would appear in present light, however, that the bird is scarcely a true migrant, but rather a wanderer according to exigencies of food supply, to some extent resembling the Bohemian Waxwing, the Pine Grosbeak, Red-poll Linnet, Cross- bill, and species of Plectrojyhanes. Its general habits, and some traits of its character, especially its sociability, familiarity with man, and ways of feeding, are those of Crossbills, Red-polls, and cer- tain other northerly Fringillidce, rather than of such species as the Rose-breasted, Black-headed, Cardinal, and Blue Grosbeaks, with which it seems to be nevertheless related in some technical characters. The erratic movements just intimated to be probably chargeable to this singular bird bring it at times to localities remote from its usual centres of abundance. I shall conclude with consideration of this point, in sketching the geographical distribution of the species. Our early accounts, as I have presented them, indicated a range along the northern boi'der of the United States from Michigan west- ward to the ocean, and Richardson ascribed to the bird a northward extension to latitude 56° N. But since those days it has been traced much farther south and east. Being a bird of woodland, it will not be found on the great plains ; but, aside from any matters of local distribution resulting from surface-conditions of the country, this Grosbeak may be said to inhabit the United States from the outliers of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. It is thus essen- tially a Western species ; but in the region of the Great Lakes, and for some little distance thence southerly, it stretches far to the eastward, not in solitary and fortuitous instances, but regularly, or at any rate frequently. Its normal range cannot well be short of Canada, in different localities in which Dominion specimens have * not seldom been secured. Thus Mr. Mcllwraith states, in the paper 74 Coues's History of the Evening Grosbeak. above cited, that he had heard of its presence near Hamilton, Canada West, and that a few years previously several had been shot by Mr. T. I. Cottle at Woodstock, where they were " quite numerous for a day or two dui'ing the month of May." Respecting the Evening Grosbeak's presence in the States of Wis- consin and Illinois, Dr. Brewer presents the following paragraph in the " History of North American Birds " (p. 452) : " On February 14, 1871, Mr. Kumlein, while out in the woods with his son, saw a small flock of these birds in Dane County, Wisconsin. There were six of them, but, having no gun, he did not procure any. Later in the season he again met with and secured specimens. In the fol- lowing March Dr. Hoy of Bacine also obtained several near that city. He also informs me that during the winter of 1870- 71 there •were large flocks of these birds near Freeport, 111. One person pro- cured twenty-four specimens. One season we noticed them as late as May. They frequent the maple woods, and feed on the seeds fallen on the ground. They also eat the buds of the wild cherry. Their visits are made at irregular intervals. In some years not a single individual can be seen, while in others they make their ap- pearance in December and continue through the whole winter." The Evening Grosbeak has also long been known to occur in Ohio. The original announcement of the fact was made by the late Professor J. P. Kirtland, in the " Ohio Farmer" of March 24, 18GD. "Those of your readers," says the Professor to the editor, " who are interested in t lie natural sciences will no doubt be gratified to learn that so rare a bird as the Evening Grosbeak lias made its ap- pearance in these parts. Early last week a beautiful female was secured by Charles Pease, Jr., and on the next day I saw Beveral others of this species. It is known among ornithologists as the Hesperiphona vespertina, and has never before, I believe, been dis- covered east of Lake Michigan." But this last statement seems to be not strictly accurate ; for Dr. J. M. Wheaton, in transcribing this paragraph into his excellent "Catalogue of the Birds of Ohio," adds that Mr. William Kent informed him that lie obtained a specimen in the vicinity of Columbus, Ohio, in IS 17. But we have the evidence that the Evening Grosbeak occasionally strays still further east ward. It has occurred in New Fork State, and is liable to be found even in New England. Its presence near New York city is attested by Mr. George N. Lawrence, who, how- B no particulars of the case. Dr. Brewer asserts that the Brewster on Certain Rare, Birds in Texas. 75 Rev. Dr. Cutting of Brooklyn saw one in the winter of 187.r>, at Elizabethtown, Essex County, New York. Dr. Brewer also incor- rectly makes me out to have " hypothetic-ally " included the Even- ing Grosbeak among the birds of New England ; but I beg to remind him that I never did so. The species is not included in my " List of New England Birds," hypothetically or in any other way. The name of the bird occurs in two places in my text. On page 280 of the "Proceedings of the Essex Institute," Vol. V, 1868, I make this simple remark : " Mr. Mcllwraith records the capture of the Evening Gros- beak, Helper iphona vespertiva, Bon., at Woodstock, Canada." On page 312 I say again : " Add to the record of this species at Wood- stock, Canada, Mr. Lawrence's notice of its occurrence near New York. Stragglers will probably in time be found in New England." In offering me one of those side-thrusts which he has become nota- bly overfond of giving to any one who may chance to differ with him, Dr. Brewer nevertheless goes on to say in substance precisely what I had remarked. His words are : " So far there is no positive evidence to corroborate this claim [i. e. my alleged claim, which I never made], yet its presence [i. e. the bird's, not the claim's] as a straggler may be looked for as possible in Vermont or New Hamp- shire." I have thus endeavored to faithfully reflect all that we have learned respecting the life-history of this engaging bird. Notes illustrating its distribution — particularly the manner and occasion of its movements, and its breeding-places — will long continue to be acceptable contributions ; while the fortunate discoverer of the nest and eggs will supply what still remains one of the special desiderata in North American ornithologv. ON THE HABITS AND NESTING OF CERTAIN RARE BIRDS IN TEXAS. BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. I recently have had the pleasure of examining a superb collec- tion of birds and eggs obtained by Mr. W. H. Werner in Comal County, Texas, during the months of April and May, 1878. Among the specimens represented are many of great rarity, and several of 76 BREWSTER on Certain Rare Birds in Texas. the eggs are believed to be entirely new to science. An inspection of the fine collection of Mr. Edmund Ricksecker, of Nazareth, Peim., has also afforded much valuable information, bearing upon the orni- thology of the same locality, for, as elsewhere explained in my account of the Black-capped Vireo, in this number of the Bulletin, Mr. Rick- Becker's cabinet includes many eggs and nests from Comal County. The following notes are based entirely upon material contained in these collections, and my grateful thanks are due Messrs. Werner and Ricksecker, not only for the many courteous attentions extended to me during my visit, but also for the opportunity afforded me of meas- uring and examining the rare specimens. All their notes relating to the subject under consideration were also freely placed at my disposal. Readers of the Bulletin may expect in some future num- ber a more detailed account by Mr. Werner of some of the rarer species, which are here but briefly treated : — 1. Parus carolinensis. Carolina Titmouse. — Although the prob- able occurrence in Texas of this diminutive Titmouse has been already hinted at, I believe there is no previous record of its actual capture in that State. Mr. Werner, however, ascertained it to be a ran- resident in Comal County. Two pairs only were observed. A male and female shot near Bow Creek are in the collection, and appear to be considerably smaller than more northern specimens. 2. Lophophanes atricristatus. Bi.ack-crested Titmouse. — A common resident in Comal County. Mr. Werner examined several nests, all of which were placed in natural cavities of hollow limbs. In every instance pieces of snake-skins or their separate scales were included among the other material composing the nest. Mr. Sennett, in bis description * of a nest obtained at Lomita Ranche, in Southern Texas, mentions the same peculiarity, and it would appear that this habit may lie characteristic of the species. Our previous knowledge of the eggs of this Titmouse rests solely upon the account by Mr. Sennett of a single exam- ple found in the Lomita nest above referred to. Mr. Kicksecker's cabinet contains a set of the eggs of this species which were taken in Comal County, April 5, 1878. These eggs measure, respectively, .74 .58;.78x .57; .7G x .59, being thus considerably larger than Mr. Sennet t "s .-jiecimen, the measurements of which are given as .60 x .48. They are regularly <>\"iil in shape, and handsomely marked with reddish-lirown upon a clear white ground. Over the general surface these markings arc distributed in fine spots, but about the larger end bold. Btrongly defined blotches occur, Forming a nearly continent ring. Four eggs of a set in Mr. Werner's collection arc nearly similar in shape and general appearance, * Science News, Vol. I, No. 4, p. 57. Brewster on Certain Bare Birds in Texas. 77 but the markings are finer and the ring of color about the larger end less apparent. This nest, together with the eggs and parent birds, is beau- tifully preserved in a section of the limb in which it was found. The entrance hole is of large size, and the entire cavity is apparently a natural one. The nest proper is placed about six inches below the exterior opening. 3. Dendrceca chrysoparia. Golden-cheeked Warbler. — In the Bulletin for January, 1879, the fourth known specimen of this rare Warbler was recorded by Mr. Purdie, and the past history of the species fully given. The original specimens were procured by Mr. Salvin in Vera Paz, Guatemala. Since that time, with the exception of a male obtained by Mr. Dresser, near San Antonio, Texas, about 1864, no additional ones have apparently been taken. The specimen mentioned by Mr. Purdie was taken by George H. Ragsdale in Bosque County, Texas, April, 1878. In view of these facts the following account, kindly furnished by Mr. Werner, can scarcely fail to prove of great interest. Of the habits of the Golden-cheeked Warbler Mr. Werner writes : — " While on a collecting tour in the mountainous districts of Comal County, Texas, I noticed these Warblers, and after studying their habits and different attitudes I shot one, which proved to be a male. Their habits were similar to those of D. virens : they were very active, always on the alert for insects, examining almost every limb, and now and then darting after them while on the wing. The male uttered soft notes at in- tervals, which sounded, as nearly as I can express it, like tsrr weasy-weasy tweak. I found them invariably in cedar timber, or ' cedar brakes,' as the ranch men call them. I was not fortunate enough to find a nest until the 13th of May. About eight days prior to that date I noticed a female bird with building material flying in a certain direction, but it gave me a good deal of trouble before I traced her through underbrush and thickets to a cedar brake, where I found new difficulties. The trees were numerous and standing near together, and a large patch at that ; so I came to the conclusion that if I wanted the nest I must examine each tree separately. Accordingly I waited till the 1 3th, and then commenced in good earnest on my first tree. In about an hour's time, to my great joy, I found the nest, containing three eggs, and also one of the Cow Bunting. I am in- clined to think that they generally lay their eggs earlier in the season, as I had, a few days previous to this, found a brood of young ones following their parents (with young Cow Buntings in their wake), clamoring for food. " I also found in the immediate neighborhood another nest, but it was abandoned ; I think it belonged to the same pair of which I found the eggs. This would account for finding them so late with fresh eggs. On the 14th of the same month I found two more nests vacant, and by exam- ining them found that young ones had been hatched, and had already left the nest. " The four nests that I have found were similar in construction, and 78 Brewster on Certain Bare Birch in Texas. were built in forks of perpendicular limbs of the Junipcrus virginiana, from ten to eighteen feet from tbe ground. Tlie outside is composed of the inner bark of the above-mentioned tree, interspersed with spider-webs, well fastened to the limb, and in color resembling the bark of the tree on which it is built, so that from a little distance it is difficult to detect the nest." I have had the pleasure of examining two of the nests above referred to by Mr. Werner. They are so nearly identical in every respect that one description will answer for both, and accordingly I will take for my type a fine specimen which, with an adult male bird, Mr. Werner has generously contributed to my collection. The original position of this nest is well sh6wn, as it is preserved with a section of the limb upon which it was found. It is placed in a nearly upright fork of a red cedar, between two stout branches, to which it is firmly attached. Although a large, deep structure, it by no means belongs to either the bulky, or loosely woven class of bird domiciles, but is, on the contrary, very closely and com- pactly felted. In general character and appearance it closely resembles the average nest of the Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendrceca virt ns). It is, however, of nearly double the size, in fact, larger than any Wood Warbler's nest (excepting perhaps that of D. coronata) with which I am ac- quainted. It measures as follows : external diameter, 3.50 ; external depth, 3.45 ; internal diameter, 1.60 ; internal depth, 2.00. The exterior is mainly composed of strips of cedar bark, with a slight admixture of fine <_n-ass- stems, rootlets, and hemp-like fibres, the whole being kept in place by an occasional wrapping of spider-webs. The interior is beautifully lined with tbe hair of different quadrupeds and numerous feathers ; among the latter, several conspicuous scarlet ones from the Cardinal Grosbeak. The outer surface of the whole presents a grayish, inconspicuous appearance, and from the nature of the component materials is well calculated to escape observation. Indeed, it must depend for concealment upon this protective coloring, as it is in no way sheltered by any surrounding foliage. The nest just described is that spoken of by Mr. Werner as the one probably first constructed by the pair whose nest and eggs he found on May 13. A direct comparison between these two specimens presents few differences worthy of comment. Mr. Werner's nest is placed in a precisely similar cedar fork ; the outer walls are of felted strips of cedar bark, and a few brilliant cardinal feathers are mingled with the hair lining. Th belonging with this nest are similar in shape, all being of a regular but sc swhal rounded oval form ; their ground-color is clear white. Two are thinly and evenly covered with line but distinct spots of light reddish-brown, while tbe third is so very faintly marked with the same color that at a little distance it appears nearly immaculate. Their measurements, as taken for me l>\ Mr. Werner, are, .75 x .57 ; .77 x .56 ; .7G x .58. In size and general appearance they arc unlike any Warbler's eggs that I have ever Been, and most closely resemble faintly spotted examples of those of the Tufted Tit- mouse. -Mr. Werner is of the opinion that they are exceptional in being Brewster on Certain Rare Birds in Texas. 79 so finely spotted, as the broken shells found in the deserted nest exhibited much heavier markings, and in that respect agreed closely with two eggs in Mr. Ricksecker's cabinet, collected in Comal County, May 24, 187 7. These last are unidentified, but Mr. Werner is confident that they can belong to no other species than the one under consideration, as the person by whom they were originally taken showed him the Aery fork in which the nest had been found the previous season, and his own nests were sub- sequently obtained in similar localities in the immediate neighborhood. These facts, taken in connection with the close resemblance of the nest to those already described, render the specimens well worth description as probable examples of the eggs of D. chrysoparia. They measure, respec- tively, .72x.53 and .76x.53. The latter dimensions, it will be observed, nearly coincide with those of one of Mr. Werner's specimens. The ground-color of the shell is a dead, dull white, thickly spotted everywhere with fine dots of reddish-brown and shell markings of pale lavender. At irregular intervals bold, conspicuous blotches of a darker shade of brown occur. These markings become nearly confluent around the larger ends, forming the wreath-pattern so common among spotted eggs. The nest bears a very close resemblance to those already described, but is some- what smaller, measuring as follows : External depth, 2.15 ; external diameter, 2.00 ; internal depth, 1.50 ; internal diameter, 1.50. As with the other twro, the outer walls are made up of strips of cedar bark, and the lining differs only in being composed almost entirely of feathers. These are used in such profusion as to form a dense, downy bed for the eggs, while around the rim or mouth of the nest they arch over inward, prettily con- cealing the greater part of the interior. The occurrence of such a nest in semi-tropical Texas is of itself a most interesting fact, especially when considered in connection with the theory that warm, feather-lined domiciles are peculiar to northern-breeding birds. Although the parentage of this last nest is undeniably involved in some obscurity, I have little doubt that it is correctly referred to D. chryxoparia. I should perhaps have stated before that the identification of ihe nest and eggs in Mr. Werner's collec- tion is of the most positive character. The female was sitting on the nest, and at the first alarm her mate appeared when both were secured. 4. Ceryle americana var. cabanisi. Texas Kingfisher. — This beau- tiful little Kingfisher was found by Mr. Werner in comparative abundance at several points in Comal County, notably about some of the springs that empty into the Guadaloupe River. A set of six eggs,* taken April 25, 1878, was authenticated by the capture of both parent birds, the female being caught * The only previous description to which I can at present refer is that by Dr. Brewer (birds of North America, Vol. II, p. 397), of some unidentified eggs from Dr. Berlandier's Matamoras collection, which were supposed to belong to tins species. They were apparently somewhat larger than the specimens above described, the measurements being given as "1.06 x .61." 80 Brewster on Certain Rare Birch in Texas. on the nest. Five of these (the sixth is so badly broken as to be unavail- able for examination) measure, respectively, 1.00 x .71 ; .94 x .69 ; .99 x .69 ; 1.00x.71; 1.00 x. 75. They are rounded-oval in shape; in color, clear ivory-white, with a rather high polish. The shell is so extremely thin that nearly every specimen was cracked in transportation, although they were carefully packed. They contained embryos of large size. The nesting-cavity was in a sandy bank near the water's edge. The eggs were laid on the bare sand, no fish-bones or other extraneous material being near. The entrance was not quite If inches in diameter, and the hole extended in- ward from the face of the bank about 3i feet. Another set of the eggs of this species, obtained in the same locality, May 25, 1878, is in Mr. Riek- secker's cabinet. The four eggs constituting this set differ from those taken by Mr. Werner in being creamy-white in color, with scarcely any perceptible polish. This, however, may be due to the fact that they were freshly laid. They measure, respectively, .93 x .72 ; .97x.75; .95x.71; .94 x .75, and are nearly elliptical in shape. 5. Buteo zonocercus. Band-tailkd Hawk. — This fine Buteo, which has previously been known only as a rare straggler into Arizona and Southern California from across the Mexican border, is now entitled to a place in the fauna of Texas upon the strength of a fine adult male preserved in Mr. Werner's collection. Only two pairs were observed by Mr. Werner during his* rambles, and he regards the species as of rare oc- currence in Comal County. On May 17, 1878, he had, however, the rare good fortune to secure a nest and set of eggs, which, if I am not mistaken, are tlie first authentic specimens known. The nest — a large, bulky structure, composed of coarse sticks, with a rather smooth lining of Spanish moss — was built in a cypress-tree on the banks of the Guadaloupe River. It was placed on a large and nearly horizontal branch, about fifteen feet out from the main stem, and at least forty feet above the ground. It measures as follows : External diameter, 20 inches ; external depth, 6 inches ; internal diameter, 7 inches ; internal depth, 4 inches. The two eggs which it con- tained were slightly incubated. One is still preserved with the nest ; the other is in Mr. Riekseckcr's collection. The latter measures 2.09 x 1.55. It is marked with blotches of reddish-brown upon a dull white ground. These blotches occur most thickly about the larger end, where they tend to form a nearly confluent ring. In Mr. Werner's specimen, which is simi- lar in color, the markings are most numerous around the smaller extremity. Its dimensions are 2.06x1.53. Although the parent birds belonging to this nest successfully eluded all attempts at capture, their identity can scarcely be doubted. As Mr. Werner was climbing to their eyry, they swept down about his head, repeatedly passing within a few feet of him. As but a few days previously he had shot the specimen above referred to, it is not likely that he could have mistaken a species so distinctly marked. The two ashy tail-bands of the male, set off by its otherwise nearly uniform black plumage, are characters that even at a loivj; distance would serve to distinguish it from any other Hawk. Scott on Winter Birds at Princeton, N. J. 81 LATE FALL AND WINTER NOTES ON SOME BIRDS OB- SERVED IN THE VICINITY OF PRINCETON, N. J., 1878- 79. BY W. E. D. SCOTT. As the present winter is here exceptionally severe, as regards both snow-fall and temperature, some statistics respecting the Fauna at this season may be of interest. As it is not within the scope of the present paper to enumerate every species occurring, the following observations will be restricted to notes on the compar- ative rarity or abundance of particular species. It is hardly necessary for me to say that, as usual, Robins and Bluebirds have been common, the latter particularly so. Early in January, on a day when the mercury marked seven degrees below zero, both species were noted, and at short intervals of a day or so they have Jjbeen observed from December 1 till the present time (January 20). On January 17, after a heavy fall of snow, there being from a foot to eighteen inches on the ground, I took a male Hermit Thrush, the only one seen during the month. Tufted Titmice (Lophophanes bicolor) have been, and still are, common at this date, and Black-capped Titmice (Parus atricapiilus) are more abundant than I have ever known them to be before. A series of careful observations leads me to believe that the Carolina Titmouse (Paries atricapillus var. carol 'inensis) is not a resident here throughout the year, or, if so, that it is very rare in winter, when its place is filled by the Northern form. The Southern variety, even in summer, is by no means common, but is most abundant in early fall. I have found them nesting in May and June. Shore Larks (Eremophila alpestris) have been very common in localities, and are generally to be found every winter on the coast, but not always inland. Late in December large numbers of Yellow- rumped Warblers (Dendrceca coronata) were still here, but they have not been noted this month (January). Cedar Birds (Ampelis cedrorum) are common at certain localities, and become abundant, where suitable food is to be obtained, about January 20 to February 1. Great Northern Shrikes (Collurio borealis) are abundant. Their VOL. iv. 6 82 Scott on Winter Birds at Princeton, X. J. presence is particularly noticeable, as they are generally rather rare in winter, and always shy. This year, however, it is not unusual to see ten or a dozen in a day's collecting, and most of the specimens obtained are highly colored. On December 17 1 noted a Loggerhead Shrike (Collurio ludovi- cianus) in very fine plumage, and early in January two others. These birds, which five years ago were rare, are not at all uncommon now. There seems to have been a decided increase in September of each year for the past two years. 1 find no mention of it in Dr. Turnbull's list, and the first specimen that I know of I took at New Brunswick, X. J., during August, 1873. 1 have notes of the species now from Princeton, New Brunswick, and Barnegat. At the former place I observed three in one day early in November. As regards the Sparrows, all that usually winter here are well represented, especially the Song Sparrows and Purple Finches. In addition, on the 16th of January, two large flocks of Red-poll Lin- nets [JEgiothus linaria) were seen. Among these were many highly colored adult birds. This is the southernmost point at which 1 have noted this species, and I have no record south of Plainfield, Union County, save the above. On January 14 [ took a single Fox-colored Sparrow (Passerella iliaca). Saw no others. This is the first note I have made of this species occurring in this locality in January. The Grass Finch (Pocecetes gram int nts) is not generally common in winter, usually leaving about the middle to the last of November, but on January 21 I took two, and saw several more, and on the 25th I saw three others. Cardinals (Cardinalis virginianus) are quite common, and to be found everywhere. Meadow Larks are particularly abundant. A specimen taken on January 21, and three others taken the next day, are in full spring plumage. Having carefully observed the birds during the preceding six weeks, I am of the opinion that they have not moulted, but have changed by the direct wearing away of the tips and edges of the feathers. On January 17 1 took a fine male Haven (Corvus corax) at West Creek, Ocean County, N. .1. On January 21 I took a Fish Crow (Cowus ossifragus), and another on the following day, and saw many others flying about with the common species. The plumage seems to be decidedly more glossy and intense in color than that of representatives of Corvus ameri- canas taken al the same time. The preceding notes are not particularly remarkable except in Scott on Winter Birds at Princeton, X. J. 83 the case of the Hermit Thrush and Fox Sparrow, both of which are, to say the least, very rare during so severe a season. The following notes on the Birds of Prey, I think, indicate so unusual an abun- dance of the species noted as to require observations during other seasons of like severity before any conclusions as to the cause of such abundance can be drawn. It is to be particularly remarked that until December 20 the season had been very mild, with but little or no snow, yet their migration, noted below, certainly began two months before, or by October 20. The great abundance of the large Buzzard Hawks has been so conspicuous as to attract very generally the attention of the farmers of the region, and I am thus enabled to supplement my own observations by those of others. "Without following any systematic arrangement, I propose to give a simple record of their migration following the season. Late in September I noticed the fall arrival of the Marsh Harriers [Circus cyaneus var. kudsonius), but took no special note of these birds till the first week in October. They were then unusually common, and a few days later became so abundant that it was not unusual to see from five to ten individuals in an ordinary field of from ten to twenty acres. Most of the birds were in the brown plumage, and adults of either sex were rare. For the next four weeks they remained in about the same numbers, and then began gradually to disappear. But all through November they were com- mon, and even early in December. By the 10th of that month most of them had left. One was noted December 14, and another on December 20 ; both of these in the immature plumage. On January 6 I took a female in immature plumage, and on the follow- ing day I saw another. I am informed by most creditable witnesses that late in October, or about November 1, there appeared in a field of about forty acres, which was covered with a heavy growth of long dead grass, vast numbers of Owls. A visit to the field in question, which is directly adjacent to the railroad depot at Harlingen, and a talk with farmers living close by gave me the following additional data. The birds were exclusively the Short-eared Owl (Brachyotus 2ialus- tris), as I learned from an examination of specimens in the posses- sion of several farmers. Their number was variously estimated at from a hundred and fifty to two hundred. Many were shot, and as some are still to be found in the field in question, I should think this locality had been fixed on as a wintering point. There are no 84 Scott on Winter Bird* at Princeton, X. J. trees in the field, and in the daytime the birds rest on the ground. They hunt for food morning and evening, and sometimes on dark days. Throughout this and adjoining townships these Owls have been more or less common, and many have been brought in by gunners. In previous years I have looked on this species as rather rare, and some seasons have passed without my meeting with them. Since writing the above, two other points, at which vast numbers of these birds have congregated, have come to my knowledge, and in each case the conditions of locality are identical with those above described. As the Marsh Harriers began to disappear, their places were speed- ily filled by Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo borealis [*]), which of course are resident here every winter. These birds appeared here Novem- ber 2, and were in a few days more abundant than the Marsh Har- riers had been. Though they were to be seen everywhere, they particularly affected the meadows along water-courses, where there were large trees. It was not uncommon to see two or three in the same tree, and once I counted five, and at another time six in a Biugle tree. Many times during the past month or so I was able, standing at one place, to see twenty, and even more, on the various trees, fences, and other suitable places for alighting. The majority were in the gray plumage, but about a quarter of the whole number noted were adult. They were here in greatest numbers about No- vember 20, and there are still very many at every suitable point. To give further idea of their numbers, I may state that I have taken more than scventy-iivc individuals without any particular exertion. The Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo liiicons than that of my visit. Scott on Birds observed at Tiffin Lakes, Colorado. 91 I shall simply give those absolutely noted, passing the better known with but a word to indicate their occurrence. As a whole, this seems to be a very thickly populated region, considered ornitho- logically, there being very many individuals of most of the species noted. 1. Turdus migratorius. Robin. — Very common at the level of the Lakes. Begins to breed about June 5. The breasts of the males are more tawny, and the general coloring lighter, than in individuals from the East- ern States, "foung fully fledged were observed June 29. All the nests found are curiously built of sage-brush, and the " mud walls " were not prominent. 2. Turdus pallasi. Hermit Thrush. — Not common. Noted on the hills to the south of Lower Lake. 3. Oreoscoptes montanus. Mountain Mocking-Bird. — Not common. Not met with about the Lakes, but at a point five miles north in a small park. 4. Sialia arctica. Arctic Bluebird. — Abundant. Breeds about June 1 in deserted Woodpeckers' holes and hollow trees. 5. Cinclus mexicanus. Water Ouzel. — Not common. Occur above the Upper Lake on the stream flowing into it, and on the Arkansas River at the junction of Lake Creek. On the 22d of June I found a pair on a pond of still water about a hundred yards from the stream that flows into the Lakes, the pond and stream not being connected. The female showed no signs of having laid eggs or of incubation. This pair was not at all shy, allowing my close approach as they walked about on some float- ing logs feeding on the aquatic larvae that abounded. 6. Regulus calendula. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Abundant. One of the most common song-birds, and heard everywhere. On the 20th of June I saw a female fly to a pine-tree with material in her bill for build- ing a nest. On looking I found a nest nearly finished. On the 25th of June I took this nest with five fresh eggs, and the female showed signs of having incubated. I think no more eggs would have been laid. The nest is before me as I write, and presents the following peculiarities : It is semi- pensile, being suspended to the leaves of the pine, and to one small branch, much like the Red-eyed Yireo's nest. It is very large in proportion to the builder, and is made of the bark of sage-brush and of green moss very firmly twisted together, and forming a soft outer wall, of from half to a full inch in thickness. This is lined with feathers and hair. The whole nest is very soft, and has the following dimensions : Four inches deep outside ; three inches deep inside ; three inches in diameter outside, and two inches at the top inside, but narrowing to an inch and a half at the bottom. On the outside it is as wide at the bottom as at the top, being in this respect like a Baltimore Oriole's. It was placed at the very outermost twigs and leaves of the tree, about twelve feet irom the ground. The eggs are five 92 Scott on Birds observed at Twin LaJces, Colorado. in number, of a dirty white color, faintly spotted all over with light brown, which becomes quite definite at the larger end. They are large in propor- tion to the size of the bird, and one end is very little sharper than the other. The following are the dimensions : .55 x .45, .55 x .44, .54 x .42, .57 x .45, .58x.43. 7. Parus montanus. Mountain Chickadee. — Not common. On the 15th of June I took a female that had evidently incubated. July 9 I found a nest containing four young, about ready to fly. The nest was very like that of our common species (P. atricapUlus), and was in a dead cot- tonwood stub, about two feet from the ground. There was a mat of lining material some three inches in thickness at the bottom of the cavity. The young birds show distinctly the white bands conspicuous in this species. 8. Sitta carolinensis var. aculeata. White-ijellied Nuthatch. — Not common. Met with but once. On July 111 took a family of this species, two adult and five young birds fully fledged. They had appar- ently just left the nest. 9. Sitta pygmaea. Pygmy Nuthatch. — Common in localities. Saw old birds carrying food to their young June 29. 10. Eremophila alpestris. Shore Lark. — Not common. 11. Anthus ludovicianus. Titlark. — Undoubtedly breeding, as I met with a flock of ten on Weston's Pass, at an elevation of about 13,000 feet, July 1 9. 12. Deiidroeca auduboni. AUDUBON'S Warbler. — Not very com- mon. Two females, taken the 15th of June, showed si'_nis of incubating, and the plumage was much worn. On the 25th of June I took a not con- taining four e<_r2;s nearly ready to hatch. The nest is a rather bulky struc- ture, composed of twigs of sage-brush and fine grass, and is lined with soft hair and large feathers. In general shape it is flat and rather shallow, as the following dimensions show: Diameter outside, four inches; diameter inside, three inches ; depth, two and a half inches outside and two inches inside. It was situated on the outer twigs of a large pine-tree, five feet from the ground. It contains four eggs, of a light greenish tint, with a circle of dark brown spots at the larger end. They are quite sharply pointed, and of the following dimensions : .76 x .55, .72 x .58. I give the dimensions of only two, as the others were too badly broken to yield accu- rate measurements. The nest was not fastened in any crotch, but simply laid on a bunch of pine leaves, and was sheltered by another bunch di- rectly above it. On the 29th of June I found a second nest containing four voung a day or two old. This one was situated in the topmost branches of a -mall fir-tree, about twenty-five feet from the ground. The nest is essentially the same in structure as the one above described. On Julv !' I took young which had just left the nest. LS. Pyranga ludoviciana. LOUISIANA T.waoi k. — Not uncommon in localities. On the ■_'-">th of dune I found many in the scattered pines on the high hills to the north of the Lakes, and al an altitude of at leasl Scott on Birds observed at Twin Lakes, Colorado. 93 10,000 feet. Anions tliem were two females, showing marked signs of incubation. The birds were very tame, and went about in small com- panies oftwo or three pairs. A large number of males taken show a very- appreciable lack of the red on the breast and throat, and are of a decidedly- paler yellow than individuals of the same species taken about Colorado Springs and near Denver. 14. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallow. — The rarest of the Swallows found here. Three pairs bred in a barn near the Lakes. 15. Tachycineta bicolor. White-bellied Swallow. — Common, though not as abundant as the next species. Breed in deserted Wood- peckers' holes and suitable localities. June 24 I saw pairs building ; June 29 incubation had begun in several cases. July 4 I found a nest with six eggs slightly incubated. 16. Tachycineta thalassina. Violet-green Swallow. — Abun- dant in localities, but not generally distributed. It breeds at about the same time as T. bicolor, and in similar places. 17. Petrochelidon lunifrons. Cliff Swallow. — Very abundant. The 20th of June they began to build under the eaves of a barn. Many breed on the faces of the cliffs on the Arkansas River. 18. Ampelis cedrorum. Cedar Bird. — Not met with at Twin Lakes, but I saw a pair building about twenty miles east of Fairplay, on June 9, at an elevation of about nine thousand feet. 19. Myiadestes townsendi. Townsexd's Flycatching Thrush. — In Clear Creek Canon, five miles south of Twin Lakes, I took one spe- cimen, July 6, the only one seen. 20. Vireo gilvus var. swainsoni. Warbling Vireo. — Abundant. The only species of Vireo met with. The 9th of July- I found a nest with four eggs nearly ready to hatch. The nest was built in a " quaking asp," about ten feet from the ground, and is a structure in every way simi- lar to that of its Eastern representative. 21. Carpodacus cassini. Cassin's Purple Finch. — Rather un- common. Breeds about June 20. The males obtained are appreciably larger and lighter-colored than those of the Eastern bird obtained in New Jersey. 22. Loxia curvirostra var. mexicana. Red Crossbill. — Common. On the 24th of June I met with large flocks composed of males, females, and young. The latter must have been several months old, as some showed the adult plumage taking the place of the striped im- mature plumage. The birds are rather larger, and the males are not so brightly colored as those in a series taken in Massachusetts. 23. Chrysomitris pinus. Pine Finch. — I saw large flocks, and took several young birds of the year on June 25. 24. Pocecetes gramineus var. confmis. Grass Finch. — Com- mon. Breeding. 25. Spizella socialis. Chipping Sparrow. — Not very common. 94 Scott on Birds observed at Twin Lakes, Colorado. On the 14th of June I took a nest with four fresh eggs; July 4, a nest with four eggs slightly incubated; July 9 I met with four young nearly fully fledged, and on July 11 with two young just hatched. 26. Zonotrichia leucophrys. White-crowned Sparrow. — June 9 I saw two in crossing the Kenosha range twenty miles east of Fairplay, at an elevation of 9,500 feet ; also June 1 2, in crossing Weston's Pass, twenty miles southwest of Fairplay. These were almost the only birds to be met with, and on July 20, when again crossing this pass, they were even more abundant. That they breed in large numbers at high eleva- tions, such as the point just spoken of, there can be no doubt. On the 28th of June I took a female, on one of the hills a mile and a half north of the Lakes, at an altitude of a little less than 10,000 feet, which was evidently breeding, as, on dissection, it was plain that eggs had been laid. 27. Pipilo chlorurus. Blanding's Finch. — Not very common. The habits of this species remind one of the Sparrows of the genus Zunotri- chia, but its peculiar notes resemble much more those of the Pipilos. 28. Ageleeus phceniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — Not common. Breeds. 29. Xanthocephalus icterocephalus. Yellow-headed Black- bird.— Very rare. A single adult male was taken July 20. I am not aware that this species has been before taken at this altitude. 30. Stumella magna var. neglecta. Meadow' Lark. — Rare. Met with on one occasion, July 10. 31. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. Brewer's Blackbird. — Abundant. Breeding June 13. One of the most familiar birds about the ranches. 32. Corvus corax. Raven. — Not common. Noted several times. 33. Picicorvus columbianus. Clarke's Crow. — Common in lo- calities. Met with in enormous Jlocks June 24, and for several days after. These flocks seemed to be passing through, but several pairs were resident about the Lakes. 34. Pica melanoleuca var. hudsonica. Magpie. — Not common. Occasionally met with. A few breed. Said to be common in fall. 35. Cyanurus stelleri. Steller's Jay. — Not very common. I took young fully fledged, June 25. 36. Perisoreus canadensis. Canada Jay. — Common. The speci- mens met with were all in very worn plumage, and had evidently bred some time before my arrival. 37. Contopus borealis. Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Not uncom- mon. Met with everywhere in pairs, June 15. 38. Contopus virens var. richardsoni. WESTERN Wood Pewee. — Common. On July 11 I took a nest containing three eggs. The nest was built where three branches crossed in a brush-heap two feet from the ground. It differs widely from that of the typical virens, as it is composed Scott on Birds observed at Twin Lakes, Colorado. do of sage-brush bark, very compactly woven, and has no lichens whatever on the outside. Inside it is lined with grass. The eggs have the same general appearance as those of C. virens. 39. Empidonax obscurus. Wright's Flycatcher. — A single specimen obtained. 40. Chordiles virginianus var. henryi. Western Nighthawk. — Abundant. Breeds. I took an egg July 3, fresh. The ground-color is whitish, thickly sprinkled all over with dark pink. Dimensions, 1.24 x .86. I took two eggs, July 11, of an entirely different color, the ground-color being deep lead, thickly marked with spots of the same color, but much deeper. Dimensions, 1.10x.80, 1.12x.79. The birds fly quite as much in the forenoon as at any time, and it was not unusual to see fifty flying low over the lake at a time. 41. Selasphorus platycercus. Broad-tailed Humming-Bird. — Common. June 15 I took a male, evidently breeding, that lacked the crimson on the throat. 42. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — Met with but once. 43. Picus pubescens var. gairdneri. Downy Woodpecker. — Not common. One taken June 20. 44. Picus villosus var. harrisi. Hairy Woodpecker. — Rather common, but shy. July 111 took fully fledged young with red on top of the head. 45. Picoides americanus var. dorsalis. Banded Woodpecker. — Not uncommon in localities. 46. Sphyrapicus varius var. nuchalis. Nuchal Woodpecker. — Common. Breeds about June 5. Took young fully fledged the loth of July. The nests are generally low, not more than ten feet from the ground. 4 7. Sphyrapicus thyroideus. Brown-headed Woodpecker. — Not rare. Several pairs bred about the Lakes. The 23d of June I found a nest containing four young about two or three days old. The nest was in a " quaking asp," about ten feet from the ground. The entrance to the nest was very small, and the cavity inside not large. July 4, I took three. In nestlings nearly fully fledged the sexual difference was as plainly marked as in the adults. There were two males and two females in this nest. On July 111 found a second nest in a pine-tree about twelve feet from the ground. This contained four young females fully fledged. These birds do not seem shy, but are restless. 48. Colaptes mexicanus. Red-shafted Flicker. — Common. Breeds about June 1. Took young fully fledged on July 2 and July 4. Seven in each nest. These nests, like those of most Woodpeckers I found in this region, were not more than ten feet from the ground. The birds are all typical, and show the distinguishing marks of sex in the first plumage. 49. Bubo virginianus. Great-horned Owl. — Not common. Spe- cimens are much grayer than those taken in the East. 96 Brewer on the Golden-Crowned Kinglet. 50. Falco sparverius. Sparrow Hawk. — Not common. Breeds. Two fully fledged young were taken July 15. 51. Falco mexicanus. Lanier Falcon. — Rare. A young male was taken July 20. 52. Pandion haliaetus. Fish Hawk. — Rare. A pair bred on the south side of the Lower Twin Lake. The eggs were evidently laid by June 13, as at this time the female was constantly on the nest. 53. Zenaedura carolinensis. Carolina Dove. — Rare. A pair taken July 9. 54. Tetrao obscurus. Dusky Grouse. — Common. Breeds about the middle of June. 55. Centrocercus urophasianus. Sage Cock. — Not common. A few were seen in a small park a few miles north of the Lakes. 56. Lagopus lecurus. White-tailed Ptarmigan. — Rare. Some pairs bred on Mount Elbert, west of the Lakes. 57. .SJgialitis vocifera. Killdeer Plover. Rather common in localities. Breeds. 58. Gallinago wilsoni. American Snipe. Rather rare. A few pairs bred in June in a small swamp above the Upper Lake. 59. Bucephala clangula. Golden Eye ; Whistler. Took a male in worn plumage the 21st of June at the Lower Lake. 60. Podiceps auritus var. californicus. Horned Grebe. — Took a pair in full plumage, June 20, on the Lower Lake. NEST AND EGGS OF THE GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLET (REGULUS SATRAP A). BY T. M. BREWER. I have been recently permitted to examine an example of one of ten eggs from an unknown nest, but which, by the pretty sure evidence of exclusion, cannot well belong to any other species of bird than the Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulua satrapa). The nesl was found in the neighborhood of Bangor, Me., was about six feet from the ground, and is now in the possession of Mr. Harry Merrill of that city. Through his courtesy I have been permitted to examine one of its eggs, and to compare it with sets of the eggs of Regului cristatw and R. ignicapilltu of Europe. My reasons for Bupposing the nest and eggs to belong to this species are, that tins bird is a not uncommon Bummer resident in that neighbor- Brewer on the Golden-Crowned Kinglet 97 hood ; that from their size and markings they cannot well belong to any other species ; and because, while the egg so closely resem- bles those of R. cristatus (to which bird R. satrapa is also very closely allied) as to be hardly distinguishable from them, it is also essen- tially different from the egg of R. calendula* which more nearly resembles the eggs of R. ignicapillus. The following account of the nest and eggs I copy, by permission, from Mr. Merrill's letter: "In 1S7G a friend presented me with the nest which I shall describe, but the bird was not obtained, and consequently its identification is a matter of conjecture. The nest consisted of a large ball of soft moss, the whole forming a mass about ±1 inches in diameter. The opening was at the top, and was about If inches across and 2 inches deep. It was lined with hair and feathers, principally the latter. The nest was in one of those bunches of thick-growth so common on many of our fir-trees, and contained ten eggs of the following dimensions : — So. Length. Width. No. Length. Width. 1 .52 .41 6 .4 7 .39 2 .50 .40 7 .52 .41 3 .50 .41 8 .51 .41 4 .50 .41 9 .50 .41 5 .47 .39 10 .50 .41 The eggs are of a creamy-white color, and are covered with very obscure spots, so very obscure, in fact, that they merely give a dingy or dirty tint to the egg, and some to whom I have shown them are doubtful if they are spots, but 1 regard them as extremely obscure and confluent spots, not on, but in, the shell. From the number of the eggs, their extreme smallness, and the situation of the nest, I have been inclined to believe it to be a Kinglet's." Examining my example withapowerful magnifier, I find the ground- color to be white with shell-marks of purplish-slate, and a few ob- * See the interesting notes of Mr. W. E. D. Scott in the present number of the Bulletin, p. 91. 1 have also compared the egg in question with that of the calendula obtained by Mr. J. H. Batty on Buffalo Creek in Colorado, July 21, 1873. This, though in a somewhat fragmentary condition, exhibits its size and markings. It measures .59. x 45. The ground-color is a creamy white, and over this are profusely scattered minute dots of brown with a reddish tinge. It closely resembles in its general character the supposed egg of satrapa, is larger, more oval in shape, and the spots are more distinct and of a different shade. Mr. Batty's nest contained one egg and six young. The parent, though not pro- cured, was seen, and there appears to be good reason to accept the identification. VOL. IV. 7 98 Brewer on the Grolden-Croivned Kinglet. scure superficial markings of a deep buff, giving to the ground the effect of cream-color. This egg so closely resembles my set of the eggs of R. crista tux that, placed in the same tray, it is not readily distinguishable from them. It differs in size, shape, and markings from the eggs of R. calendula, which are more oval, are marked with brown, and resemble, in description, the eggs of R. ignicapillus. It will be seen that the greatest length of an egg of R. calendula* is .58, that of the supposed satrapa only .52 ; the least length of ca- lendula .54, that of satrapa .17. The variation in breadth is also as .45 to .41. The average measurement of calendula is .56 X 45, that of satrapa .49 x -40. In " North American Birds" I ventured the remark, in reference to this nest, — then unknown except, as given by Mr. Lord, as pensile and suspended from the extreme end of pine branches, — that the presumption is that it builds a pensile nest not unlike its European congener, and lays small eggs finely sprinkled with buff-colored dots on a white ground, in size nearly corresponding with those of our common Humming-Bird." Mr. Merrill's nest, if not pensile, is at least in a pensile position, and is in all respects such a nest as was to be anticipated from the uniform habits, so far as they are known, of the members of this genus. Both of the European species of this genus, R. crista tun and R. ignicapillus, and their Asiatic relative, R. himalayensis, are known to build pensile nests, though, like very nearly all pensile builders, they occasionally make use of other positions. It was, therefore, not only natural, but even unavoidable, to anticipate that our own Reguli, so closely allied to these in all respects, would be found to nest in a similar manner, and accordingly in "North American Birds" I ventured to say that we might "reasonably infer that its nest (that of /,'. ml, „dii lii) is pensile like that of its European kindred.'* Mr. Scott's timely discovery shows that my anticipations have been realized. But even without this verification I should have felt fully justified in still maintaining the reasonable probability that both of our Reguli, when their history shall lie more fully known, will lie found to he pensile in their architect ure. Yet the author of " Birds of the Colorado Valley " says : -'Since Dr. Brewer thought he might reasonably infer that the nest was pensile the discovery has been made thai it is not 80 [the italics are mine], showing that care must be exercised in natural history inferences." Even without the Light * See Mr. Scott's valuable paper, anted, p. 91. Brewster on the Black-Capped Vireo. 99 of Mr. Scott's valuable discoveries I would still venture to maintain that all due and proper "care" had been exercised by me when I drew my inference, and that the writer quoted was too hasty in his own conclusions. There has been nothing to show that Mr. Battv's nest was not of a semi-pensile character, and certainly the time has gone by for any one to assume, on the score of a single example, the unvarying character of the nest of any bird. I say single example, for, except that of Mr. Batty, there was no other. Mr. Heushaw's was wholly unidentified, and it is quite likely be- longed to some other bird. Of course Mr. Scott's testimony now settles beyond dispute the pensile character of its nest, but it does not necessarily show either that Mr. Batty was mistaken in his identification, or that Mr. Hensbaw's supposed nest may not have been rightly surmised. We know too little as yet of these nests to lay down any arbitrary rules of generalization. Since the above was written, Dr. J. C. Merrill has called my at- tention to the illustration of an egg of R. satrapa by Dr. Baldamus in Cabanis's "Journal" for 1856 (p. 23, PL I, No. 8). Although somewhat rudely represented, the identification is probably correct. In this egg there is more of the buff-colored mai'kings, and much less of the obscure purplish-slate than in my specimen. The ground-color is less concealed, and is represented as a buffy-white. Note. — Since this paper was prepared, Mr. Allen has called my attention to the description of the nest of E. satrapa, which I had overlooked, in Minot's "Land and Game Birds of New England" (p. 56). This nest, the writer states, was found in the White Mountains, and " hung four feet above the ground, from a spreading hemlock bough, to the twigs of which it was firmly fastened ; it was globular, with an entrance in the upper part, and was com- posed of moss, ornamented with bits of dead leaves, and lined chiefly with feathers." The italics are my own, to emphasize the pensile character of this nest, the account corresponding so closely to descriptions of the nests of R. cristatus of Europe. NOTES UPON THE DISTRIBUTION, HABITS, AND NESTING OF THE BLACK-CAPPED THIEO ( VIREO ATRICAPILLUS). BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. Since the discovery of the species by Dr. G. W. Woodhouse in 1851, very little additional information regarding the Black-capped Vireo has been brought to light. The two original specimens, both 100 Brewster on the Black-Capped Vireo. males, wore obtained by Dr. Woodhouse on the 26th of May, 1851, near the source of the Rio San Pedro in Southwestern Texas. About three years later a third, also a male, was shot in the same locality by Mr. J. H. Clark, one of the naturalists of the Mexican Boundary Commission. Still a fourth, probably a female,* the date of whose capture has not been recorded, was taken at Mazatlan, Mexico, by Colonel A. J. Grayson. Upon these data alone our knowledge of the species has until very recently rested, and the Black-capped Vireo. with Kurd's and Leconte's Bnntiugs, and several other birds, seemed in a fair way to be assigned a permanent place among the lost species. In this Bulletin for .January. 1879, however, Mr. Deane brought the species once more to the front by an interesting announcement of the capture of three Texas specimens, which were taken by Missis. George H. Ragsdale and W. Norris in April and May, 1878. Shortly after the appearance of Mr. Deane's note on this species. Mr. Edmund Ricksecker of Nazareth, Penn., wrote me that he had received two sets of the eggs of the Black-capped Vireo, which he felt sure were correctly identified, and that a friend, Mr. W. II. Werner of South Bethlehem, Penn., had still a third set, together with the nest and both parent birds. Knowing well from past experience Mr. Ricksecker's thorough reliability in such mat- ters, I at once obtained from him one of these sets, which, with the nest, is now in my collection, and will presently be considered in detail. In reply to my further inquiries, Mr. Ricksecker informed me that all these nests had been collected in Comal County. Texas, in May, 1878, by Mr. Werner and a gentleman with whom he was at the time staving, and who, during a residence of several years in Texas, has collected for Mr. Ricksecker many rare egga and - The latter's name I am for obvious reasons requested to withhold. Mr. Ricksecker, however, very kindly put me in communication with Mr. Werner, who has answered all my inquiries in a very full and satisfactory manner, leaving no doubts in my mind as to the correct identification of these Vireo's nests. 1 am also indebted to him for the following interesting account * Since the above article was written I have examined all Mr. Werner's s] i- iiniis of tin- Black-capped Vireo, and find thai there i- do oIm ious difference !"•- tween tin- sexes. Several females, whose Bex was determined by careful dissec- tion, have the head-markings as dark ami strongly denned as the males. Mr. Ridgway informs me that he is now doubtful whether the Mazatlan *i" really belongs to this Bp Brewster on the Black- Capped Vireo. 101 of the nesting habits of the birds : " I first observed the Vireo atri- papillus in the northwestern part of Comal County, Texas, along the Guadaloupe River, about twenty-three miles northwest of New Brunsfels. They were not very plenty : I noticed during my rambles ten to twelve specimens in a radius of about ten miles, in the course of six weeks. The peculiar song of the male first at- tracted my attention, and as soon as I saw the bird I was sure that it belonged to the Vireo genus. They seemed to prefer moun- tainous districts ; at least I always found them in such localities. They frequented low brushwood, and built their nests from three to four feet above the ground. They were of a very lively disposition, restless, I should say, always flitting about from bush to bush, warbling and mimicking other birds like a Mocking-Bird in minia- ture. They seemed to be very much attached to their nests, and were very tame while sittiug, so much so that at different times I walked up to the nest and touched it with my hand before the bird would leave it. On one such occasion I shot the bird that had just left the nest, and it proved to be a male. I think that estab- lishes the fact that both male and female assist in incubation I found the first nest on the 6th of May. It was built in a small live-oak, and contained four eggs. I shot both pai'ent birds (from which my drawing * was made). A few days later I found another nest containing three eggs, and also obtained both parent birds. A week after this I found a third nest in which were three young. These, after a close examination, I left unmolested." From the above it will appear that to Mr. Werner is due all credit for discovering the first authentic nest of the Black-capped Vireo known to science. Those received by Mr. Ricksecker were collected May 26 and June 13 respectively. Concerning the former specimen, which is now before me, Mr. Werner writes : " I saw also (when found) the nest and eggs Mr. Ricksecker is speaking of, and you can safely rely that they are well-authenticated and coiTect." This nest — so the legend upon the label runs- — was built '• in a red-oak tree." It is suspended in the fork of two very slender twigs, and is in every way after the usual type of Vireonine archi- * Mr. Werner lias sent me for examination an exquisite little study in water- colors of a pair of Black-capped Vireos, with their nest and egg, taken from specimens in his fine collection. Probably many who visited the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia will remember seeing there his exhibit of several groups of mounted birds, all masterpieces of taxidermal skill. 102 BrewSTEK on the Black-Capped Vireo. tecture. In a few points of detail, however, it differs slightly from any Vireo's nest that I have seen. Although, generally speaking, of the ordinary cup-shaped form, the walls are unusually thick and firmly felted, and the entrance being very much contracted, the bulging sides arch over to the mouth of the nest, giving to the whole a nearly spherical shape. This peculiarity may be of an in- dividual nature, though it is conspicuously shown in the specimen represented by Mr. Werner's drawing (see the last foot-note). The measurements of my nest are as follows: Greatest external diame- ter, 2.90; external depth, 2.25; internal diameter at mouth, 1.30 x 1.68 ; internal depth, 1.40 ; greatest thickness of walls, .03. Of the materials which compose it little really need be said, save that they are of the general kind and appearance made use of by most Vireos ; but for the benefit of the critical in such matters, I will present the following analysis, premising that, as I have never been in Texas, I am not posted on the botany of that State, and conse- quently feel somewhat incompetent to identify the collections em- bodied in their domicile by the industrious little birds. The great bidk of the structure, however, is made up of fine strips of reddish bark, probably from some species of cedar, layers of small, delicate, bleached leaves of a former year's growth, a few coarse grasses, one or two catkins, and several spiders' cocoons. These are firmly bound together, and the whole attached to the forked twigs above by fine shreds of vegetable fibre, caterpillars' or spiders' silk, and sheep's wool. The lining is of fine grasses and what appear to be the slender needles of some coniferous tree, the whole being arranged with that wonderful smoothness and care which belong to the high- est order of nest-builders alone. Mr. Werner's nest, to judge from the sketch already mentioned, is almost identical with mine. He describes it as "pendent, similar to that of Vireo belli, perhaps rather more bulky. The outside is composed of dried leaves and grass, interwoven with spiders' webs and lined with tine grass and rootlets. The greatest diameter is ."> inches; inside diameter. 1.76 inch; depth, 1.80 inch; thickness of walls, from .45 to .60 of an inch." The eggs found in my nest measure respectively 68x.53; .66 x .53 ; .67 x .52 ; .68 x .55. They are regularly ovoid in Bhape, and of a uniform pure, though rather dull, white, without spots or marking of any kind. In tins lust respect all the specimen- ob- tained during the past season in Comal County, Texas, agree. In replj to my inquiries on this point. Mr. Werner assures me that Jeffries on the Ipswich Sparrow. 103 the closest scrutiny on his part has failed to discover even the faintest dotting upon any of the specimens that he has examined, while Mr. Ricksecker writes that his set are exactly similar in shape and color to those now in my possession, and that all he has seen are entirely immaculate. I am aware that occasional unspotted eggs occur in nests of the other and better known Vireos ; indeed my collection embraces several such specimens, but they must be classed as comparatively rare exceptions. If, however, the Black-capped species ever lays spotted eggs, they will probably be found to con- stitute the exceptions to the rule. The testimony on this point is already, 1 think, ample enough to warrant this conclusion, based as it is upon the examination of no less than fifteen authentic examples. So far as I am aware, no other North American repi'esentative of this interesting family is known regularly to lay unmarked eggs. To show the range of variation in size, I give the following measure- ments, kindly taken for me by Messrs. Werner and Ricksecker. Set of four eggs in the collection of Mr. Ricksecker : .68 x .50 ; .71 x .51 ; .70 x .51 ; .65 x .50. Set of four eggs collected by Mr. Werner and recently presented by him to the Smithsonian Institution : .75 x .52 ; .73 x .50 ; .76 x .53 ; .74 x .56. Set of three eggs in the collection of Mr. W. H. Werner : .72 x .53 ; .73 x .50 ; .74 x .52. THE IPSWICH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS PRINCEPS, MAYNARD). BY'W. A. JEFFRIES. On the 23d of January, 1875, while collecting in Swampscott, Mass., I shot a female Passerculus princeps. It was, at the time, on the crest of the beach, running about on the snow, and picking up seeds in company with a few Snow Buntings. Not hunting for it, I did not again meet with it till October 26, 1878, when, by chance, it was noticed in the same locality in good numbers,. My brother and myself shot eleven be- fore December 1, and one again on January 25, 1879. During November we searched for them carefully several times, and, with one exception, always shot one or more specimens. Probably as many rose out of range as we shot, although, from the same bird being seen several times, it was hard to judge of the true, number. From what I have seen and heard of this bird in this part of Massachusetts, I should give it as a late fall mi- grant, a few spending the winter here, there being few true winter but many fall records of its capture. 104 Jeffries on the Ipswich Sparrow. When first noticed they were very tame. If approached they would at once crouch in the thin grass, or even on the bare sand, until we were only a few feet from them, when, half erect, they would run a few yards in a straight line and again crouch. When pul up they flew quickly for some distance, then ran along the sand for many yards before stopping, which rendered them very hard to find without a good dog. The later comers were very shy, never allowing a near approach, but, running be- fore the dog for several yards, would then rise wildly. At daybreak they would perch with the Savanna Sparrows on some bush, fence, or ridge-pole, and fly freely to and fro ; later in the day they were rarely seen unless carefully searched for, and not once did they give any note or chirp of alarm. The thinly scattered beach grass at the edge of some fresh-water pond seemed to be their favorite feeding-ground, though seen on the beach sea- weed twice, and again with Shore Larks in straw stubble. Mr. Maynard in " The Naturalist's Guide," speaking of P. princeps, says, " With P. savanna it cannot justly be compared, as it is much larger, and has a shorter and more obtuse bill." In "The Birds of Florida" the same author says that it is "readily distinguished, .... which is due to its pale tints and larf a " Rallus crepitans" at York, Me., in the Ias1 week of December, ls7.">. Since the gentleman chose to con- ceal liis identity nnder the initial " lv," 1 am unable to say under whose spon- sorship this record was made, but regard it as probably correct. Mr Purdie writes me thai his allusion on page 22, Vol. [I, of this Bulletin, to the bird's occurrence in Maim- was based on a knowledge of the same specimen, which, he was preserved by Mr. Vickery, of Lynn, .Mass. Miss Miller's Story of a California Bird. 109 STRANGE STORY OF A CALIFORNIA BIRD. BY MISS FANNY MILLER. Ax interesting story respecting the habits, under peculiar circum- stances, of the Chaparral Cock (Geococcyx calif ornianus), commonly known as the "Road-Runner," is related by a California lady, who takes pleasure in reproducing any interesting matter regarding the natural beauties of her native State. It appears that a family named Davies, being engaged in olive- culture, occupied the "Old Mission" at San Diego, around which is a dense growth of cactus, passing through which, one day, Mr. Davies heard a strange noise resembling the sound made by a pair of Pigeons billing and cooing, winding up with a succession of short, quick, jerky notes, thus: per-root! per-root / per-root ! The listener searched until he discovered the cause of his surprise, which was a nest of four young birds of the species Geococcyx califomianus. He took them home, and succeeded easily in raising them in a coop, like chickens, the old ones feeding them. Their beautiful plumage soon attracted the attention of a number of visitors to the Old Mission, and notes of the captives have already been given in the San Francisco papers. The birds wei*e finally released, but they regularly returned at night to the coop, and lingered around, be- coming satisfied habitues of the barnyard. Two of them died. The two remaining fought until one vanquished the other, which for a while repaired to the cactus, but returned with the nest-making season. In the mean time the sole remaining bird had become so selfish in its attachment to Miss Davies, that it became a nuisance to the household. It would allow no living thing near her, showing its jealousy by darting fiercely at the object of its hatred, pecking it furiously with its sharp bill, whether cat, clog, or child, oftentimes drawing blood, after which it would retire satisfied. For its own dainty consumption it would bring in beetles, bugs, spiders, and when anything larger was captured, — for instance, a lizard or small snake, — it wTould fly to its mistress, strut around her until noticed and petted for its enterprise, during which it cooed like a Parrot whose feathers are being rubbed down. With the returned mate it began a nest on a small table by the window, in the young lady's 110 Recent Literature. room. This nest — a most uncomfortable affair, about the depth of a soup-plate — was made of large rough sticks, some of them about ten inches long, which they brought and laid on the outside of the window-sill, if the window remained closed, for the occupant of the room to add to the nest, which she faithfully did, and the nest was soon completed, the inner lining being dry grass and straw. But one egg was laid in this rude nest in its present location, inasmuch as the male one day decided the fate of "household and home," by bringing to his mate a large Gopher snake, which twirled itself around his beak more than half alive, whereupon, with a peculiar nervous sensation, the lady immediately removed their lodging to the "cold ground'' among the cactus, where the birds hatched a promising brood, and again brought them to the house for food, like chickens. The young birds are much like young turkeys, and at full size are about as large as half-grown turkey-hens. The " Road- Runner " particularly mentioned never forgot its attachment to Miss Davies, and would follow her everywhere after its chicks were grown ; they only parted when the family left the country, — leaving the birds behind, which they now regret. San Rafael, Cal. Cerent ^literature. Aughky's Notes on the Food of the Birds of Nebraska. — In a paper of fifty pages,* contributed In tin- " Report of the United States Entomological Commission for 1877," Professor Aughey records his obser- \ at ions on the food of the birds of Nebraska, with especial reference to their locust-eating propensities. These observations extend over a period of thirteen years, and include the examination of the stomachs of probably a thousand specimens. He says: "Up to the present year [1*77] my studies in this Held have been pursued with no thoughl of a publication of the results, hut simply from a love for sueh pursuits, and hence my notes are not as complete as they otherwise would have been." Yet we find under a large number of the species tabulated statements of the contents of the stomachs of from two to a dozen or more specimens of each Bpecies, * Notes "ii the Nature of the Food of the I tii -K of Nebraska, by Professor Samuel Aughey, of Lincoln, Neb. First Ann. hep. V . s. Ent Cum. for the STear ls77. Appendix II, pp. 13-02. 1878. Recent Literature. Ill giving locality and date of capture, the number of locusts and of other in- sects found in each, etc. The list numbers two hundred and fifty species, and hence includes a pretty large proportion of the birds that visit the State, and as the list re- lates ostensibly to only locust-eating species, our first feeling is one of sur- prise that it should be so large, or that it should include many of the species it enumerates. A closer examination, however, shows that they are there with reason, and that the list of insect-eating, and particularly locust-eating, species includes not only the so-called insectivorous birds, but Hawks and Owls, Grouse, Plovers, Sandpipers, Herons, Ducks and Geese, Terns and Gulls, and even Grebes. In former numbers of this Bulletin, and else- where, attention has been repeatedly called to the grasshopper-eating habits of the Red-headed Woodpecker, and various speculations were indulged in by one writer respecting a change of habit supposed to have taken place in several Woodpeckers anent their capturing insects on the wing. As showing how little we know about the food of our birds, it may be noted that Mr. Aughey records finding one half to two thirds of the contents of the stomachs of various specimens of the Hairy, Downy, Yellow-bellied, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers to consist of locusts. The Grouse, Plovers, and Sandpipers are among the most efficient of the locust-destroying spe- cies, although nearly all birds subsist largely upon these insects during the season of their occurrence, and are believed to be of great importance in checking their ravages. The Blackbirds, particularly Brewer's Blackbird, are found to be of very great utility in this regard. Although Mr. Aughey's paper bears especially upon the subject of birds as grasshopper destroyers, it forms at the same time a valuable faunal list of the birds of Southern Nebraska, containing notes relating to the rela- tive abundance and season of occurrence of most of the species. Mr. Aughey contributes to the same Report (pp. 338 - 350) a special communication on the general subject of the usefulness of birds, with par- ticular regard, however, to the locust question. After detailing instances where the work of birds had a marked effect in keeping down the " hateful locust," especially in the case of Grouse, Quail, Upland Plovers, etc., as well as the smaller birds in general, he concludes that even the majority of the Raptorial birds should be protected. He mentions among those that should be destroyed the Snowy Owl, the Cooper's Hawk, Goshawk, Prairie Falcon, Pigeon, and Sparrow Hawks. He also regards the Blue Jay as " only a blackleg in fine clothes," whose depredations on the nests of other birds render his existence incompatible with the increase of the smaller birds. The Cowbird is regarded as an extremely obnoxious species, and as meriting banishment and death. The House Sparrow also comes in for nearly a page of condemnation. Mr. Aughey refers to the wholesale destruction of Grouse and Quails as a serious injury to the welfare of the agriculturist, which should be checked by severe legal means. He states that in thirty counties of the State 300,000 Prairie Chickens and 150,000 112 Recent Literature. Quails were destroyed in a single year. He also refers to the orgeat destruc- tion of the eggs and young of birds by the prairie fires in the month of June, and recommends that the burning of the prairies later than the middle of April or the first of May should be prohibited by stringent legis- lation. Referring to the destruction of bird-life by this cause he says : "In June, 18G9, I passed over a small portion of Wayne County behind a raging prairie fire. In one hour I found ruined nests of 13 Prairie-Chick- ens, 9 Quail, 5 Plover, and three others that I did not recognize. In some seasons many thousands of nests are destroyed in this way." He also alludes to the wholesale destruction of Blackbirds by poison, formerly practised, under the mistaken notion that they were damaging the crops. About the year 1865, and for some years previous to this date, this mode of destruction prevailed to an alarming degree, to which not only Blackbirds, but many other species, fell victims, and appreciably decreased in numbers in consequence. He says it was not unuMial to see "piles of them " that had been gathered in the cornfields. He estimates that in " a single autumn, in Dakota County alone, not less than 30,000 birds must have been destroyed in this way." He believes that sooner or later the protection of useful birds should become not only a national, but an inter- national matter, since, owing to the migrator}' habits of the species, wide areas are affected by the excessive destruction of birds at particular points. — J. A. A. Laxgdox's Revised List of Cixcixxati Birds.* — About two years ago Mr. Langdon published a catalogue of the birds of the vicinity of Cincin- nati, with notes, including 279 species. The present revision of the subject gives the numerous additional facts which have meanwhile become known to the author, and in recognition of which the list has been entirely remodelled, "to represent the present state of our knowledge of' Cincinnati Birds,' so far as their local distribution is concerned, as well as the later conclusions of the most approved authorities in respect to classification and nomenclature.*' The list is chiefly based upon collections and observations made at two or three points between the Great and Little Miami Rivers, within ten or twelve miles of the Ohio. The breeders, known or inferred, are marked with the asterisk or obelisk. The 2.r)(> identified species are of the follow- ing categories: Constant residents, 27; Bummer residents, 62 ; winter visitants, 10; regular migrants, 82 ; irregular migrants, 37; casual visit- ants, 31 : specie- thai bave disappeared within forty years, 7. There are also included 26 " species of probable occurrence, not yet identified," nearly or quite all of which seem likely to be found. The List is annotated through- out with the usual and proper comments on each Bpecies, and is concluded * A Revised I.i-t of Cincinnati Birds. By Frank W. Langdon. Bvo. pamph. repaged pp.27, 200 copies, from Journ. Cincinnati >".•. Nat Hi>t., Vol. I, No. I, Jan. 1879, pp. 167-198. Recent hit I'm hire. 1 1 3 with some general observations suggested by the writer's experience. It is a very good piece of work, based in greatest part on original personal observations, very carefully elaborated, with attention not only to the ma- terial facts presented, but to those niceties of workmanship which are too often neglected. There are a few slips, in spite of the author's evident pains, such as ccdon for aedon, and Vireosylcia gilrus for gilva. The chief fault we have to find with the List is that it is repaged in the separate pamphlet issues. This troublesome, unnecessary, and inexcusable practice should stop ; it is a relic of barbarism, an anachronism which has obvious disadvantages without any counterbalancing recommendation. We are glad to see, especially among our younger writers on ornithology, evidence of increased attention to details of execution. Those who are satisfied to Bay what they have to say, without regard to how they say it, may be re- minded that the form as well as the substance of their communications to the public is essential to successful authorship ; and that an article may be made a contribution to letters as well as to science. It is even worth while to spell correctly. — E. C. A Woman's Work as a Naturalist.* — Among the many wonder- ful "exhibits" at the recent Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, few things attracted such general attention, or created more surprise, among visitors of every grade of intelligence, than Mrs. M. A. Maxwell's collection of the animals of Colorado. This collection formed a part of her " Museum " at Boulder, Colorado, from which it was selected, under a commission from the State authorities, to represent the Fauna of the moun- tains and plains of that enterprising State. This selection embraced over one hundred mammals and nearly four hundred birds, most ingeniously and effectively arranged in artistic groups on a miniature landscape. The objects represented ranged in size from Humming-Birds to the largest mammals of the Colorado mountains and plains, — the gigantic elk and bison, — and were all mounted in the highest style of the taxidermist's art. This exhibit was not only unique and effective in execution and arrangement, but was a startling revelation of what a woman can do in one of the most difficult fields of art, for not only were all these objects prepared by Mrs. Maxwell, but all were procured by her, a large part of them having been taken by her own hands. But Mrs. Maxwell is some- thing more than a successful and enthusiastic taxidermist; she is an ardent and thorough student of nature, and her explorations of the zoology of Colorado have revealed the existence of many species in that State not previously known to occur there, and contributed many new facts regard- ing the habits and distribution of others. The little book before us, de- voted mainly to a very intelligent and pleasantly written account of how * On the Plains and among the Peaks ; or, How Mrs. Maxwell made her Natural History Collection. By Mary Dartt. Philadelphia : Claxton, Reinsen, and Hoffelfinger, 624, 626, 628 Market Street, 1879. 8vo. pp. 23?. VOL. IV. 8 114 Recent Literature. Mrs. Maxwell's work was accomplished, was prepared by a sister of the lady- naturalist. The main text of the work is intended for the general public, and as an answer to the thousand-and-one questions asked by the eager crowd that daily thronged the Colorado building during the days of the Centennial Exposition, in reference to the " wonderful woman " and her remarkable work ; but in an " Appendix " of twenty pages are given anno- tated li-ts of the mammals anil birds represented in the collection, the former by Dr. Coues and the latter by Mr. Ridgway. The list of mam- mals is here for the first time printed, but the report on the birds appeared first in " Field and Forest" (Vol. II, pp. 194 - 199) in the early part of the year 1877.* Dr. Coues pays well-merited compliments to her artistic skill and the scientific value of her collection, and refers to the pleasure it gave him "to see a collection of our native animals mounted in a manner far superior to ordinary museum work, and to know that there was ai least one lady who could do such a thing, and who took pleasure in doiug it," and further speaks of it " as one of the most valuable single collections " he had seen. Mr. Ridgway says the collection of birds " consi>ts of excellently mounted specimens," and " illustrates very fully the avian Fauna of Colo- ratio, while it bears testimony, not only to the great richness and variety which characterize the productions of the new State, but also to the suc- cess which has crowned the enthusiastic and intelligent efforts of a ' woman- naturalist.' " " The collection," he continues. " embraces many species whose occurrence in Colorado was wholly unlooked for ; such as Nycthe- rodias violaceus, Garzelta candidissima, and Tantalus loculator among Southern species, and Stercorarius parasiticus, Xema sabinei, and CEdemia americana from the high North." The list of birds numbers 234 species and varieties, among which Mr. Ridgway describes one new variety (Scops asio, 6. maxwellke), as well as specimens of other -pedes of peculiarly interesting phases of plumage. The annotations relate mainly to an enumeration of the specimens represented, but occasionally to facts of distribution and locality of occurrence. — J. A. A. Maynard's Birds of Florida^ — The first part of a work with the above attractive title was issued in 1872, followed by parts two and three in the two following years. After an interval of tour years the fourth X aid subsequent numbers appeared, and the eighth part has just been received. The title of these later numbers has been extended to include the Water and Game Birds of Eastern North America, though it would seem as if these might more appropriately have been made the subject of another Beries. * See 1 1 lis Bulletin, Vol. II, p. 7."', where the 1 1 — t i^ Bimply referred to by title. t The Birds of Florida, with tic Water and Game Birds of Eastern North America. By <'. J. Maynard. Illustrated. Published by C. J. Maynard k Co., New tunville, Mass. * A notice of this number was published in the Bulletin of July, 1878. Recent Literature. 115 The text is by far the most satisfactory part of the work, and contains much of interest, though, perhaps, too much space is given to the habits of some species as observed in New England and elsewhere. The author pleasantly describes his travels in search of birds, which resulted in the addition of Phonipara bicolor to our Fauna ; and he gives well-written descriptions of the scenery in different parts of Florida. Ammodromus melanoleucus and Pipilo leucopis are given as new species, but they were previously described as A. jnarithnus var. nigrescens, Ridg., and P. ery- throphthahnus var. alleni, Coues. Objection may be made to the consider- ation in this work of Passerculus princeps and Perisoreus canadensis, neither of which have yet been taken within eight hundred miles of Florida, al- though in the prospectus of the later numbers the author announces his intention of adding an appendix which will contain the species which occur east of the Mississippi River not found in the body of the work. Certain changes are made in nomenclature and classification, notably rais- ing the Kingfishers and Nighthawks to the rank of orders. Twelve species * are figured, and there are two plates of the heads, sterna, and tarsi of several others. Plates I, II, III, and XII are passable, being the best of the series, but the others are extremely poor, and for this there is no excuse. [f] All ornithologists know what admirable colored plates of birds have been published during the last fifteen years, and the time when a bad figure was better than none has certainly passed ; the labor and expense of preparing such might profitably be devoted to other purposes. From the known habits of the Nuthatches, and from what the author states in regard to the Brown-headed species, it seems inappropriate to figure it (PI. VII) on a spray of smilax. Plate VII, in Part VI, has figures of sixty-six eggs of sixty-four species. These can be identified with the aid of a list of the species, which is printed on a loose brown-paper advertising-sheet that accompanies this number, though we are unable to find in the text any mention of the rep- resented fact that many Florida birds lay angular eggs. We have made the above remarks in no spirit of captious criticism, but as our candid opinion of the shortcomings of the work, and in the hope that the parts yet to appear will more worthily g've the results of Mr. Maynard's known familiarity with the birds of a very interesting ornitho- logical region. — J. C. M. * Rosthramus sociabilis, Phonipara zena, Passcrculus princeps, Pipilo leu- copis, Ammodromus melanoleucus, Sitta pusilla, Dendroica dominica, Micropa- lama himantopus, Empidonax acadicus (with nest and eggs), Virco philadel- phicus, Phaeton Jiavirostr is, and Certhiola hahamensis. [t The author desires to have it stated that he is now having the plates re- drawn, and that better ones will be soon sent out, without additional cost to subscribers, to replace those already published. — Ed.] 116 General Notes. Olive-backed Thrush (Tun/us swainsoni) in Texas. — I col- lected at Gainesville, Texas, May 10, 1878, a Thrush which I masked Turdus swainsoni, after close examination, having previously noted Dr. Coues's remark, "not recorded from Southwestern U. S." Professor Snow mentions its rarity in Kansas. Dr. J. C. Merrill, Mr. Geoi Sennett, and Lieutenant McCauley omit it from their lists of Texas birds. 1 sent a box of birds to Mr. Greene Smith, of Peterboro', N. Y., among them being the specimen in question, requesting Mr. Smith to notify me if they were correctly named. He stated in reply that Mr. J. G. Bell, of New York, agreed with him upon the identification of the Thrush. J saw several of the birds at the time the specimen in question was se- cured. — G. H. Ragsdale, Gainesville, Tex. Albinism in the Tufted Titmouse. — In his article on " Albinism and Melanism in North American Birds" (this Bulletin, January, 1879, pp. 27-30), Mr. Ruthven Deane records the occurrence of a partially albinotic specimen of the Black-capped Titmouse, with the remark that it is "the only instance of albinism occurring among the Paridce" of which he has heard. It may be of interest to note in this connection, that the writer's collection contains two examples of the Tufted Titmouse (Lophophanes bicolor) which illustrate this abnormal condition. In one of these (female, November 29, 187 7) nine of the rectrices are entirely white, one has a white blotch at the distal end, and the other two are normal. The order of arrangement is as follows, beginning at the left side : 3 white, 1 normal, 3 white, 1 normal, 1 white, 1 blotched, 2 white ; and owing to the distribution of the gray feathers towards the centre, the bird when dying presented a somewhat striking resemblance to the Black Snowbird (Junco hy emails). The second specimen of L. bicolor (male, March 22, 1874) has several white feathers scattered through the black of the forehead. — Frank W. Langdon, MadisonvUle, Hamilton Co., O. Hooded Warbler in Western New York. — This beautiful spe- cies has been noted as of not uncommon occurrence near Riverdale, X. Y. (Bull. Nut. Orn. Club, Vol. Ill, p. 130). and as of rare occurrence in Lewis County, X. Y. (Bull. Nut. Orn. Club, Vol. IV, p. 7). From nearly three months' study of the bird in Northern Cayuga and Wayne Comities (X. V.), we are aide to give a pretty correcl account of its occurrence in tlii-; section. We Erst met with the bird July lfi, 1878, in the woods bor- dering the shore of Lake Ontario, near Fair Ilaveu. Our attention was attracted by a loud alarm note, not unlike that of the Golden-crowned Thrush (Siurus auricapillus). We Becured tin' female on the spot, the General Notes. 117 male not until the next day. From that time forward we found tbom in every suitable locality for miles around. The birds' favorite haunts ap- peared to be dense and solitary woods with tangled undergrowth, where fallen hemlock tops and other de'bris of the woods that mark decay are overgrown with various briery bushes. From our arrival in July until the time of their departure, they were in full song. In many cases we found single birds having two distinct songs. Often have we observed them singing one for some time, and then, as though tired of that, take up the other, sometimes alternating the two. July 25 we found their nest, containing three young and one egg. The next day we found a second nest, near which were three young, scarcely able to fly. The nests were placed in the forks of small saplings, near the ground, and were composed of hemp and grapevine fibres, lined with horse- hair, interspersed with feathers. The birds began moulting about the first week in August, but by the middle of September we obtained some fine specimens apparently recov- ered from this state. We secured female birds with the black gradating from a single spot to a full tracing of the hood. We also found young males of the year, with the black as dense and glossy, and the yellow as rich, as in the best adults ; yet the little " spike tails " scarcely exceeded half an inch in length, and their peculiar plumage marked them as young. We observed this Warbler as late as September 20, when a few cold breezes from the lake drove them southward. — Samuel F. Rathbun and Frank S. Wright, Auburn, N. Y. Note on Dexdrceca townsendi. — The following interesting ob- servations occur in a letter addressed to me by William A. Cooper, of Santa Cruz, Cal., dated January 18, 1879 : "I have made skins of about a dozen specimens of Dendraeca townsendi this year, and have killed others, too much shot to prepare to advantage. My first specimen, taken November 3, 1878, was feeding in company with Parus rufescens, Vireo huttoni, Psaltriparus minimus, and Regulus, in willows, alders, and syca- mores on the bank of a river. November 14 I shot eight specimens, and conld readily have obtained thrice the number, as I saw fully a hundred feeding in a similar location, with several small birds as above mentioned. I have obtained a few specimens since ; but they have left the trees along the river, probably because they are now bare, and live among the taller redwoods, firs, and oaks, and are obtained with difficulty. January 1, 1879, I shot my last specimen, not having been out since. Shot a couple, December 29, of one of which I now have the skin. As soon as I can con- veniently do so I shall go into the woods and try to obtain a fresh speci- men to send you in the flesh. My opinion, based chiefly on the above facts, is that D. townsendi, or at least a portion of those that come here, spend the winter. Further investigations will decide it." — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C. 118 General Notes. The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroeca coronata) wintering IN SWAMPSCOTT, Mass. — During the last three years I have been in the habit of finding these birds in December. But this year I have quite frequently seen flocks of from five to forty birds flying about among the bushes and junipers. I have taken specimens this winter on December 14, 1878, February 1, and February 8, 1879. Their occurrence here this winter cannot be due to favorable weather, since the winter has been severe, and for at least three weeks before the last capture the ground was covered with snow. Cape Cod, as given in Mr. Allen's " List of the Birds of Massachusetts," is the most northern locality in which this bird has previously been known to winter, though most recent lists suggest the probability of the Yellow-rumps spending the winter with us. — J. A. Jeffries, Boston, Mass. Capture of Kirtlaxd's Warbler (Dendrceca kirtlandi) ix the Bahama Islaxds. — This interesting species will, I think, prove not uncommon on the Bahama Islands during the winter months. Whether it is a resident there remains for future research to reveal ; but I am of the opinion that, like most of its family, it is migratory. On January 9 a specimen was taken at Hawk's Nest, on Andros Island, which proved to be a female. Its actions much resembled those of D. coronata, and it seemed to prefer the thick brush. Its stomach contained the remains of insects. I append the following description of the speci- men : — D. kirtlandi, 9- Above bluish-ash, the feathers of the crown with a narrow, those of the middle of the back with a broad, streak of dark brown. A narrow semicircular ring of black surrounds tin- eye, touching its anterior part ; eyelids white. Under parts yellow ; throat ami breast with small spots, and sides of tin- body with short streaks of black. Greater and middle wing- coverts, primaries, and tail-feathers edged with dull white. Two outer tail- feathers with a dull white spot on the inner welt. Under tail-coverts yellow- ish-white. Length, 5.50; wing. 2.75; tail, 2.50; tarsus, .80. — Charles B. Cory, Boston, Mass. The Eggs of the Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). — I would like to give a more complete idea of the size of the eg^s of this bird than would be conveyed by the figures given in "North American Birds." The eggs from the Hingham nest (see Vol. I, p. 325) are unusually small (.55x.45). In eleven sets now before me the least length is .5;', the greatest length .70; the least breadth .48, and the greatest breadth .62. The largest set from Swampscott, Mass.. averages .G88 x .51. Two sets from Milan, X. II., average, one, .595 x .495, the other .63 x .49. One from Grand Menan averages .G5 x .50. Two sets from Lynn average .056 x .481. One from Ohio, .68 .51, and two sets from Vermont range from .68 to .6 I in Length, and from .49 to .51 in breadth. Their general average i.s about .66 x .49. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. General Notes. 119 Rough- winged Swallow in Connecticut. — Although not given by Samuels as a bird of New England, and classed as "a rare summer visitant" by C. H. Merriam in bis "Birds of Connecticut," tbe Rough- winged Swallow breeds regularly in tbis State. It bas nested for tbe past tbree seasons in the old stone abutments at a road-crossing over the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, within eight or ten rods of the depot at Green's Farms, twenty-six miles west of New Haven. Half a dozen pairs nested there last season, and perhaps more; but, judging from the number seen, I should say there were, fewer than during the season of 1877. I have been unable to account for tbe fact that more than thirty trains could pass within six or eight feet of their nests each day, and not drive them away or apparently disturb them in the least. — J. A. Stannis, Hartford, Conn. The Loggerhead Shrike (Collurio ludovicianus) breeding in Northern New England. — On the 5th of May, 1877, Mr. C. A. Morse, of Bangor, procured, near that city, the parent bird, nest, and four eggs of what he supposed to be the Great Northern Shrike, and which was so described in the " Oologist." Without suspecting the in- correctness of this identification, I wrote to Mr. Harry Merrill of that city for full particulars of this interesting find, which he has very kindly given me in full. The parent of Mr. Morse's nest was fortunately pro- curable, and was sent to me. I have submitted it to Mr. Ridgway's ex- amination. The result is that the nest and eggs procured by Mr. Morse near Bangor were those of the typical Collurio ludovicianus. No au- thentic instance could be ascertained by Mr. Merrill where the borealis had been known to breed near that city, but of the six nests found within the past two years, the parents of which were procured, all were like the specimen sent me for identification. In the summer of 1877 I received a set of eggs, sent me as those of the Great Northern Shrike, from Rutland, Vt. Making further investi- gations in regard to the particulars of a matter so replete with interest, by the aid of Mr. Jenness Richardson of that city, I have received here also one of the parent birds, and in this instance I have been again surprised to learn that it is the Loggerhead, and not borealis or excubitoroides, that is the species referred to. In regard to the parent of the nest found by Mr. Richardson. Mr. Ridgway writes me that "it is again ludovicianus, but approaching very decidedly the excubitoroides type ; in fact it is quite as ' typical ' of ibe latter as a great many Western specimens." Mr. Richardson has furnished me with the particulars of four nests of this species found in that region, one near Castleton, and three in and about Rutland. So that we have in all ten well-authenticated instances of the Loggerhead breeding in tbe very heart of two of the most northerly of the New England States. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. Capture of the Loggerhead Shrike in Winter in New Hamp- 120 General Notes. (Lanitis ludovicianus) occurring in New England has been placed at my disposal by Mr. Charles F. Goodhue, of Webster, X. H., who has kindly forwarded me a specimen for examination which was taken near Concord, N. H., January 20, 1879. — Ruthven Deane. The White-rumped and Loggerhead Shrikes in Ohio. — On the 22d of August, 1*78, I took a well-marked example of Collurio ludovi- cianus var. exevhitoroides at Madisonville, which upon dissection proved to be a male "young of the year." It had attained its full plumage, how- ever, the under parts being immaculate, and the dorsal surfaces showing no traces of the huffy suffusion and transverse vermiculation usually ob- servable in the young of this genus; the clear, pale bluish-ashy of its upper parts, with the conspicuously white rump and superciliary line, pro- claimed its relationship at a glance. Its capture here will be regarded with interest by ornithologists, this being the southeasternmost point at which it. has been recorded; and is of additional significance on account of the occurrence here of the typical C. ludovicianus, which is a regular though somewhat rare summer resident in this vicinity, where it has been found breeding* on three occasions at least. — Frank W. Langdon, Madisonville, Hamilton Co., 0. The Great Northern Shrike in New England. — I wish to cor- rect an important error into which. Dr. Cones has inadvertently fallen in his " Birds of the Colorado Valley," where he says : " In narrating an instance of its nesting on a low spruce-tree in New Brunswick, within twelve miles of St. Stephen, Dr. Brewer is certainly mistaken in asserting that ' we know of a single recent instance in which this bird lias bred within the limits of the United States.'" The error of Dr. Cones is in his supposition that the nest in question was in New Brunswick. On the con- trary, it was in the State of Maine, some twelve miles west of the town of St. Stephen, and about the same distance from any part of New Bruns- wick. This error may have been occasioned by an erratum that occurs in a sentence that follows the one quoted. This sentence should read : " He has since met with its nest within twelve miles of St. Stephen in New Brunswick." In the work the, last three words an- out of their proper place. My positive statement, that the nest had been found within the. limits of the United States was no careless mistake, but the statement of a well-known fact of which I had full knowledge when I penned it. [t] * See the writer's "Observations en Cincinnati Birds," Journal Cincinnati Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. I. 1878, y. 111. [t Dr. Brewer's whole paragraph comes from a misinterpretation, doubtless unintentional, of myremarks. Dr. Brewer's mistake, which I criticised, was in saying thai "we know el' a single recenl instance," etc., the Fact being, that we knew of many Biicb instances, if the testimony of competent observers is to go i..i Se< B. I V.. I, 561. — K. General Notes. 121 Mr. Boardman informs me, in a recent letter, that up to the present time this has been the only instance in which he has met with the nest of this species, and that he regards the Great Northern Shrike as a very rare bird in his neighborhood in the summer. So far as I now know, this is the only instance of its occurrence in New England. — T. M. Brewer, Bos- ton, Mass. .ZEgiothus exilipes in Massachusetts. — On the 16th of Novem- ber last, while collecting in Swampscott, I fired into a flock of JEyiothi, killing seven of the common form and one male of the light Northern race, exilipes. The occurrence of this form so far south has been noted pre- viously. Audubon, in writing of the Greater Red-poll (JB. canescens), mentions seeing it in Greenland, and also in New Jersey, and as found by others in Maryland. In this and in the following references JE. canescens is doubtless our form exilipes. In 1863 Mr. Samuels gives Mr. Verrill as authority for the occurrence of JR. canescens in Maine. Mr. Maynard, in his list of 1870, takes the opportunity to refuse to give exilipes specific rank, but does not state whether the so-called species exists or not in East- ern Massachusetts. In 1874 Dr. Coues, in " Birds of the Northwest," writes that exilipes rarely if ever occurs in the United States. Dr. Brewer's list of 1875 gives JE. canescens as rare in Eastern Maine, as I afterwards- learned, on the authority of Mr. Boardman. Mr. Purdie, in his criticism of this list, seemed to doubt its occurrence ; while the last Massachusetts list, Mr. Allen's, does not refer to the form as a synonym or otherwise. The flock from which my specimen was shot rose after being fired at, circled round and alighted on an elm close by, remaining quiet for a few seconds, then flying by twos and threes back and forth between the tree and their wounded comrade, hovering within twenty feet of my head, but, though I looked carefully, I could not see a second light bird. In this connection I may also mention a young moulting JE. linaria, show- ing no red on the head, but a slight coppery tinge above the forehead. — W. A. Jeffries, Boston, Mass. Record of the Breedixg of Crossbills in Northern Vermont in 1796. — This early record of the breeding of the Crossbills in New England, which I have found in " The Rural Magazine; or, Vermont Re- pository " (Vol. II, Rutland, 1796), may not be without interest. Of late years they have been found breeding in Maine and Vermont, though but few instances have been recorded. — Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass. Account of the C7-ossbill Bird. Rutland, October 16, 1796. To the Editor of the Rural Magazine. Sir, — There is a small bird, common in the northern part of this State, called Crossbills, from the singularity of their bills, which cross at the extrem- ity. Their bodies are a size larger than the Wren, but more full of feathers. Their color is ash, or brownish, in general ; on some of which there are tingea 122 ' '■• neral Notes. of red. In the depth of winter they colled around houses, oftentimes in flocks of several hundreds, appearing to be particularly fond of feeding and picking in places around an liou.se where slops have been thrown, and especially where anything salt or briny has been cast ; and they arc so tame as often to be taken. But what is extraordinary, and makes this bird worthy of notice, is, that they lay their eggs and hatch their young in the middle of winter. Samuel C. Crafts, Esq., informs me that a person of entire credibility in Craftsbury assured him that in the depth of winter, sometimes in February, he discovers at onetime as many as twelve of their nests on one small shrubby Hacmatac-tree, in which there wen- eggs, and the birds wen- then setting and hatching. As a confirmation of this, he also assures me, that when they have been taken in the dead of winter, and been opened, litters of eggs have been found in the females, and a part of them with shells, in a state of maturity, to be laid. The naturalist will, I think, be inclined to notice this curiosity, not- withstanding the minutia of the thing, and tin- insignificancy of the bird as to size. He may do it, also, perhaps, with more security from sarcasm than if he lived in the vicinity of Peter Pindar. 1 am, sir, yours, &c, Thomas Tolman. Notes ox the Purple Finch. — It has been a matter of remark that sev- eral of our once rare birds have largely increased in numbers within a few years, and I think in no case is this so apparent as in that of the Purple Finch {Carpodacus purpureas). At the same time its distribution extends a much larger range. It was formerly considered a strictly northern mi- grant, but has recently become resident in Massachusetts, where it breeds quite plentifully in certain sections, and from the following instance would Seem inclined to remain even farther south. Among some notes taken at Bayside, L. I., I find under date of April 21, of this year : " Saw a Purple Finch (male) in full song and plumage and apparently resident." In the early part of June I visited the same locality ami again Baw both male and female. Feeding sure they must have nested there, after diligent search I discovered the nest, located, as usual, some forty feet from the ground, mar the top of a large spruce-tree, and contained only two well advanced in incubation. This was June 15, and I am at a hiss to explain the reason of thrir late domestic- arrangements, except with the surmise that their first nest was destroyed, or that they felt out of their latitude, as indeed their actions seemed to indicate. They remained in the vicinity but a short time after, and. I think, did not attempt another nest. The construction of the nest, its situation, and the eggs, except in number, were almost identical with a set procured just previously at Grand Menan. This is, I believe, the most southern point at which the species has been found breeding. — 11. F. PEARSALL, New York City. Nesting or the Black-throated Bunting (Euspiza americand) in M \>- \i husk i is. — On page 15, Vol. III. of the Bulletin, .Mr. Purdie records the finding of two nests of this Bunting in Medford, Mass., in 1877, one containing eggs and the other young, and on page L90 General Notes. 123 mention is made of several specimens seen at Hingham, Mass., in June, 1878, one pair seen feeding their young. Although this bird has heen rarely met with of late years in the State, yet it would seem that a limited number must breed with us every year. Through the kindness of Mr. N. C. Hammond I am enabled to record an instance of its breeding in Hyde Park, Mass., where he collected a nest containing four eggs, about August 1, 1878. The nest was placed on the ground in the middle of a large open field, and from the lateness of this date would indicate that it must have been a second brood. — Ruthven Deaxe, Cambridge, Mass. Rare Birds in Michigan. — In a recent letter from Dr. H. A. Atkins, of Locke, Ingham Co., Mich., among various ornithological items of general interest occur the following, which he has kindly placed at my disposal. Writing under date of November 19, 1878, he says: "This fall the Western Meadow Lark (Sturnella neghcta) drifted in here. Sev- eral quite large flocks were seen ; they were first observed about Septem- ber 28 ; the last were noticed October 19." He speaks of their being more in flocks than is the Eastern Meadow Lark, and as frequenting trees and elevated positions. He refers especially to their song, which he con- siders " in point of sweetness nearly equal to the notes of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak," and wonders that any one can consider the bird as merely a variety of the common Meadow Lark. He adds that the Western Meadow Lark has also been met with at Ann Arbor by Mr. A. B. Covert. He also notes the occurrence of the Oregon Snow-Bird (Junco oregomts), of which he says he " shot two, and saw perhaps twelve or fifteen in all." They were first noticed October 11, and last seen October 30 (1878). He says : " I also took alive, October 22, a fine specimen of the Chestnut-bicked Snow-Bird (Junco caniceps), found in a flock of the common Snow-Birds." The Oregon Snow-Bird he believes will yet be found to be quite common in Michigan, and that it possibly extends to quite a distance south and east. — J. A. Alxen, Cambridge, Mass. The Cow-Blackbird of Texas and Arizona (Molothrus obscurus). — Dr. Merrill has called my attention to a grave error in " Xorth Amer- ican Birds " (II, p. 157) in regard to the measurement of the eggs of the Southern variety of the Cow Blackbird. It is there given as .60x.55, an obvious error for .70 x .55, but even this is too small. In a set of eggs from Arizona the least length is .72 and the least breadth .58 ; average, .73 x .59. In a series from Matamoras, .72 is the least and .75 the greatest length, and .55 the least diameter; average, .74 x.57. In a fine series of fifteen eggs from Fort Browr, Texas, the length varies from .74 to .81, and the diameter from .59 to .64. The average length is .77, the average diameter .62. The eggs from Fort Brown range much larger than those from Arizona or even from Matamoras, on the opposite side of the Rio Grande. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. 124 General Notes. A Spotted Egg of Empidonax minimus. — [The following note, communicated to me by Mr. Hayward, seems of sufficient interest to merit publication. I have examined the egg in question, and tbereis apparently no reason to doubt its correct identification. Save for the reddish-brown dotting it is quite typical of E. minimus, and not for a moment to be com- pared with the eggs of either E. traillii or acadicus. I have never seen a spotted egg of the Least Flycatcher before. — W. Brewster.] Last spring, during the month of May, while collecting eggs at Milton, Mass., I found a nest of this species in the forks of an apple-tree about fifteen feet from the ground, containing four eggs, three of which were of the usual color, but the fourth, of the same ground-color, was minutely marked with fine dots of reddish-brown. The spots are irregularly dis- persed over the surface of the egg, and while numerous on one side are few on the other. The egg measures .63 x .50 of an inch. The nest was like others of this species, and the bird had the well-known note of dttbe'e. — R. Hayward, Boston, Mass. Additional Captures of the Curlew Sandpiper in New England. — The three specimens of this rare straggler, which have pre- viously been recorded as occurring in New England, have all been col- lected in Massachusetts, and I am enabled to add two more instances, both of which have also been taken in this State. Mr. John Fottler, Jr., writes me that he has in his possession a fine spring specimen which was shot on Cape Cod about the 10th of May, 1878. Another specimen is in the collection made by Mr. Baldwin Coolidge (now in possession of the city of Lawrence. Mass.), which was taken on Nahant Beach some ten years ago, and at that time was preserved by Mr. N. Vickery, of Lynn. — Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass. A Second Specimen of the Yellow-crowned Night Heron ( Nyci tardea violaced) in Massachusetts. — Since the Yellow-crowned Night Heron was added to our New England birds by Mr. Allen's record * of an individual shot by Mr. Vickery in Lynn, Mass., in October, 1862, no additional specimens have been brought to light by the numerous enter- prising observers that are so thoroughly working up our bird Fauna. It is therefore with greal pleasure that I am enabled to announce the occurrence of a second Massachusetts example, which is now in my possession. The history of this wanderer, so far as it is known, is briefly as follows: On the afternoon of July 30, 1878, Mr. George Cunningham — who resides in a rather densely populated part of Somerville, just beyond the line sep- arating that city from Cambridge — was attracted by a commotion among the Robins and other small birds in the orchard behind the house. l*pi>n investigating the cause of this unusual excitement a large bird was seen to take flight and disappear over the adjoining fence. Shortly alter this there was another alarm from the orchard, and it was found that tho Am. Nat., Ill, C; General Notes. 125 strange intruder had returned. A neighbor who is fond of shooting was called in, the bird winged, and after a sharp chase overtaken. It showed plenty of fig-lit, and, to use the words of its captor, " chattered very like a monkey." It was entirely alone, and had not been seen before in the vicinity. It was sent to Mr. Charles I. Goodale, our well-known Boston taxidermist, by whom it was finely mounted. Mr. Goodale first called my attention to it while it was still in his possession, and upon writing to Mr. Cunningham on the subject he very generously placed the bird at my dis- posal, at the same time giving me the facts above recorded. The specimen is in the spotted immature plumage, and is apparently very young, inasmuch as many of the feathers still retain the peculiar hair-like filaments which characterize the downy stage of Herons, and which are pushed outward on the tips of the feathers that succeed. This fact, taken in connection with the date of capture, is certainly suggestive of a not very remote breeding- place, though the bird was perhaps old enough to have flown northward from the Carolinas, its nearest known breeding-ground. — W. Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. Additional Notes ox the Whistling Swan (Cygnus americanus) in New England. — Since the appearance of my note on the Whistling Swan in the Bulletin for October, 1878, the occurrence of two additional New England specimens has been brought to my notice. The history of the first of these is unfortunately involved in some obscurity, but neverthe- less the following facts, for which I am indebted to my friend Dr. Brewer, would seem to entitle it to mention as of probable New England origin. Shortly after the publication of the October Bulletin, Dr. Brewer, in conversation with Mr. George O. Welch of Lynn, happened to speak of the Nantucket specimen therein recorded. Mr. Welch at once said that he remembered the shooting of a Swan at Nahant some fifteen years ago. It was killed by a Mr. Taylor, who, having since died, cannot be looked to for any further light on the subject. Mr. Welch, however, assured Dr. Brewer that it was finally deposited in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History, and if still there might be recognized by traces of im- mature plumage upon the head and neck. Upon referring to the cases of mounted birds, a Swan fully answering this description was found. The only data relating to it, however, is the simple record that it was presented by Deming Jarvis, Esq. This gentleman, at that time, lived at Nahant, and the only apparent flaw in the evidence is the fact that Mr. Welch originally saw this bird at the house of a Mr. Tudor, to whom he then sup- posed it belonged. This point is, however, of trifling importance, as it may have changed hands several times before reaching its present resting-place. The other Swan was killed at Seabrook, N. H., October 18, 1878. It is a male in immature plumage, and wras shot by a gunner while lying off shore in a dory waiting for Sea-Ducks. It was mounted by Mr. Emery C. Greenwood, of Ipswich, Mass., to whom I am under obligations for the facts just given. Although I have seen neither of the above specimens, the full 126 General Notes. descriptions of plumage and careful measurements furnished by Mr. Green- wood are conclusive of the identity of his bird, while I have Dr. Brewer's hit named in the over- much have reached me. Doubtless the publication of the Nova Scotia Institute. General Notes. 127 text : "In the male common golden-eye, the wind-pipe, soon after leaving the throat and before it enters the breast, has a very sudden enlargement, almost as it were a broad hoop thrown obliquely around its stem; on the inside this leaves large circular pouches on the posterior surface before the restriction of the pipe takes place again. In the Rocky Mountain species, the wind-pipe simply and gradually enlarges itself, becoming re- stricted again before it enters the breast. In one the enlargement is suddenly from 2-8 of an inch to an inch and 1-8, while in the other from 2-8 to 5-8 of an inch, and that with no protuberances. In the males alone of both species there is, after the wind-pipe has entered the brgast, that very complicated sub-quadrangular knob, from which the bifurcation of the pipe proceeds." — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C. Notes on the Sea-Bikds of the Ghand Banks. — During Sep- tember, 1878, Mr. Raymond L. Xewcomb of Salem, well known as an ornithological collector, spent several weeks on and near the Grand Banks, under the direction of Professor S. F. Baird, for the purpose of obtaining specimens of the various sea-birds to be found there. Mr. Newcomb left Gloucester August 28, and returned September 19, and although much of his time was engrossed with other duties, he secured many interesting birds. The following is an abstract from his note-book, kindly communi- cated for publication in the Bulletin. August 29, off Thatcher's Island, several Jaegers were seen which were thought to be Stercorarius pomatorlrinus. The next day (August 30) the first Shearwater (Puffinus major), the " Hagdon " of the 6shermen, was met with, the vessel being then just out of sight of land. The fol- lowing day (August 31) several Terns (thought to be either Wilson's or the Arctic) were seen, some Petrels, and three flocks of " Sea Geese," — one containing about twenty individuals, and th.3 others four or five each. Three of the " Sea Geese " were shot, and provad .'o be Red Pha- laropes (Phalaropus fulicarius). Several Skua or Jaeger G-uIls were also seen. On September 1 only one " Hajrdon " and two or three Petrels were seen all day. Under date of September 2, Mr. Newcomb writes : — "Saw what Captain Collins called a 'Sea Hen,' a number of 'Hags' and Mother Carey's Chickens. The 'Sea Hen' is the Skua Gull [Stercorarius eatarrhactes], about which considerable stir has been made the past summer.* The Fish Commission secured one, but I did not get any ; still, our 'skipper,' who is an intelligent and very persistent man, says he will get one, just to make his word good. The fishermen say they are seen comparatively often, still I feel somewhat doubtful, owing to the meagre and inaccurate knowledge which this class of men have of the subject." " September 3. On Sable Island Bank, at anchor. I shot to-day twenty-three birds, including [the Greater] Shearwater in two plumages, some Petrels (Cymo- * See this Bulletin, Vol. Ill, p. 188. 128 General Notes. chorea leucorrhoa), and some Skuas (Stercorarius pomatorhinvs) and one Sterna hirundo. The men were dressing fish, and 'Hags' were numerous and bold, coming within six feet of ine to pick up Ash livers. Petrels by the hundreds all around." Several day? of stormy weather followed, when few birds were obtained or apparently observed. Later, he says : — "September 8. SawseveraJ S. pomatorhinus, P. anglorum, and '( larey Chickens' this a. H. These birds evidently follow vessi Is for the garbage. The Petrels seem to be flying about all night, as when on deck at night I have often seen a black shadow Hit by close to me, and on moonlight nights they come up very close, even picking bits of gurry off the rail. Shot to-day eleven S. pomatorhi- nus, representing two plumages. These birds in the sooty plumage are known as Black Marlingspikes. This afternoon a Yellow Warbler (JDendroxa a came aboard, but soon flew away. "September 9. Shot two S. pomatorhinus and one 'Whip-tail.' This bird was not common. 1 saw only a few. It proved to be Stercorarius cepphus \=zpara* siticus]. Saw two ( hay Gulls, which I think were Larus marinus. ' Hags ' have been quite scarce the past day or two. " SepU mber 12. Shot eight Larey Chickens at once to-day ; they were very numerous. " Se})tcmber 15. Made the coast of Nova Scotia, — the first land seen for six- teen days. It looked good. Gannets (Sula bassana) in winter plumage com- mon all day along the coast; also some 'Hags' and Terns; nothing new. Strange to say, these Gannets are called by their right name. " September 16. Saw several 'Sea Geese ' ; they were much tamer than when previously seen. At 3 p. m. two Gray Eagles were seen, and at 3.30 a Sharp- shinned Hawk Hew astern, going north toward the land, some seventy miles distanl ." On September 17 Skua and Herring Gulls were seen in Ipswich Bay apparently contending for " tinker " mackerel. A " Gray Coot" (CEdemiq velvetina) was also observed. Under date of September "j, on Quereau Bank, he notes the appearance in the vicinity of the vessel of the Greater Telltale (Totcunts meUmoleucus) and the Turnstone (Strepsilas interpres), a single individual of each. On August 31, when eighty-two miles from land, a Yellow Warbler (Deitdrceca asiifii) alighted on the vessel, but soon flew away in the direction of the Land, thi< making two specimens of this species that visited the vessel when out of Bighl of land. Of the -pcei.- of strictly Sea-Birds noted, the Petrels and the Pomarine I appear to have been the most abundant, in addition to which were observed the Skua (Stercorarius catarrhactes"), the Long-tailed Jac_rer (S. parasiticus'), and one or two species each of Terns and Gulls, while small flocks of Red Phalaropes were seen on several occasions. Mr. Ridgway informs me that Mr. Newcomb's collection contained also two Bpecimens of Richardson's Skua (S. crepidatus). — J. A. Ai.i.k.n, Cam- bridge, Muss. J BULLETIN NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. Vol. IV. JULY, 1879. No. 3. ON THE USE OF TRINOMIALS IN ZOOLOGICAL NOMEN- CLATURE. BY ROBERT RIDGWAY. In order to elicit a general expression of opinion in regard to the use of trinomials in zoological nomenclature, I adopt this method of answering the inquiries of several correspondents who have addressed me on this subject. It must, sooner or later, become evident to the scientific naturalist, that a strictly binomial system, while answering in the case of really distinct species, is entirely inadequate for the designation of those which are in the incipient stage. The use of a third term, therefore, becomes a matter of necessity in the case of forms which are not completely differen- tiated, i. e. which are not yet isolated by the extinction of inter- mediate specimens. In what manner this third term shall be connected with the generic and specific names is a question upon which scarcely two authors agree ; and as it is obviously desirable that some generally acceptable form be adopted, at as early a date as possible, we hope the subject may meet with due consideration.* * In the "American Naturalist," Vol. V, 1871, pp. 346-373, Dr. Coues very strongly urges the employment of trinomials, and presents the most ex- plicit reasons why they should be used ; his excellent article should, therefore, be carefully read in connection witli the present subject. The first ornitholo- gist to adopt the trinomial system of nomenclature on an extensive scale, so far at least as this country is concerned, was Professor Baird, who used them freely in that standard work, "Birds of North America" (Vol. IX, Pacific R. R. Reports), published in 1858, and subsequently in Lis "Review of Amer- ican Birds" (1864-66). The purpose of the present article is, therefore, not VOL. IV. 9 130 Eidgway on Zoological Nomenclature, The question is one of the greatest importance to ornithologists, and should be decided without unnecessary delay. In order to show that it is likely, sooner or later, to be agitated abroad, the following opinion of a writer* in a late number of "The Ibis" is quoted : — " It is the boast of British ornithologists that their system of nomenclature is binomial. When Linnaeus substituted a word instead of a sentence to designate a species, he made an immense stride toward simplicity of nomenclature. The practice of Brisson and the earlier ornithologists, if -it aimed at scientific accuracy, failed in consequence of the multiplicity of facts with which it had to deal. There seems, however, to be a tendency at the present time to carry the idea of a binomial nomenclature to a pedantic extreme. It is a common practice amongst ornithologists to quote specific names without authorities, under the cover of ad- hering to a strictly binomial nomenclature. In nine cases out of ten no harm is done by omitting the authority, but in the tenth case it leaves the precise species intended to be discriminated open to doubt. Exactness is the foundation of all scientific n Bearch, and the moment any doubt attaches to the meaning of a term, that moment such term ceases to be scientific. The fact that the same specific term has been applied by different ornithologists to different species, makes the addition of the authority to the specific name in many eases a necessity, — an unwelcome necessity, no doubt, to the binomial uomenclator, bul not the less an absolute necessity to the truly scientific student. It would be well if the complication stopped here. Unfortunately, in too many instances, a difference of opinion amongst eminent ornithologists as to which species were in- tended to lie discriminated by certain terms made use of by some writers. "For example: Saxicola stapazina is a name intended to dis- criminate a certain species of Chat. Saxicola stapazina (Linn.) piof.- strict that name to the specie-, of Chat to which Lin- aseus gave the name of Motacilla stapazina : but since the publica- tion of Dresser's 'Birds of Europe,' the title Saxicola stapazina so much to defend this system of nomenclature, which in truth needs no de- fence, luii to Bel Forth the necessity of an agreement between ornithologist ilm exact manner in which the subspecihe term is to be combined with the jpecific name. Me II. Seebohm, in the [bis, January, 1^7:'. pp. 18-21. ElDGWAY on Zoological Nomenclature. 131 (Linn.) ceases to have a definite meaning, and the reader must always be in doubt as to whether a bird so described be the Saxi- cola stapazina of Linnaeus, apud Latham, Vieillot, Temminck, and a host of other authors, or the Saxicola stapazina of Linnaeus, apud Dresser, — two totally distinct birds. At all costs scientific accu- racy must be preserved, and I see no possible alternative but to complicate our ornithological nomenclature still further, by calling the Black-eared Chat Saxicola stapazina (Linn.) et Dresser. " It would be well for the simplicity of ornithological nomen- clature if its complications could even stop here. From the days of Linnaeus to those of Wallace and Darwin, most ornithologists were agreed that species were divided by a hard and fast line, and that the difficulty which the student had to surmount was the dis- covery of the lines of demarcation which Nature herself had drawn between the various specially created species. Now that most sci- entific ornithologists have adopted the theory that these hard and fast lines seldom exist in nature ; that species were not specially created, but were gradually developed according to certain more or less known fixed laws ; and that consequently there must be at any one period of the world's history a large number of species in pro- cess of differentiation, our difficulties are largely increased. The question naturally arises, What is a species'? We must either draw an artificially hard and fast line where Nature has drawn none, or we must accept Nature as she is, and make the best of the compli- cations which necessarily arise in our nomenclature in attempting to harmonize it with facts which we cannot, as scientific students, ignore. Hence, it appears to me to be absolutely necessary for modern ornithologists to recognize the existence of subspecies, — that is, species in the process of differentiation, incipient species, where the intermediate forms have not yet died out, but where a series gradually leading from one extreme to the other may be ob- tained. I fully recognize the danger of such a practice. It is easy to imagine the abuses of which it is capable. Inexperienced orni- thologists will be tempted to think that differences of age, sex, and season, to say nothing of accidental individual variations, are inter- mediate forms worthy of the rank of a subspecies ; and our nomen- clature may run the risk of being still more flooded with names as injurious as the useless synonyms of the elder Brehm. I am, how- ever, of the opinion that these difficulties will have, sooner or later, to be faced. It seems to me that the scientific ornithologist cannot 132 RlPGWAY on Zoological Nomenclature. afford any longer to ignore the existence of subspecies in nature, or t<> attempt to make ornithological nomenclature simpler than the facts of nature which it is intended to discriminate." Until the matter shall have been definitely decided by the agreement of leading ornithologists, it. may be considered purely optional with a writer what combination of generic, specific, and subspecific names he uses in the case of geographical races of ani- mals, provided, of course, he does no violence to the essential prin- ciples of the nomenclature established by Linnaeus and adopted, with amendments, by the British Association. Linnaeus, as well as subsequent authors of the past century, not unfrequently employed a third term for the designation of races or varieties. This prac- tice, however, though not actually prohibited by the Rules of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, such prohibi- tion is implied in the first three lines of the third paragraph under § 1 of the rules inferred to, which read as follows : " As our subject- matter is confined strictly to the binomial system of nomenchdure, or that which indicates species by two Latin words, the one generic, the other specific; and as this invaluable method originated solely with Linnaeus," etc. At the time Linnaeus wrote, intergradation between supposed species was a thing not thought of; therefore, no provision was made for geographical races, which are, in fact, incipient species : and this provision was also overlooked when the important rules of the British Association were framed, in 1842. Even in the last revised edition of these rules (1S78), tliis great desideratum is completely ignored. Were all species perfectly stable, a purely binomial system would of course suffice ; but the more recent developments of zoological research reveal the fact that com- paratively few species are what may be termed completely isolated, a very large proportion being still united by a series of incompletely differentiated individuals, even, in many cases, where the degree of divergence in separate geographical areas is greater than between many where intergradation is unknown and extremely improbable. It is therefore clear, that the only true " species," or forms which may be properly designated by a strictly binomial combination, are those which are isolated through the extinction of intermediate specimens, or the complete differentiation of the several offshoots from the parent stock. And it is equally obvious that this distinction be- tween real and incipient species should be practically recognized by a suitable amendment of the rules of nomenclature. Eidgway on Zoological Nomenclature. 133 The use of «. third name, in combination with the specific and ge- neric, to designate a " race " or " subspecies," has been objected to on the ground of its being opposed to the Linnsean canons of nomencla- ture ; but, so far from this being the case, we find that Linnseus fre- quently gave names to what he considered as races or " vai'ieties " of a species, prefixing the letters of the Greek alphabet. As an example, we find in the twelfth edition of " Systema Naturse " (1766), on pages 270 and 271, that Linnams recognizes seven forms of " Phasiamis gallus." The first of these he terms simply Phasiamis gallus, the others being cristatus (3., ecaitdatus y., morio 8., lunata €., pusillus £., and crtspus -q. ; each being accompanied by its diagnosis. Others of the older authors, whose works were published subsequent to the twelfth edition of the " Systema Naturae," and who adopt the Lin- nsean system, follow the same plan. Numerous instances may be found in Gmelin (178S). On pages 589, 590, of Latham's "Index Ornithologicus " (Vol. II, 1790), the domestic Pigeon is termed " Columba domestical being species " 2 " of the genus Cohtmba. Twenty varieties of this species are named, as follows : "2/3. livia" " 2 y. rupicola" " 2 8. hispanica" " 2 c. dasypus," et seq. The four- teen varieties of the domestic Fowl (" Phasiamis gall us "), are named after the same manner on pages 626-628. In other instances, both Linnaeus and Latham indicate the different forms supposed to belong to one species simply by the Greek charactei'S, followed by a diagnosis, references, and habitat (e. g. Strepsilas interpres, ft., y., and 8. ; Lath., Ind. Orn., II, pp. 738, 739). The term " var.n between the specific name and that of the race is objectionable, from the fact that a " variety " is properly " a dif- ference not permanent or invariable, but occasioned by an accidental change " ; * and in this sense would apply only to individuals pre- senting some abnormal variation, as albinism, melanism, erythrism, or some unusual form of bill, foot, etc., having little, if any, relation to geographical distribution. As affording a suitable example, the two common North American forms of Colaptes (auratus and mexi- canus) may be cited, restricted to either side of the continent, but along the line of junction (or, rather, merging) of their respective habitats intergrading in a wholly promiscuous way, few specimens, apparently, perfectly typical of either form, being found in this neutral territory ; not only this, but specimens of this intermediate * Webster. 134 Hkxsiiaw on the Hermit Thrush. character not infrequently occur far to the eastward or westward, in the very "heart" of the region where the typical form prevails. Now Colaptes aurntnx and C. mexicanus differ from each other much more, in their typical state, than do very many congeneric species between which intergradation is not known (e. g. the small Thrushes, of the subgenus Hylocichla, many of the FringUlidoe, and numerous other groups) ! Formerly, these intermediate specimens were sup- posed to be hybrids; but it is difficult to conceive of hybridization on such an immense scale. Now what is to be done in this case ' Probably very few ornithologists would be willing to call the whole series simply C. auratus, while, on the other hand, since they prove not to be specifically distinct, it is obviously wrong to imply such distinctness by the use of a specific name in each case. It seems to me, that Linnaeus himself has shown us how to solve the difficulty. Had the facts as above stated been known to him, he would doubtless have called the whole series C. auratus, at the same time calling the western (red-shafted) form "/?. mexicanus," and the intermediate series, y. hybridus or ayresii (allowing him, of course, the choice of names, only the first-named form being at that time known). To sum up, it having been found necessary to name every true race or subspecies, I have found the method indicated by Linnaeus, as described above, to be more simple than any other, and to answer every requirement of the case. By adopting this plan, the tpiestion of nomenclature becomes very much simplified, while it expresses better than any other yet tested the relative rank of the forms which have to be recognized by Dame. REMARKS UPON TURDUS PALLAS1 AND ITS VARIETIES. BY II. W. HEN8HAW. The study of our small Olive-back Thrushes (Hyheichlit) has, from the times of the earliest writers, involved many interesting points, doubtless because of the general resemblance possessed in common by all the forms, and the resulting difficulties aud confu- sion in the way of their identification, and in the proper application of the various names that from time to time have been bestowed upon each of the several members of the group. Henshaw on the Hermit Thrush. ]35 It is the purpose of the present paper to discuss briefly the Her- mit Thrush (7\ pallasi) in relation to its two ascribed varieties, the Dwarf and Audubon's Thrushes (nanus et auduboni)."' Prior to Mr. Allen's paper + the three birds had generally been considered distinct species, and they were so treated by Professor Baird in the ninth volume of the " Pacific Railroad Reports," who, however, did not fail to call attention to their close relationship. In his paper Mr. Allen reviewed the subject somewhat fully, and, indorsing the opinion of Dr. Gambel, formally reduced the two Western names to synonyms of pallasi. The treatment adopted by Mr. Allen has been considerably modified by most authors who have had occasion to refer to the birds since, and the two West- ern birds have been allowed place as geographical varieties of pal- lasi. In his most recent work, "Birds of the Colorado Valley," Dr. Cones appears to reopen the question, and makes the following statement : " Among the Western Hylocichlw of the pallasi type, there are a larger and a smaller race, both intergrading completely with the dimensions of Eastern pallasi, their respective avei'ages be- ing at about the maxima and minima of pallasi proper. The differ- ence in size between them is more noticeable than that between either of them and T. pallasi, and appears to be preserved with much .con- stancy. I am unable to appreciate any of the differences in colora- tion which have been ascribed ; at any rate, these differences are fully within the normal range of variation of typical pallasi. These subspecies are less strongly indicated than either of those of the swainsoni type, and little violence woidd be done by declining to recognize them by name. Nanus, in particular, is positively indistinguishable from some small specimens of Eastern pallasi. * The current names for the three forms will he adopted in the present paper. It well illustrates the uncertainties of our nomenclature that Auduhon's name nanus should have been allowed to stand so long for the Dwarf Thrush. His nanus was unquestionably based upon a small specimen of the Eastern pallasi proper, the locality of his bird being alone sufficient evidence of the fact. It, hence, properly should become a simple synonym of the latter, leaving a name for the small Western form, if it be deemed necessary to recognize it, to besought for among the earlier authors. The guttata of Pallas applies throughout to one of the Hermit Thrushes] and as his locality, Kodiak, is now known to be the home of the true Dwarf Thrush, and of no other, it would appear that the accept- ance of his name is scarcely to be avoided. t Mammals and Winter Birds of East Florida, 1871, pp. 254-256. 136 Henshaw on the Hermit Thrush. Auduboni is rather better marked. I have never seen the wing of paUasi four inches long, and doubt that it ever exceeds this dimen- sion, as is the case with some examples of auduboni." Some of the statements contained in the above quotation were especially interesting to me, as, after a large field experience, and having collected many specimens of all three birds, I have never had the slightest difficulty in discriminating between the forms. This has doubtless been due in part to the fact, which the experi- ence of every field-worker will attest, that various slight differences of color, as well as certain other points, are perfectly apparent in freshly killed specimens which are often partially or even wholly lost in dried skins. But the main point involved is a matter of simple measurement, namely, to ascertain whether the three forms do or do not intergrade in size, and, if they do, to what extent ; in other words, to deter- mine their relations by means of rule and dividers. For this pur- pose Mr. Ridgvvay has kindly placed at my disposal the large num- ber of specimens contained in the Smithsonian Institution, which, together with the series collected by the Survey West of the 100th Meridian, has supplied ample material, and I have been able to include in my examination and to measure over 100 specimens* divided as follows : of T. pallasi, 32 specimens ; T. auduboni, 39 specimens ; T. nanus, 35 specimens. The following figures represent the averages obtained : — T.pallasi, Wing, 3.61. Tail, 2.87. Bill, .53. Tarsus, 1.15. T. auduboni, " 3.99. " 3.12. " .55. « 1.14. T. nanus, " 3.44. « 2.78. " .48. " 1.11. The number of specimens used would appear to be sufficient to give a result closely approximate to correctness, although, as will be evident from facts given further on, the greater the number used, the wider will be the gaps between the three forms. From the above it will, I think, be at once apparent that the dif- ferences here indicated express something more than mere individual variation, and that the discrepancies in size, bo far as the average is concerned, arc fully up to the requirements of varieties. The ex- * It is to be regretted thai the tables of measurements cannot 1»' here given in full, but lack of. space Forbids. They will be presented elsewhere, and oppor- tunity thus he afforded to compare the amount of individual variation, which, it may be Stated, is wry gnat. Henshaw on the Hermit Thrash. 137 tremes of size of the three forms, as indicated by my measurements, here follow : — pallasi (largest), Wing. , 3.85. Tail, 2.87. Bill, .51. Tarsus, 1.14. u (smallest), u 3.30. " 2.50. u — « 1.05. auduboni (largest), u 4.25. " 3.35. k .56. «( 1.16; (i (smallest), u 3.70. " 2.97. t< .54. u 1.13. nanus (largest), u 3.G7. " 3.00. u .50. u 1.18. a (smallest), it 3.25. " 2.55. u .49. a 1.04. Comparing the smallest specimens of pallasi and auduboni with the largest individual of nanus, a considerable percentage of the former forms will be found to fall below the latter in size. Obvi- ously, however, this would not be a fair comparison, since it is highly exceptional that this extreme of size is attained by nanus ; in fact, but one specimen in my sei'ies does so, the measurements of those next it falling considerably short. Attention may here be called also to the extremely small size of the smallest individual of pallasi, as shown by the above figures. No other of the series compares with it in this respect, the next in size having wings of 3.43, and upwards, with the other dimensions corresponding. Doubtless it was just such another individual which fell into Audubon's hands, and furnished occasion for his name nanus. Similar comparison between the largest pallasi and smallest au- duboni gives a similar residt. But again, the largest and smallest individuals of these birds respectively represent comparatively rare exceptions. It appears, therefore, that, while between unusual extremes of the three forms intergradation actually does take place, it is far from being "complete," and that, in fact, it is no greater than is usual in the cases of other species, with their varieties, in which change of geographical limits has been accompanied by increased or diminished size. Our tables further demonstrate that the greater number of individuals are actxially identifiable by the test of size alone. If by the recognition of varieties nothing were to be gained but the opportunity of increasing the list of named birds, not only would no harm result from ignoring them, but, on the contrary, positive benefit. Such, however, is very far from being the case. Varieties, — species in embryo, — if understood to be the result of natural laws, the expression of new conditions under which species 138 HENSHA.W on the Hermit Thrush. have been brought, serve a far more useful purpose in the de- termination of faunal areas than species, which, from their insus- ceptibility to change, retain everywhere their peculiar type, the sign manual of specific rank. In the latter case the species cannot be identified with, and its presence relied upon as a factor in the determination of, a restricted avian area, since often its habitat may overlap the boundaries of several such areas ; at all events, its use to this end must take rank far below the variety, which, having been traced to its proper stock, and the exact amount and manner of variation noted, serves a very important end as denoting by the changes it successively exhibits the limits of climatic and other in- fluences corresponding to definable geographical limits. An excellent illustration of this occurs to us in the cases of the Song and Lincoln's Sparrows (J/, meloda and allies and lincolni). The first, from its pliability of organization, so to speak, passes through several successive phases of color change, as we cross its habitat from east to west, as well as variations of bill, etc. These in each instance serve for the discrimination of a race which is identifiable more or less closely with a limited province. The latter, on the contrary, with a general range almost coextensive with the former, reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and over no small portion of which it is found breeding, appears nowhere to vary ap- preciably; hence, while interesting from this very fact, it is of very limited value in the consideration of questions touching faunal boundaries. A few words may be said upon color as a means of identification of the forms here under consideration. The two Western, ' I'nited States, assures me that he has been for many years well aware of the common presence of this species among the mountains of that region. A fine set of seven eggs procured by that gentle- man are now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge. Mr. Carter writes me, that "the usual nest complement of Barrow's Colden-eye is from six to ten, varying with the age and vigor of the parents. Last year (1870) we took a nest of ten that contained large embryos; we also took another set of, six. Another clutch (the one sent to the Museum) consisted of Beven. I have also met with several young broods with from six to eight, and one with ten. They nest in hollow trees, and it is surprising to see to what small cavities, in sonic instances, they can accommodate themselves. The present season (1877) 1 have examined a great many trees, and every one that had a suitable opening either contained an occupant or indicated recent nesting by egg-shells and other marks." This Duck has not been detected in California, but Dr. Cooper thinks that it undoubtedly occurs among the mountains of the northeastern part of the State. Mr. Dall found it present but rare on the Yukon River. Examples were procured by Bischoffal Sitka, "id a Bingle individual was taken by Mr. M. McLeod, June •_".». 18G3, Brewer on the Rocky Mountain Golden-eye. 151 in the vicinity of Fort Anderson. On the 14th of June, in the following year ( 18G4), Mr. Macfarlane secured a fine male example at Fort Anderson. This individual had heen in the habit of flying over the fort for several evenings in succession, and was, at length, secured on a small lake just behind the reservation. The female had her nest somewhere in the vicinity, but eluded all their endeavors to discover the place. Mr. Macfarlane speaks of this species as the rarest of the Ducks that visit those parts. Mr. C. W. Sheperd, in his account of his visit to Iceland, mentions finding this Duck breeding on a small island in the Lake of My'Vatn, in the northern part of that island. The little islet was occupied exclusively by two species, this Golden-eye and the Mergus serrator. The soil was composed of broken lava, and both species were breeding in holes. Some of their nests wei'e quite out of reach, in the cracks and crevices of the lava. The two species were living together on the most familiar terras. One female Mer- ganser was actually found sitting on a nest not her own, and which contained four eggs belonging to a Golden-eye ; the differences be- tween the eggs of the two species, being strongly marked, admitted of no possibility of confounding them. The habits of the Rocky Mountain Golden-eye essentially re- semble those of the more common species, but it is said by Holboll to be not so good a diver as that bird. It cannot dive in deeper water than the Harlequin, and is generally to be met with only on fjords. He also describes it as the most wary of all the Water-fowl, and it is with the greatest difficulty that one can approach within gunshot range of it. His collectors, in order to procure specimens, were compelled to conceal themselves near where it feeds, on nights when the moon gave light enough for them to see to shoot. In the spring it appeared in pairs, but flew so high that it was seldom shot. Two eggs of this species in the Smithsonian collection, from the Yukon, measure, one 2.40 x 1.60 inches, and the other 2.40 x 1.70. Two others from Iceland, in the same collection, measure 2.55 x 1.80, and 2.45 x 1.80. They are of a uniform deep grayish pea-green color. Dr. Kriiper (Naumannia, 1857, p. 40), states that in Iceland it commences breeding in May or early in June, and that eggs may be found until the middle of July. Its nest cannot be mistaken for that of any other Duck, as the down with which it is lined is pure white. The female sits so close that she may usually be captured on 152 Roberts on some Minnesota Birds. the nest. The eggs, from nine to twelve in number, resemble those ot the common Golden-eye, but are larger. In my own collection I have four'' examples, all of them well identified, but all from Iceland. These vary from a gravish-reen to a bright sea-green ■ the faded hue of the former is perhaps due to age and exposure. These measure 2.49 x 180- 244 y 174. 2.50x1.85; 2.50x1.75. ' ' ' The set of seven eggs belonging to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Mr. Allen describes to me as having a )>ale blu.sh-green color, or "sea-green." Their measurements are! 2.60 x 1.68; 2.58 x 1.70; 2.48 x 1.70; 2.48 x 1.70; 2.45 x 1 72 • 2.43 x 1.70; 2.43 X 1.66. ' NOTES ON SOME MINNESOTA BIRDS. BY. T. S. ROBEUTS. The following species 'have been selected for brief note at this tune, either because they seen to offer points of special interest or because previous notices have been particularly unsatisfactory! So far as the writer is aware, the two varieties, Alice's Thrush and Kidgways Sparrow, are here given from Minnesota for the first time. Most of the observations have been made in the vicinity of Minneapolis, and this locality is to be understood when no other is specified. 1. Turdus swainsoni aliciae. Gray-chbeked Thrush. - A* was expected, this f0r,n, as well as swainsoni proper, is found here. I have several spec.mens taken about Minneapolis,- the first on May 1 1 187« Ihe species ,s a summer resident, and breeds; but is not very common, being much outnumbered by T.fmcescera. . 2. Coturniculus lecontei. LeConte's Bontino.- Three regular nonces of the occurrence hereof LeConte's Bunting have appeared; but as '1- bird .8 one to which much interest attaches, afourtb and perhaps fuller account may not be unacceptable. The species was first secured on June 20, 1877, by Mr. C L Herrick Between this date and August 15 of the same year five more specimens' were taken, on« ,by Mr. Herrick, two by Mr. R S. Wuhams, andTTby ""■ writer. A brief notice of the capture of Mr. Ilerrick's two specimens appeared at the time.* ' * Hull. Minn. GeoL and Nat. Hist. Sur., 1876, p. 287. Eoberts on some Minnesota Birds. 153 These six birds are all that have been taken up to the present date, and are all that have been identified with certainty. They were found in a small, ditched meadow, on the outskirts of the city of Minneapolis. The meadow was quite swampy in places, supported a heavy growth of grass, and was dotted here and there with clumps of swamp willows. The local- ity was a good one for birds, the immediate neighbors of the Buntings being Savanna, Song, and Swamp Sparrows, Marsh Wrens (both species), Maryland Yellow-throats, Bobolinks, Red-winged Blackbirds, a few Vir- ginia Rails, and others, all of which were breeding in various parts of the meadow. The LeConte's Bunting had undoubtedly bred here, also. But in view of the repeated and careful search that was made it does not seem possible that there could have been above one or two pairs and their progeny. The song, as well as the manner in which it is delivered, closely resembles the ordinary effort of the Yellow-winged Sparrow. While on the ground, among the long grass, they utter a rapid, smothered chirping, which may be interrupted at times by the song proper. They are hard to flush from the grass, and each successive attempt grows more difficult. Through the kindness of Messrs. Herrick and Williams, I have had the opportunity of examining their four specimens and comparing them with mine. There are three adults in full plumage and three young birds. As the latter were taken at dates considerably apart, and probably belonged to the same brood, they present some points of interest in regard to the plumage of the first year. The youngest, taken on June 20, shows dis- tinct maxillary streaks, and the breast is streaked entirely across for a dis- tance of half an inch. The color of the whole under parts and broad edgings of the feathers above is a pale, brassy yellow. There is no indi- cation of the collar of mingled chestnut and grayish, nor of the buff of the anterior under parts. In the second specimen, taken August 1, the max- illary streaks and breast-markings have become indistinct, while in the third, taken August 8, the former have disappeared entirely and the latter are confined to the sides. This last bird also approaches the adult in an imperfect separation of the under parts into the buffy anterior and light posterior areas, in the appearance of rufous on a few of the feathers of the back, and in the whitening of the back part of the median line of the crown. Nothing certain was heard of the species during the summer of 1878. The notices of Dr. P. L Hatch (Bull. Minn. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1878, p. 345), and of Mr. W. L. Tiffany (Am. Nat. XII., July, 1878, p. 471), are based upon the capture of these six specimens. 3. Zonotrichia leucophrys intermedia. Ridgway's Sparrow. — On October 5, 1877, while collecting along a thick hedge between two fields, I shot two specimens of this variety of the White-crowned Sparrow. Together with others of the species, they were in company with many White-throats, Snow-birds, and a few Lincoln's Finches and Tree Sparrows. On the 17th of the following May (1878) three more 154 Eoberts on some Minnesota Birds. were secured in similar situations. Again, on May 6, 1879, I shot two specimens, and the next day obtained the eighth. Four had been taken on the 5tb, by Mr. R. S. Williams. These specimens are all plainly typi- cal var. intermedia. Two individuals, however, have been taken, that show a loral pattern intermediate between this and var. leucophrys. This repeated occurrence of intermedia at Minneapolis, in Eastern Min- nesota, considerably extends its range, since the locality is far east of its ascribed regular habitat. The Eastern form also occurs here as an uncommon migrant, and Mr. Trippe gives it as common and breeding in the west-central part of the State. 4. Zonotrichia querula. Harris's Finch. — This is now to be regarded as a regular, and at times common migrant. It is especially numerous in the fall, when the young birds, in their peculiar dress, are to be found in all open brushy places. A small proportion of the fall birds have the black hood, and are in most respects just like the spring birds. In the spring it passes quickly northward during the second and third weeks of May, and appears here again between September 25 and October 15, when it is much less hurried in its movements. I have never heard any song from them except upon one occasion. That was in the fall, when a bird in the plumage of the year uttered a low, continuous warble as it sat on the top of a brush-pile. This was repeated many times, and reminded one somewhat of the subdued singing of the Tree Sparrow, often heard in the early spring. 5. Spizella pallida. Ceay-colored Bunting. — One of our com- mon and characteristic Sparrows. Arrives the last week of April, breeds in the latter part of May and in June, and ret:res with the fall passage of Sparrows in September and October. C. Melospiza lincolni. Lincoln's Finch. — Occurs at Minne- apolis during the migration. Common during the last week of September and the first week of October, 1876, and again at the same time in 1877. They frequent hedges, patches of weeds, borders of woods, and similar situations. 7. Picoides arcticus. Arctic Woodpecker. — During the second week of July, 1877, I found this Woodpecker rather common about the North Pacific Junction, Carlton County. The timber in that locality is mostly evergreens, white-birch, and tamarack, with numerous tracts of dead trees. The birds had evidently bred there. The young at that time were nearly full grown, and associated together in twos and threes. They were quite tame, showing no fear either at noise or at one's presence. In the young males taken, yellow feathers were already beginning to appear on the crown. At Minneapolis it is an uncommon winter visitant, but occasionally remains late in spring. I have seen a specimen taken here the Becond week in May. 8. Sphyrapicus varius. YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. — Com- HENSHAW on Melospiza meloda and its Allies. 155 inon at Minneapolis during]migrations, and in the hard-wood timber of the State during the breeding season. I found a nest on an island in Lake Minnetonka, Hennepin County, May 17, 1876; and in July, 1875, the birds, old and young, were numerous in Wright County. 9. Gallinula galeata. Florida Gallinule. — From being at first considered rare, the Florida Gallinule has been gradually coming more into notice, until now it must be looked upon as breeding here in consid- erable numbers. On the 3d of June, 1878, I collected a nest and eleven eggs, and on the eighth found five more nests in the same locality, four of which contained nine eggs each, and the fifth seven. There were thus fifty-four eggs in the six nests. These nests were all in a large, reedy slough, lying in the Minnesota River bottom, a few miles from Minneapolis. They were placed in patches of old wild-rice stubble, and were built up on a floating foundation of reed and rice stems, so as to be high enough to keep the inside of the nest dry. Coarse rushes and reeds were used in building, much of the material being so long that only one end entered into the construction of the nest, the remainder hanging in the water. Aside from the contents, the nest can be distinguished from that of the Coot (Fulica americana) only by the fact that it is smaller, and that finer material is used in its construction. Eleven Coots' nests found on the same days as the Gallinules' nests men- tioned above, were precisely similar in situation and style of structure to the Gallinules'. In one instance, some grass that had grown up around a Gallinule's nest was slightly woven together above it, as if to imitate the bower-like coverings formed above some Rails' nests. There are in Southern Minnesota scores of just such sloughs as the one in which these nests were found, and if six pairs (probably many more) bred in this one, it is certainly fair to conclude that the Gallinule breeds commonly in Minnesota. It has been taken in the fall in several other localities and found breeding; in one other. MELOSPIZA MELODA AND ITS ALLIES. BY H. W. HENSHAW. The Song Sparrow, as it occurs throughout the length and breadth of the United States and the adjoining regions, offers one of the most instructive studies of the workings of geographical variation that is to be found. Others of our species may be named that are possessed of a similarly extensive range, but in none is the tendency to split up into races — well illustrated as it is in many others — so well exemplified as in the case of this Sparrow. 156 HENSHA.W on Melospiza meloda and its Allies. The Song Sparrow, although apparently nowhere a permanent resident in the strictest meaning of the term, that is to the extent of the same individuals remaining in the same locality throughout the year, unless indeed insignis of the Alaskan islands furnish the exception, is yet migratory to but a limited extent, and it is probable that the change of locality with the migrations is in the instance of none of its forms at all marked. It is doubtless to this localization, with the ensuing constantly exerted influence of the same conditions of environment, that we are to attribute the extraordinary tendency in this bird to develop into races and offshoots, according as its range brings it under differing conditions. As Dr. Cones happily phrases it, " Migration holds species true ; localization lets them slip." And nowhere do we meet a better illustration of this aphorism than is presented by this Sparrow. A recent examination of the extremely large collection of Song Sparrows in the Smithsonian Institution, together with many others furnished by friends for comparison, has developed some facts that appear to be of sufficient value and interest to warrant brief men- tion. Here, as elsewhere, the variation through which the forms are indicated are of two kinds, viz. a variation in size, and also in colora- tion ; nor is it easy to say in which direction the change is most pronounced. The only Song Sparrow found in the Eastern United States, and which extends from the coast as far west as Nebraska and the Indian Territory, is the M. meloda, and of all the forms into which the species subdivides, except perhaps insignis, this appears to be the most constant in the maintenance of its peculiarities over its wide habitat. So far as color goes, the variation appears to be scarcely noticeable; nor is the change in size very marked. Such as it is. it appeal's to bear out the general rule of an average in- crease of size to the northward. This law. it may be remarked here, appears to be equally applicable to all the other races. The general sameness in the topographical conditions of the eastern region, and the resulting similarity of climate, is doubtless the (haf cause of the slight departure from type to be observed in meloda throughout its range. The Rocky Mountains, as far to the north as Oregon and to the south as our southern border, and the intermediate region weal to the Sierras, are occupied by the var. fallax. This bird is (lis- Henshaw on Melospiza meloda and its Allies. 157 tinguishable from meloda by a generally paler tone of coloration, by a decided increase of size, especially of wing and tail, and by a slightly longer and considerably more slender bill. The inter- gradation of this form with meloda is readily traceable and com- plete. From the very varied nature of the country occupied by fallax, it being broken up by lofty mountain ranges, and the consequent differences of climate, considerable discrepancies might naturally be expected in specimens of this race from different localities. Such proves to be the case ; and, in examining a large series, the attention is often arrested by some slight phase of color which is often so intangible as to practically elude definition, but which is occasionally sufficient to identify all the individuals from some one limited neighborhood. So frequently, in fact, is this impres- sion received, that it would almost appear as if each locality in the middle region furnished a type of its own, exhibiting the main characteristics of fallax, but differing more or less appreciably. Thus the region of the Gila River affords a style of this race quite distinct from any other. The principal variation seen is in the very pale reddish tints, with scarcely a trace of dusky, which is especially noticeable in the markings of the breast. Another phase from Camp Harney, Oregon, is remarkable for its pale grayish tints. Such inter-races doubtless result from causes very local in their action, and are so slight and usually so inconstant as to deserve nothing more than passing comment. Reaching the foothills of the Sierras, we find fallax beginning to assume new characters, and in the mountains and along the western foothills it finally merges into var. heermanni. This form is dis- tinguished by a much darker shade of brown than either fallax or meloda possesses, and by a bill much stouter than in the former, but less robust than in the latter. Heermanni has usually been con- sidered the Californian Song Sparrow, the term thus including in- differently the birds from the coast and the interior. But this is a mistake. The type, now before me, came from Fort Tejon, and it is in the interior only that the style to which this name was applied is met with. Reaching the coast, another form is for the first time encoun- tered. This is the var. samuelis, of which the gouldii of Baird, as correctly determined by Mr. Ridgway, is the fall plumage. Hitherto some three or four individuals from the vicinity of San Francisco 158 HENSHAW on Mdospiza mcloda and its Allies. have been taken as representing all that was known of samuelis. But no fewer than forty-six specimens are now at hand that agree well with the type, and are unquestionably referable here. In point of fact, it is samueli& alone that occurs in summer along and near the Californian coast, and nearly all published account- of the habits, nesting, etc. of the Song Sparrow of California are to be taken as inferring to it. This form rests chiefly upon its small size, it being considera- bly the smallest of all the races, and the very dark, almost black, color of its prominent streakings. But it is upon a basis of size alone that it can be separated from keermanni, both agreeiiiLr in essential points of coloration. In fact, the question might well be raised whether it is necessary to recognize by distinct names two forms from this region. I have, on the whole, deemed it expedient to do so, as the difference of size, especially of bill, in specimens from the respective habitats of the two is pronounced and quite constant, readily sufficing in the great majority of cases for their identifica- tion. Thus, in over thirty specimens of keermanni from Stockton, kindly furnished by Mr. Belding, I find no marked differences, and all agree in comparatively large size and stout bills. A series of nine males oH samuelis from Oakland, for the opportu- nity of examining which I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr. I>. S. Bryant, are similarly constant to the coast type, so tar as size is concerned, but vary somewhat in coloration. The differences are chiefly as to number and size of the black markings below. Two of the nine are the darkest, and on the whole the most typical, ex- amples of samuelis that I have seen. Of the var. mexicana, Etidgway, from Southern Mexico, little can lie said, since the name rests upon a single specimen. This appears to be recognizable from the other races by its rather peculiar colora- tion, the Btreakings being very broad as well as black and by its smaller (except samuelis) size. More specimens are necessary to determine its true relations. Var. guttata next invites attention. This is characterized by a generally darker, more rufescent type^of color; the streaks on the dorsum are xrvy indistinct, in some specimens almost wanting. The bill is proportionately more slender than in any of the preced- ing forms, 'flic typical home of this variety is the Columbia River region, coastwise. Cut long before this point is reached, evidence it: afforded by specimens of intermediate character of the change to Hexshaw on Melospiza meloda and its Allies. 159 occur farther to the north. Thus, fall and winter specimens from Nicasio, migrants from more northern localities, are noticeably inter- mediate in colors between samuelis and guttata ; while during the past season I obtained specimens in Oregon, at the base of the eastern slope of the Cascades, — thus approximating the habitat of fallax, — that hold a similar relation to that central region form, the two races to the northward evidently passing by insensible stages into guttata. Var. rufina is simply guttata, with its peculiarities carried a step or two farther, corresponding with increased latitude. The rufous of guttata becomes in typical rufina a reddish sepia-brown ; the size is somewhat larger, the bill rather more slender. Such is rvfina as found about Sitka and to .an uncertain distance southward. Upon certain, perhaps all, of the Alaskan islands occurs insignia. This gigantic Sparrow is distinguished, in addition to its great size, by a much paler, grayer phase of color than its nearest geographical neighbor, rufina. The streaks, instead of being nearly or quite obsolete as in that form, are well defined and of an umber-brown. Of insignis, Baird and Ridgway say : " Between M. melodia of the Atlantic States and M. insignis of Kodiak the di (Terence seems wide, but the connecting links in the inter-regions bridge this over so com- pletely that, with a series of hundreds of specimens before us, v/e abandon the attempt at specific separation." It needs but a glance to determine that the var. rufina is nearer insignis by many degrees than the meloda of the East, and, as has been indicated, nothing is wanting in the chain of evidence to establish the connec- tion between rufina and meloda. But while admitting the possi- bility, perhaps even probability, that the relations between insignis and rufina may be as close as that of races, we feel justified in as- serting that the intergradation necessary to establish this cannot be shown from the material acccumulated up to the present time. Measurements appended below demonstrate that between the largest specimen of rufina in the collection and the smallest insignis there is a by no means inconsiderable gap. Nor does there appear to be any known law of geographical variation by which this discrepancy of size can be accounted for. The law of increase of size with increased latitude, while applying to the preceding members of this group, fails of application in the case of insignis ; since Sitka, the metropolis of rufina, is in the same latitude with Kodiak, that of insignis ; while one specimen of rufina, 160 Hen shaw on Melospiza meloda and. its Allies. and that by no means the largest, is present from Lituya Day, which is slightly farther north than Kodiak. Possibly its insular habitat may be deemed sufficient to account for the marked peculiarities of this giant among Sparrows. So far, in fact, as color is concerned, although in this respect insignis is well marked, the step from rujiwk appears an inconsiderable one as compared with that of size. But, as has been stated, no intermediate specimens arc at hand to prove such a close relationship, and, as analogy in cases like the present has proved far from being always a safe guide, I deem it safer to let insignia stand upon its merits until its claim to distinct specific rank be actually disproven. The following measurements are given to show the average size of the various races : — Wing. Tail. Bill. Tarsus. Depth of Bill M. meloda (21 specimens), 2.60 2.80 .46 .83 .30 Largest individual. 2.77 2.90 .47 .78 .29 Smallest " 2.32 2.60 .45 .78 .30 Var. fallax (23 specimens), 2.69 2.94 .44 .84 .25 Largest individual, 2.92 3.17 .43 .83 .27 Smallest '; 2.35 2.52 .43 .77 .25 Var. heermanni (13 specimens), 2.61 2.82 .45 .84 .28 Largest, individual, 2.80 2.93 .46 .84 .28 Smallest " 2.45 2.70 .45 .83 .24 Var. samuelis (46 specimens), 2.41 2.48 .45 .84 .26 * Largest individual, 2.60 2.64 .45 .86 .26 Smallest " 2.13 2.23 .40 .76 .23 Var. mexicana (1 specimen), 2.52 2.83 .46 .87 .26 Var. guttata (23 specimens), 2.63 2.89 .44 .90 .26 Largest individual, 2.78 3.14 .46 .93 — Smallest " 2.42 2.59 .45 .83 — Var. rufina (7 specimens), 2.78 2.87 .48 .92 .26 Largest individual, 2.96 3.12 .52 .:':: .29 Smallest 2.61 2.64 .43 .87 .•_'.-. .1/. inxiijiiis (20 specimen-). 3.26 3.36 .61 1.07 .30 Largest individual, 8.40 3.40 .50 1.13 .32 Smallest " 3.13 3.35 .57 l.o7 .29 MEARNS on Birds at Fort Klamath. 1 f " 1 A PARTIAL LIST OF THE BIRDS OF FORT KLAMATH, ORKGONT, COLLECTED BY LIEUTENANT WILLIS WIT- TICH, U. S. A., WITH ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS BY THE COLLECTOR. BY EDGAR A. MEARNS. This article is compiled from notes and collections forwarded to me, at different times, by Lieutenant AVillis Wittich, during his residence of four years at Fort Klamath. The fort is situated in Jackson County, in Southwestern Oregon. Latitude, 42° 43' ; longitude 121° 55" ;* altitude, 4,200 feet, above the sea, — above the limit of oak-trees. It is on the eastern margin of a valley in the Cascade Mountains. The valley runs north and south, is about twenty miles long, and is seven miles wide at the point where the post is located. Toward the south it widens somewhat, and extends to Uppe'r Klamath Lake, about seven miles distant. High hills and mountains wall in the valley on the north, east, and west. Among them, Scott's Peak is the most piominent to the north, Mount Pitt in the range to the east, and farther south in the same range is seen, rising in the distance, the perpetually snow-clad sum- mit of Mount Shasta. Williamson's River, flowing from the north- eastward, empties into Upper Klamath Lake at a point about twelve miles from the post. There are, besides, six streams, the waters of all of which, excepting one, are of crystal clearness, which flow through the valley within a short distance of the post. Ducks, Geese, and other Water-fowl, abound upon the lake and marshes in the neighborhood of Wood River, at all seasons of the year. The country is well forested in most places. The trees are of large size, and mainly evergreens, — pine, fir, spruce, and juni- per, — with a mingling of aspens. Upper Klamath Lake is one of a chain of large lakes composing the Klamath Basin. These lakes abound in shoal water and low islands, and are frequently bordered by marshes of tide. " These wide surfaces, .... densely covered with rushes, afford most con- venient retreats for a large number of swimming and wading birds, * Extracted from the Official Record of the Quartermaster Department of the Army. VOL. IV. 11 162 MEARNS on Birds at Fort Klamath. which nest and pass the summer there." * Ducks, Geese, Herons. Plovers, and Sandpipers are exceedingly abundant. Dr. J. S. New- berry, quoted above, thus describes (1. c., p. 101) the arrival of the Water-fowl in autumn,: " With the first October rain, vegetation begins to spring over all these prairies, and the Geese and Ducks now come in. Flock after nock in increasing numbers they come. until their flights rival those of the Passenger Pigeon, and the heavens are always marked by their characteristic triangles and the air filled with their cries. The Ducks descend to the bays, streams, and lakes, and almost cover the smaller bodies of water, while the Geese settle on the prairie and feedjupon the fallen grain of the oat, or the first tender sprigs of springing grass, which now begins to tinge the landscape with green." Mrs. Wittich thus describes the bird islands in the lake : " Look- ing toward the lake there were seen two or three white hills that I should have supposed were snow-covered mountains, did they not have a background of higher mountains that were only streaked at the top with snow ; but the cause of my perplexity was explained on being told that it was the island in the lake, which is perfectly bare, and rises to a considerable height. During the breeding season it is covered with the eggs of Water-birds of many spi The present list is necessarily very incomplete, and probably does not include much more than one half of the species that actually visit the Klamath Basin. Below is given a list of specimens, together with biographical notes and notices of other species that have been positively ascer- tained to occur by Lieutenant Wittich. A number of additional spi n.s are included on the authority of Dr. Henry McElderry, Assistant Surgeon, V. S. A., whose observations and collections were made contemporaneously with those of Lieutenant Wittich, and are officially recorded, at the post hospital, as " Birds person- ally identified by Dr. Henry McElderry, Post Surgeon." 1 take this means of expressing to Lieutenant Wittich my warm- est thanks for his constant efforts to procure rare specimens and important facts relating to the ornithology of his locality, as well as for many similar favors. I am also indebted to Mi-. Henry W. Ilenshaw, for his kindness in examining several specimens, and the determination of certain obscure varieties, besides some important suggestions, which his * Dr. .1. s. Newberry, Pacific Railroad Report, Vol. VI, Pt. IV. p. 99, 1857. Mearns on Birds at Fort Klamath. 163 generosity and recent field experience in this region, in connection with the "Geographical Survey West of the 100th Meridian," enahled him to make. 1. Turdus migratorius propinquus, Ridgway. Western Robin. — Mostly a summer resident. A few stay all winter. Their food consists largely of worms. Their nests are built on prairies, on the (/round, or in timber, low down (Wittich). 2. Turdus neevius (Pennant). Varied Thrush. — Early in the spring the species was numerous in the aspen-trees, and a number of them were shot, which were pronounced to be excellent eating by a sick lady in the garrison (]\Ti/tich). 3. Sialia mexicana, Swainson. Western Bluebird ; Mexican Bluebird. — No. 3, £ ad., May, 1875. Found in low situations. Its flight is undulatory, and seldom more than a few feet from the ground ( Wittich). 4. Parus montanus, ^Vimfo'/. Mountain Chickadee. — No. 4, ad., May. 18 75. An abundant summer resident (Henshaw). Very common in winter. In this locality they feed on the l'efuse meat from butchering, as do the Magpies (Wittich). 5. Sitta' carolinensis aculeata, Cassin. Slender-billed Nut- hatch.— June, 1875 (McEldcrry).* 6*. Sitta canadensis, Linnc. Red-bem.ied Nuthatch. — No. 78, 9 ad., May 9, 1878; No. 79, $ ad., May 9, 1878 ; No. 75, $ ad., 1878. Found in the mountains (Wittich). Abundant (Henshaw). 7. Sitta pygmaea, Vigors. Pigmy Nuthatch. — No. 5, ad., 1875. Found in the pine-trees in the mountains, in company with the former ( Wittich). 8. Troglodytes domesticus parkmani, A udubnn. Western House Wren. — A nest was found in a cavity in a mortise in the frame of a barn, May 25, 1878. The 'mortise Avas too deep and narrow to allow the bird to be taken off with the hand, and, in removing her with a stick, the mother fought so fiercely as to break part of the eggs ; the residue being secured, together with the parent (Wittich). Note. — The Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus, Say) has been found at Klamath Lake, by Dr. J. S. Newberry.f 9. Eremophila alpestris var. ? Shore Lark; Horned Lark. * Lieutenant Wittich observed numbers of them while encamped in the Blue Mountains, Columbia Co., Washington Territory, in the winter of 1878-9. This species and the following, with the Mountain Chickadee, were very gentle ; sometimes visiting the interior of the tents, and subsisting upon refuse from the soldiers' tables, and upon scraps of bacon placed upon trees for their use. t Pacific Railroad Report, Vol. VI, Pfc IV, p. 80, 1859. 164 MEAR3TS on Birds at Fort Klamath. 10. Anthus ludovicianus (Gmelin). AMERICAN Titlark; Pjpit; Brown Lark. — An exact duplicate of Eastern specimens. 11. Dendroeca eestiva (Gmelin). Yellow Warbler; Summer Ykllowbird. — No. 7, g ad., June 15, 1875; No 69, <£ ad., May 13, 1878. "Numerous; found in the aspen-trees" (Wittich). Not differ- ing from the Eastern bird. 12. Dendroeca auduboni ( Townsend). Audubon's Warbler. — No. 8, £ ad., May 5, 1875; No. 9, g ad., May 5, 1875; No. 71, $ ad., April 29, 1878. A common summer resident of the mountains (//< n- shaw). 13. Geothlypis Philadelphia macgillivrayi (Audition). Mac- gillivrav's Warbler. — No. 10, 9 ad., spring of 1875. A not uncom- mon summer resident (Henshaw). 14. Myiodioctes pusillus pileolatus, Ridgway. Western Green Black-cappkd Flycatching Warbler. — No. 11, £ ad., April 25, 1875 ; No. 70, £ ad., April 29, 1878. These specimens are distinctly Ridg- way's •' var. pileolatus." They differ from Eastern specimens in being much brighter yellow beneath, scarcely tinged with olive on sides ; frontal band and throat with a suffusion of orange; pileUm with brighter steel- blue, metallic gloss. Numerous; found in the willows by Wood River l W illicit). 15. Pyranga ludoviciana [Wilson). Crimson-headed Tanager; Louisiana Tanager. — No. 12, £ ad., June 15, 1875; No. 13, £ ad., spring of 1875. A not very abundant summer resident i Wittich). 1G. Hirundo erythrogastra horreorum, Bur/an. Barn Swal- low.— June 15,1875 {McElderry). A summer resident {Henshaw). 17. Tachycineta bicolor i VieiUot). White-Bellied Swallow. — No. 11. $ ad., April 28, 1875. An abundant species i Wittich). 18. Vireo solitarius cassini, Baird ('assin's VlREO. — Recorded at the hospital as " V. plumbeus." A common species {Henshaw). 19. Carpodacus cassini, Bain/, (assin's Purple Finch. — Xo. 15, J ad., May, 1875; No. 67, £ ad., June 4, 1878; No. 68, 9 ad., May 4, 1878. Shot in the aspen-trees; craws full of seeds, soft and jiisi be- ginning to sprout. 20. JEgiotkus linaria (Linni). LE8SER ReDPOIX. — Found in the mountains, May 9, 1878. Craws filled with soft white seeds or buds i Wittich). 21. Chrysomitris piuus {Wilson). Pine Finch; Pine Linnet. — May, 1875 {McElderry). Probably breeds in the mountains {Henshaw). 22. Chrysomitris tristis {Linne). AMERICAN GOLDFINCH ; Tms- 1 1 1 -bird ; Ykllowbird. — June, 1875 {McElderry). 23. Fasserculus savanna alaudinus, Bonaparte. WESTERN Sa- vanna Sparrow. — No. 16, young in autumn, 1875, Abundant summer resident i Henshaw). 24. Pocecetes gramineus confinis, Baird. WESTERN GRASS Mearns on Birds at Fort Klamath. 165 Finch. — No. 73, ad., May 7, 1878. A common summer resident (Hen- shaw). 25. Melospiza fasciata fallax, Baird. Rocky Mountain Song- Sparhow. — Summer resident (Henshaw). 26. Junco oregonus (Townsend). OREGON SNOWBIRD. — No. 18, $ ad., February, 1875; No. 19, $ ad., October 29, 1875. Tbe Snow- birds are very abundant in winter. They come close to the quarters, feeding upon the ground beneath the pine-trees, where it is a pleasure to watch them. They are very gentle and familiar, allowing one to approach quite close before flying up into a tree ( Witticli). [As respecting their tameness, they thus appear to be unlike their East- ern cousins (J. hyemalis), which are very shy, timorous birds, flying off with a scared twitter whenever approached.] Common summer residents of the mountains (Henshaw). 27. Spizella socialis arizonae, Coues. Western Chipping Spar- row.— June 9, 1875 (McElderry). 28. Zonotrichia leucophrys (Fnrster). White-crowned Spar- row. — No. 20, ad., April 26, 1875 ; No. 77, $ ad., April 29, 1878. The specimens forwarded are typical leucophrys. Numerous at Klamath ( Witr tick). This species is probably totally distinct from either Z. gambeli or var. intermedia, and is found in its integrity throughout the breadth of this continent. 29. Zonotrichia coronata (Pallas). Golden-crowned Sparrow. — No. 21, October 29, 1875. Common as a migrant (Henshaw). 30. Passerella iliaca townsendi (A wlubon). Town sen d's Spar- row.— No. 22, ad., 1875. A migrant (Henshaw). 31. Cyanospiza amcena (Say). Lazuli Bunting; Blue Linnet. — No. 23, £ ad., June 15, 1875. Summer resident. Sings exquisitely ( Wittich). 32. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx, Baird. Long-clawed Towhek. — October 5, 1875 (McElderry). Summer resident (Henshaw). 33. Pipilo chlorurus (Townsend). Green-tailed Towhee; Blanding's Finch. — No. 24, ad., May, 1875. Found in thickets near the river in summer. 34. Agelaeus phoeniceus (Linne). Rkd-and-buff-shouldered Blackbird. — No. 25, £ ad., 1876; No. 66, $ ad., May 7, 1878; No. 84. 9 ad., September 26, 1878. 34a. Agelaeus phoeniceus gubernator ( Wagler). Red-and-black- shouldered Blackbird. — Lieutenant Wittich states that both varieties of this species are very abundant summer residents, nesting in great num- bers in the tule. 35. Xanthocephalus icterocephalus (Bonaparte). Yellow- headed Blackbird. — No. 61, £ ad.. May 13, 1878. Summer resident (Wittich). 36. Sturnella neglecta, Audubon. Western Meadow-Lark. — 166 MEARNS on Birds at Fort Klamath. No. 26, $ ad.. 187C ; No. 62, 9 ad., May 27, 1878 ; No. G3, $ ad., May 27, 1878. Nos. G2 and 63 arc the parents, procured with a set of four fresh eggs, three of which measure, respectively, .86X1.06, .85X1.04, .87 X 1.05; giving an average of .86X1.05. Lieutenant Wittich ob- serves: "In dissecting the female, to observe the condition of the ovary, I noticed quite a large and unusual bulk in the after part of the body. Opening it carefully, I took out an egg, full-size, and nearly ready to be expelled. There was also one about half-size in the ovary, and others smaller (WiilicK). Mrs. Wittich speaks of its song as remarkably fine, and generally uttered while it is perched upon some tall pole on the prairie. She mentions seeing a Meadow-Lark on November 12, 1878. 37. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus (Wagler). Blue- headed Grackle; Brewer's Blackbird. — No. 27, £ ad., 1876. A permanent resident. Very numerous ( Wittich). Alluding to the immense numbers of these birds in autumn, Mrs. Wifc- tich's observations are as follows: " September 26, 1878. The Blackbirds (Brewer's) are here in such numbers that one shot brought down twenty- eight and another thirty-six birds. They have been present in grt-at num- bers about six weeks, and every year they come in clouds about this time, though the species is resident, In early May, 18 7S, we spent a day in tbe Klamath Marsh. We saw numbers of both the Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbirds, but they were far less numerous than is now the case about the post. They settle in the grass, and, if disturbed, fly up in clouds ; and as one set of them flies off, another body rises from the same spot, and another, and another, till one can hardly credit one's own eyesight. Then. when you reach the spot, tbe grass is still found to be swarming with them. They stay about the stables, or where the teamsters have camped, or at any place where they can find seeds. They cover our chicken-yard, and keep tbe trees in its vicinity black with their numbers. Some flocks are so shiny black that they look fairly blue in the sunlight, when upon the wing; others are rather rusty-looking." 38. Corvus corax, Linn/. Havkn. Resident (Henshate). 39. Corvus americanus (Awlubon). Common Crow. No. 28, ad.. 1875; No. 83, £ ad.. May .r>, 1878. The above specimens differ con- siderably from Eastern specimens of the Crow. Rarely seenin this region (Wittich). Dr. J. S. Newberry remarks: "In the Klamath Basin we did not see it, but it appeared again with the oaks on the Pes Chutes River."* Lieu- tenant Wittich characterizes it as excessively shy. * Pacific Railroad Report, Vol. VI, IM. IV. p. 82, isr,7. ( To be concluded.) Recent Literature. 1G7 iUrrnt ^Literature. Belding and Ridgway's Birds of Central California.* — In this Bulletin for April, 1878 (Vol. Ill, pp. 64-68), is a short report on forty-seven species of California birds, by Mr. Ridgway, based on speci- mens forwarded to the National Museum by Mr. Belding. The present paper continues the subject, and forms a most important contribution to Californian ornithology. It is based, Mr. Ridgway tells us, " upon obser- vations extending through about twenty years' residence in California, and upon collections made chiefly during the last two years, which have, from time to time, been forwarded by Mr. Belding to the National Museum." These collections embrace about 180 species, exclusive of races, and six hundred specimens. Notes on about forty other species are added, raising the whole number of species treated in the list to 220. These are quite fully annotated from Mr. Belding's field notes, while many important technical observations are added by Mr. Ridgway, who is responsible for the identification of the species and the nomenclature adopted. Preceding the list proper is a short account of the several localities at which the collections were made, with tabular lists of the birds observed at each of the more important ones. The number of species, exclusive of the wading and swimming birds, is 158. An analysis of these, from a. geographical stand-point, gives the following interesting generalizations: — (1) About one half of the species are strictly Western, not being found east of the Middle Prov- ince. The others are species having what may be termed a continental range ; but (2) of these, thirty, or rather more than one third, are exclusively represented on the Pacific Coast by Western varieties or sub- species (in several cases by more than a single variety), while (3) the remainder, constituting about one third of the whole number, represent typically the Eastern stock, but in several instances are also accompanied by strictly Western races. In reference to the large number of Western species, it may be stated that Geothhipis macgUlivrayi, Zonolrichia inter- media, SturneJla neg/ecta, Pica nuftalti, Contopus richardsoni, and Empi- donax difficilis are accorded full specific rank, while Sjjkgropicus ruber and Colaptes mexicanus are treated as subspecies. As on previous recent occasions, Mr. Ridgway here adopts (and we believe consistently) guttata and ustulatus in place respectively of the more familiar names pallasi and swainsoni for two species of Tardus, and * A Partial List of the Birds of Central California. By L. Belding of Stoc- ton. Edited by R. Ridgway. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. I, pp. 388-449. April, 1879. 168 Recent Literature. sandmchensis and fasciata in place of savanna and melodia, respectively, for the Savanna and Song Sparrows. He also seems to have permanently adopted the generic name Asio for Otus, hut to have abandoned Nisus for Accipiter. In respect to the designation of incipient species, Mr. Ridgway uni- formly adopts the system advocated by him in his paper on the use of trinomials in zoological nomenclature in the present number of the Bulletin (antea, pp. 129-134), and practically introduced by him two years since in his Report on the " Ornithology of the Fortieth Parallel," and in his ac- count of Mrs. Maxwell's Colorado collection (Field and Forest, Vol. II, p. 194 el seq.). Mr. Ridgway, in his discussion of a third term in zoological nomenclature, raises no dead issue, although the necessities of the case have already practically forced a decision of the question, so far as this country is concerned. The " American school " of ornithology, and, we may add, nearly all American writers on vertebrate zoology, and some on Invertebrates, is a unit on the matter of the general principle involved, though varying slightly as to details of expression. The necessity of a distinction between forms trenchantly defined and those which are con- spicuously unlike in their extreme phases of development, but which obviously intergrade, as insisted on by Mr. Ridgway, faithfully reflects, we believe, the feeling and the experience of American ornithologists. The writer of the present review in 1871 opposed* the recognition by binomial nanus of forms known to intergrade, on the ground that therein- the facts of the case would fail of proper recognition, since no distinction would thus be made between intergrading forms and trenchantly separated con- generic species, and that a recognition of the laws of geographical varia- tion and a statement of the phases wide-ranging species are prone to manifest at particular localities, and under certain climatic conditions of environment, would sufficiently meet all requirements. This pisition, however, he very soon abandoned, and in the following year formally recognized, by a third term, a considerable number of intergrading forms among North American birds as geographical races, as was almost simultaneously done by Dr. Cones and Mr. IJidgway.f To Dr. Cones, however, is due the credit of suggesting, if not indeed of actu- ally advocating, the adoption of a trinomial system of nomenclature as necessary to a proper recognition of geographical races or incipient -pe- cies. In referring, as early as August, 1871, to what seemed to him must be the evil results that would follow from recognizing as species only Mich * bull. Mus. Com].. Zool., Vol. II, pp. -_M-J- •_'.-.(>. April, 1871. t Sec Coues, Revision of the Species of Myiarchus, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., 1872, pp. 56-81, .Inly, 1^7-J; AUeu, Ornith. Recon., Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Ill, No. •:. July, 1872 ; Coues, Key N. Am. Birds, October, 1872; Ridg- way, Relation between Color ami Geographical Distribution in Birds, etc., Am. Jour. Sci., IV, pp. 45 I I';", December, 1872. Recent Literature. 169 forms as were not known to intergrade, he says : " To our mind, this forcibly illustrates the inefficiency of the Linnaean nomenclature as an adequate method of formulating our knowledge. Tt answered when a thing was either square or else it was round, — when species were held for fixed facts as separate creations ; but now that we know a thing may be neither square nor round, but something between, it is lamentably defective. Not many years hence we trust naturalists will have discarded it for some better method of notation : and then the wonder will be that we advanced so far with such a stumbling-block in the way. Who shall say how much the advance of chemistry, for instance, or of philosophic anatomy, has been facilitated, or indeed rendered possible, by the inven- tion of expressive symbols and apt formulas, or how much of the acknowl- edged confusion in zoology and botany flows from our cramped method of expressing our views ? If we must continue to use a tool so blunt and un- hands as the binomial nomenclature, all cannot be expected to use it with equal skill and effect." In the same connection, in referring to the im- portance of '• recognizing geographical and some other differentiations by name," he adds, " Not necessarily a specific name, but some one addi- tional word, with or without the sign ' var.,' that shall stamp the form we wish to signalize. Perhaps this would be a judicious middle course, most applicable to the present state of the science. " * In less than a year from this time a trinomial system was adopted, with the compromise of the sign " var." interposed between the specific and varietal names, by the three writers above named, by at least one of whom the necessity of such a procedure was formally argued. But even much earlier than this "varieties" had more or less frequently been recognized by writers on American birds, even in the sense of geographical forms (notably by Professor Baird, 1858 to 1866) but probably not in the sense of incipient species, in which they were now avowedly recognized. From this date (1872) the practice became general, as is witnessed by almost every work or faunal list relating to the birds of the western half of the continent that has since appeared. In 1876, in referring to the changes in the nomen- clature of North American ornithology that had marked the few years immediately preceding that date, the present writer thus referred to the subject of trinomials : " The next step, and apparently a whollv logical one in the revolution, will doubtless be the general adoption of a tri- nomial system of nomenclature for the more convenient expression of the relationship of what are conventionally termed ' subspecies,' so that we may write, for instance, Falco communis anatum in place of the more cumbersome Falco communis subsp. anatum. This system is already, in fact, to some extent in use here, though looked upon with strong disfavor by our Transatlantic fellow-workers, who seem as yet not fully to under- stand* the nature of the recent rapid advance ornithology has made in * Amer. Nat., Vol. V, p. 373, and foot-note to p. 371. 1,ii Recent Literature. this country, or to appreciate the thoroughly substantial character of the evidence on which it is based."* Mr. Ridgway, in fact, had the preceding year (1875) t adopted a purely trinomial system for the desig- nation of local or interpleading forms, superseding it. however, and as we believe unwisely, two years later, by interposing Greek letters between specific and varietal names, the reason for which he appears to have now for the first time made public. The necessity of trinomials being granted, there still seems to us no reason why the triple name should he rendered needlessly cumbersome by the virtual interposition of a fourth term, as " var.," " subsp.," a Greek letter, or other arbitrary sign, between the specific and varietal names. If anything is to be thus interposed, the designation " var." seems to be the least objectionable, being shorter than " subsp." and less open to com- plication than any system of arbitrary signs, " var." being of course thus used in a purely technical, and not in the usual " dictionary " sense of the word "variety," just as "family," in its technical use in zoology, has come to have special significance. As Mr. Ridgway observes, the sooner an agreement is reached respecting the method of writing trinomials, the better, and why has not simplicity here great merit? There must, in the nature of the case, always be diversity of opinion as to how Blight a varia- tion should be entitled to nominal recognition ; in a polymorphic species, for example, like Melospiza faseiata, the number of namable geographical races may vary, let us say, from three to half a dozen, in accordance with the view- or predilections of different writers, or of tin- same writer at differ- ent times, in which case is it probable that the y or 8 of A will be the y or 8 of B or C ? To cite a case already in hand, Mclos/>iz\ the different nature of the remarks under certain species. For example, in the " Rathbun-Fowler List," Polioptila carulea is said to lie - Irregular as to numbers, hut never rare. Perhaps it breeds. Arrives from the south in May." And Dendrceca striata is given as '■ a very rare migrant." In the present paper we find under the head of /'. carulea : " Rare. One taken near Penn Yan, N. Y. No date given. Gilbert." And under /'. striata: '•Common. Arrives the third week in May, and leaves the last of September." Such radical changes as these show that Mr. Rathhun has critically re-examined the evidence on which his former statements were based, and has spared no pains to render the " Revised List " thor- oughly reliable and trustworthy in every respect. One point illustrates well the greal value of giving exact data in the place of conclusions drawn therefrom. In the old list. Anthus ludoviciativ* was stated to he, " Xot a rare spring and autumn migranl : a few remain and breed." In regard to this statement Mr. Allen writes, " We know not as vet on what evidence the record of so improbable an occurrence is made, hut would suggest that it certainly needs stn ng backing, the locality being climatically and topographically so wholly unlike that usually chosen bv this exceedingly boreal species as its breeding station." (Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. III. No. 1. p. '■'■>. dan.. 1878 ) Hcuce it is with pecu- liar interest that we read the following remarks, in the "Revised List," upon the species now under consideration : "A common migrant. Seen May 11,1878. Departs the last of October. (Observed in the breeding season, May 18th, Gilbert.)" Now the publication of this date (" May 18") throws a Hood of light upon the whole matter, clears it up, and explains the breeding statement in a most satisfactory manner. A bird which is known to breed on the cold and barren rocky shores of Labrador and the Arctic regions would naturally he expected to pass us, mi its northward journey, long before the warm sun and advance of vegetation had caused the greater pari of our summer residents to commence nesting; hut this is not the case with the present species. The Titlark seems in no hurry to reach ii- bleak and desolate Arctic home, hut loiters slowly along to enjoy the Bpring sunshine and verdure of the districts over which it passes. During tin' Bpring migration they usually pass through Lewis County, N. Y., about the middle of May, and last Beason (1878) I shot two as late as Ma) 21st; hence it is not at all surprising that Mr. Gilbert should have found it at Penn Yan. May 18. The occurrence of the following species (many of them breeding) in Central New York is worthy of note from its Recent Literature. 175 bearing on the interesting and somewhat complex subject of the distribu- tion of species within this State. Several of them, of course, must be regarded as stragglers: Poliopiila ccerulea, Eremophila alpestrix, Helmi- therus vermivorus, Helminthophaga pinux, H. ehrysoptera, Dendrceca ccerulea, Icteria virens, Myiodioctes mitratus, Stelgidopteryx serripenni> our high appreciation of the ' Bibliographic d Appendix' to your work, 'Birds of the Colorado Val- ley,' 1 m • i 1 1 _r No. 11 of the Miscellaneous Publications of the United States Geological Survey of the Territories, under the charge of Dr. Hayden. And at the same time we wish to place on record our gratitude to that gentleman, and to the authorities of the Department to which you are attached, for the liberality they have shown in granting you permission t" stay at Washington for the completion of this and other important works upon which you have now been so long and so usefully engaged. 11 The want of indexes to the ever increasing mass of Zoological literature has Ion- been felt by all workers in every department of that science; but the enormous labor of compilation has hitherto deterred many from under- taking a ta>k so appalling. It is with no small satisfaction thai we recog- nize vour readiness to devote yourself to work of this nature. Moreover, we feel justified in hoping that should the instalment now published in the volume above named be enlarged in a similar manner so as to include a complete Bibliography of Ornithology, this branch of science will | an index to its writings perhaps more complete as to its scope and con- tents than any kindred subject of similar extent. Recent Literature. 177 " An undertaking of this sort is beset with formidable difficulties; not only is its extent enormous, and the works relating to the subject are widely scattered through many libraries, public and private : but the qualifications of a good bibliographer are not easily to he found united in one person. His application and industry must be untiring, and he must. be thoroughly conversant with the art of Bibliography, in addition to these requirements, in a case like the present, an equally thorough knowl- edge of the subject under consideration is indispensable. You happily combine all these qualifications; your industry has long been approved, your knowledge of books is evident from what you have now put before us, your knowledge of Ornithology has long been known to us. We can well believe that the libraries of your own country are better stored than any others with works relating to the Ornithology of North America, and that therefore the ' List of Faunal Publications relating to North American Ornithology ' could be nowhere better prepared than in Washington ; but when the ornithological literature of the whole world has to be examined, it stems to us almost indispensable that the older libraries of Europe, and especially of England, France, Italy, Germany and Holland, should he consulted, if one. of the chief merits of your work is to be maintained, viz : — the consultation at first hand by yourself of every work mentioned then in. "This brings us to one of the chief objects of this memorial, which is to express our sincere hope that time and means will be found you to prose- cute in Europe the great undertaking you have commenced so well, and bring it to a successful conclusion. Should the authorities who preside over the Department to which you belong — and especially the Surgeon- General of the United States Army — who have hitherto so liberally granted you facilities for the scientific work you have performed, be dis- posed to furnish you with these means of perfecting your undertaking, we are convinced that it will reflect great credit to them and the country to which you belong. We on our part, so far as England is concerned, are read}' not only to welcome a brother Ornithologist, but also to render you every assistance in our power. "[Signed.] W. II. Fi.owki:, F.R.S., fyc, President of (he Zoologi- cal Society of London. T. II. Huxley, Sec. R. S. Charles Darwin, -F.R.S. St. Geo. Mivabt, F.R.S., Sec. L. S. Alfred R. Wallace. A. Guknther, F.R.S. , Keeper of the Department of Zoology, British Museum. Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., Ph. Dr.. F.R.S., Sec- retary to the Zoological Society of London. Alfred Newton, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., Professor of Zo- ology in the University of Cambridge. VOL. IV. 12 178 General Kates. II. B. Tristbam, F.R.S. Osbbrt Salvin, M.A., F.R.S., Editor of 4 The Ibis.' Y. ])u Cane Godman, Secretary of the British Orni- thologists Union. Henry Seebohm. Edward K. Alston. R. Bowdlkr SharPE, British Museum. II. E. Dresser. J. E. Harting, F.L.S., Editor of ' The Zoologist." A. H. Godwin- Austen, Lt.-Colonel. W. H. HUDLESTON. E. W. II. HOLDSWORTH. J. II. Gurney, President of the Norwich Museum, II. J. El.WES. John VanVoorst. William Bower. J. Cordeaux. W. B. Tegetmeier. Charles W. Shepherd. C. Bygrave Wharton. Charles A. Wright, F L.S. L. Howard Irby. G. E. Shelley. Henry T. Wharton, ALA. Oxon. H. W. FEILDEN, late Naturalist Arctic Exp. 1875-76. H. S. Marks, Jl.A. A. H. Garrod, N.A., F.R.S., Prosector to the Zo- ological Society. W. K. Parker, F.R.S., F. Z.S., &c. John Gould, F.R.S. , &c. Hy. Stevenson, F.L.S., Hon. Secretary Norwich Museum. Howard Saunders." (general £l0trs. Odd Behavior of a Rorin and a Yellow Warbler. — Ncws^ paper ornithology is generally worthy of little attention, but an article entitled "A Robin's Persistency," published in the "Daily Times" of Watertown, X. V , in the issue of May 24 of this year, comes to me with private indorsements of Buch a thoroughly trustworthy character, and the incident related is su Btrange, that it seems worth while to give the General Notes. 179 matter a record in the Bulletin as a contribution to bird psychology. " We often hear," says the writer, " of one-idea people, and the sensations they produce. A one-idea bird, however, is something of a novelty. One of the windows of a house in Clinton Street is at present haunted by such a bird in the shape of a Robin. On the morning of May 21st it made its debut from the window-sill. From the first this has been its mode of procedure. It alights on the window-ledge, taps vigorously on the pane, then flies up and down very rapidly about three or four times. Then it pauses a moment, steps over to the next pane, and repeats the operation. It has never been observed to tap or fly upon the third pane. After tap- ping or flapping industriously for half an hour or so, it descends to the ground or garden near by, makes a short repast of a bug or worm, returns again to the window-ledge and goes through with the same process. It begins its operations early in the morning, and continues until the shadows of evening begin to fall. Nothing so far seems to have seriously inter- rupted its movements. It flies away when the white shade is drawn down, but returns again, walks back and forward across the ledge, and peers in at the narrow, uncovered space below the bottom of the shade. It never taps or flutters against the window when the shade is drawn. It simply looks about, flies away, and returns again, until it finds the shade raised. It then repeats its beatings and fluttering as before. If, however, the outside blinds are closed, it appears quite frantic. It flies at them, and if it can gain a foothold anywhere, it thrusts its beak between the shutters and pecks violently at the window until tired out, then it retires and waits until they are opened again. It does not seem to be especially shy •or tame. It flies off at the too near approach of a person, cat, or lawn- mower. It returns again as soon as they remove a short distance away. Thus has it performed for three days, and shows no signs of giving up. "Its curious persistency has attracted much attention, and called forth various remarks. One laughingly says, it must be an evil spirit in bird form. Others are inclined to regard it as an ' ominous bird.' One man, after watching it for some time, remarked that it saw its shadow in the window and mistook it for a lost mate. This seems probable, for on in- vestigation it was found that the window, being relieved by a dark back- ground, reflected images almost as distinctly as a mirror. It was further observed that the wall of the opposite house, with its abundance of vivid green foliage, was remarkably well defined, making a bright reflected picture, especially in the space covered by the two panes of glass to which the bird seemed to limit its attentions. Besides, it seemed entirely alone, and the supposition is, that, in searching for its mate, which may have dis- appeared in some mysterious way, it happened to see its own solitary image in the glass, and straightway imagined it had found its lost one, and is earnestly endeavoring to woo it back again. The present appear- ances are that it has gone quite daft with sorrow, and will exhaust itself with its wild beatings and fhitterinas." 180 General Notes. A letter In the writer of the above to a friend continues the history as follows : — '•I have postponed my visit to for a few days; and for a reason which perhaps no one but an ornithologist would lie likely to ap- preciate. 1 am detained by a Robin, and though its visits are paid at a neighbor's window, still I am fascinated. Its first three days' vi-it is de- scribed as accurately as my mother tongue would enable me to do in the enclosed paragraph published in our dady of yesterday, it still persists. The shade was left up last night, and when I awoke this morning, soon after daybreak, it was knocking loudly at the chosen window. Our home is quite near, and when my window, which is nearly opposite, is open, 1 In, ii' it very plainly. It eontinued with but slight interruptions until about eight o'clock, when the lady of the house opened the window. It then (lew down, but even now it is hopping about in the grass near by as though watching tor the window to (dost;. I have never made ornithology a study, but this seems to me a very uncommon proceeding. If you know any ornithologist to whom you think it would be interesting, please impart. *' Later information states that the same proceedings continued until the writer of the above left town, — nine days in all ; but that on the ninth day the tappings were more feeble, and were not continued later than 7 a. M., after which time the bird was not seen that day. A- these sheets are passing through the press, a male Yellow Warbler ( Dendrozca cesliva) is behaving in a quite similar manner at my own house. For several weeks the bird has been in the habit of frequently visiting a grape-vine trellis in front of a window of the dining-room, from which he has been accustomed to sing, wholly undisturbed by the people or the- proceedings within the room. Although the trellis has been a favorite resorl for the bird, his behavior was not especially noteworthy till dune 7, when he began to persistently fly against the window-panes, often striking them with considerable violence. The trellis stands about eighteen inches from the window, and the portion immediately in trout of it is nearly bare, and consists of two hori- zontal bar.-, about three leet apart. These form his perch, from which he usually makes his dive at the window. Immediately in front of the win- dow is an open field with a group of live large apple-trees, all within twenty to fifty feet of the house. These, with the trellis and portions of the grape-vine it supports are vividly mirrored in the window, a- well as the general landscape, and of course the bird himself whenever he visits the trellis. Bui his own reflection does not seem to 1»- the point of attraction, as he usually strikes the pane two or three feet above the point Opposite his perch, but sometimes dives down from the upper liar of the trellis to the lower pane8 of the window. Occasionally he (lies directly from the apple-trees against the window, bul generally firsl alights on the ! arfi of the trellis. For several days his visits have begun with earl\ day- break, and have been continued throughout the day till after sunset, he General Notes. 181 rarely leaving the window for more than a few minutes at a time. He sings almost constantly. I have seen him strike the window-panes as many as ten times in a minute, barely pausing on the trellis between each plunge long enough to utter with much energy his shrill little song. These proceedings he will sometimes repeat for several minutes, then fly to the trees and return again a minute or two later, usually with a canker- worm in his beak obtained from the apple-trees. This he usually bruises on the trellis-bar and swallows at once before diving at the window, but not unfrequently makes several plunges at the window with the worm in his beak. ^ He strikes the window-pane with such force that the clicking of his bill and feet against the glass may be heard to a considerable dis- tance. He usually strikes the large pane a foot or two from the top, fluttering upward to the top, when he returns to his perch. The upper panes receive the chief part of his attention, but lie not unfrequently descends to the lower ones, which he follows upward in the same manner to the top of the lower sash. He takes little notice of people standing quietly before the window, and will often strike the pane within six inches of the observer's face. If the upper sash be lowered a few inches he will often, after flying against the glass, perch on the top of the open window, peer into the room, utter his song, hop to the trellis, and immediately repeat the operation. T once drew the upper sash half-way down, so as to give him free access to the room. At first he would strike the glass as usual, and then perch on the sash. I left the room for an hour, and on returning found him a prisoner between the sashes, he having evidently in the mean time entered the room, and in trying to make his exit had fluttered down between the sashes, where he had obviously been struggling for some minutes. I freed him, and presumed that this experience would serve to cure him of his strange infatuation for the window. This was on the evening of the first day, but he returned early the next morning to the window, flying against it with unabated persistency. This has continued for three days, and the window seems to have lost none of its charm for him. In other respects he seems a perfectly sane bird ; he has a mate and a nest in one of the neighboring apple-trees, and when it is approached he leaves the window and flies about the intruder with manifestations of ex- treme solicitude. He is also quite vigilant in driving away other small birds that venture, too near his home. Whether he m'stakes his own reflection in the window for a rival, or what the charm is, is not obvious, as his behavior in all other respects is apparently entirely natural. As al- ready stated, he almost invariably strikes the window-pane at a point either considerably above or below his perch on the trellis, so that evi- dently he does not aim at his own reflection in the window. — J. A. Allen, Cambridge, Mass. P. S. — His visits to the window became less frequent on the fourth day, but were continued with considerable frequency for about ten or twelve 182 General Notes. davs. when the bird wholly disappeared, being caught, it is feared, by a neighbor's cat which had been observed lying in wait for it at the window on various occasions. — J. A. A. Tmk Blue-gray Gnatcatciif.r and Sandf.rling in Minne- sota.— May 19, 1877, I phot here a male Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Poli- optila ccerulea). This is, apparently, the most northern point at which it has yet been taken. Also, last fall (September 30), I shot the Sander- ling (Calidris armaria), its second capture in Minnesota. — Robert S. Williams, Minneapolis, Minn. Nest and. Eggs of the Gray Titmouse (Lophophane* inorna- tus). — The following notes respecting the nesting habits of the Western Crested Titmouse, furnished by my friend W. E. Bryant, a promising young collector of Oakland, California, together with a description of its eggs, will prove of interest. * As is the case wherever found, the bird is a resident of its locality, and, being already on the ground, housekeeping with it begins early in the season, the first eggs being deposited about the middle of March. Fresh eggs may, however, be found up to the middle of May, from which it would appear that two broods are raised in a season. Their nesting sites are the hollows of limbs, usually in the oaks ; but they appear to be somewhat less particular than others of the family, since my informant speaks of one nest as having been placed in the vtntilator of an out-building. Perhaps in this respect their habits cor- respond more closely with those of the Wrens, and, given a cavity of almost any sort, their wants are supplied. As the only two requisites for the nest proper are an abundance of material to fill up all useless space, and of a sufficiently soft texture, almost any pliable substance becomes avail- able. Hence feathers, fine grasses, cow's hair, rabbit's fur, moss, or even. a~ in one instance, a grain-sack picked into fine pieces, in turn enter into its composition, as they chance to be at hand. As to shape, the nest can scarcely be said to have any, since the character of the cavity wholly determines that. The eggs number from five to eight. These, curiously enough, may lie pure white, as is so rarely the case in this family, or spotted. I infer from my correspondent's letter that the sets are either of one or the other style ; that is, that all of a complement are alike. To this, however, there may be exceptions. Nearly all the sets found have been pure white, and the spotted eggs appear to be quite rare; the latter appear also never to be as profusely marked as are those of the Eastern L. bicolor, or, judging * The only other notices of the eggs and breeding habits of this Bpecies appear to be the following: 1. Description of a single nesl and set by \V. A. Cooper (this Bulletin, Vol. III. p. 69, April, L878) ; 2. A brief reference to another nesl and set of eggs by L Fielding (Proc, U. S. Nat. Mua . Vol. I, p. too, April, 1879). The eggs of the firsl sel are described as white, thickly marked all over with small irregular spots of red. General Notes. 183 from descriptions, of L. atricristatus. Four of the most heavily marked eggs Mr. Bryant has ever seen are now before me. They are of a rather elongated oval, and measure respectively .77 x .56, .70 x .51,. 70 x .52, and .64 x .52. Another set of three, sent to the Smithsonian by Mr. Samuel Hubbard of San Francisco, are nearly of the same shape. The markings are in the form of clear reddish-brown dots, which are almost entirely confined to the larger ends. On one they fake the shape of a perfect circle. Altogether they are extremely pretty eggs, and are much the most delicately marked of any of the family I have ever seen. — H. W. IIen- SHAW, Washington, D. C. Nestixg of Certhia famimaris. — Having read with interest Dr. Brewer's article on the Brown Creeper in the last number of the Bulletin, I desire to add one more instance in confirmation of his opinion as to the usual situation of its nest. T have in my collection two eggs of this bird, which were obtained July 28, 1875, by a friend of mine who is something of an ornithologist. The nest was situated in the heavy forest, half a mile north of Moose Pine, Hamilton County, N. Y., con- cealed behind a piece of bark which had been partly torn loose from the side of a spruce-tree, about six feet from the ground. The bird was well seen and identified by my friend (who is familiar with the species), but was not shot. In describing the nest to me he used these words : " The nest was made of soft downy materials, including feathers and such soft materials as you will find in a squirrel's nest. The whole bulk was not larger than your fist." It contained three young birds with down only in tufts upon them, and two addled eggs, white, thinly marked with fine reddish spots or dots, and measuring .60x.47 and .59 x .47. — Egbert Bagg, Jr., Uiica, N. Y. The Carolina Wren (Thryoihorw ludovicianus) breeding in New York. — Through the kindness of Mr. D. H. Kellogg. I am enabled to record for the first time the breeding of Thryothorus ludovicianus in New York State, who, on the evening of May 2 last, showed me the nest of the species at his residence at Spuvten-Duyvil. The nest was built on a shelf in the closed room of an out-house, which was entered by the bird through a latticed window. Desiring to establish its identity beyond question, several attempts were made to capture the parent upon her nest, but unsuccessfully, until the sixth or seventh trial, she having persistently returned immediately after our departure on every unsuccessful attempt. The nest, containing five eggs, was merely a miscellaneous aggregation of rubbish, extending for fully sixteen inches along a small shelf already occupied by several articles, now partially imbedded in the materials of its structure. The whole was overhung by a mass of dried bean-vines pendent from the wall above, which partially concealed the mossy fringed side- entrance to the feather-lined cavity within. The eggs were five in num- ber, and on the point of hatching. 184 General Notes. Mr. Robert Lawrence has informed me of the interesting ftict of this species having bred about the same early date at Flushing, L I. [see below]. So far as I am aware, tins is the first record of its breeding on Long Island, though I learn from Mr. Akhurst of Brooklyn, that in 1843 a pair reared a brood of five young at Valley Grove. At Riverdale, the present season, I observed this species in full song on April 20 and May G ; and Mr. Kellogg informs me that the male bird of the breeding pair remained about liis place in full song for at least two days after its nest had been taken. — Eugene P. Bicknell, Rioerdale, New York- City. The Great Carolina Wren breeding On Long Island, N. Y. — In a letter recently received from Mr. Robert Lawrence, he informs me that on May 8, 1879, he was fortunate enough to take a female Great Carolina Wren at Flushing, Long Island, and on the following day saw the male and a brood of four young birds just able to fly. Although record of two captures of this Wren has been given for New York Island by Mr. George X. Lawrence, I think this is the first record of its breed- ing in that locality. — Ruthven Deane, Cambridge, Mass. Record of Additional Specimens of the White-throatkd Warbler (Helminthophaga leucobronchialis). — In this Bulletin, Vol. III. j>. 199, Mr. William Brewster describes the fifth then known specimen of the above-named Warbler. I can now announce three more, and allude to what I presume is a fourth : — 1. A very typical example sliot by Mr. Samuel Jillson, in Hudson. Mass., in May or June, 1858. By considerable correspondence I traced this specimen to the collection of Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. Prof. P. A. Chadbourne, without hesitation, very kindly sent it to me for examination. The under surface is clean, silky white, with QO trace of yellow anywhere ; back pure ashy. It was labelled-//, pinus, male." This capture antedates all but the Philadelphia Academy specimen, and is the second Massachusetts occurrence. 2. A male is in possession of William W. Coe of Portland, Conn., taken there May 22, 1875, which I have been able to handle by his obligingly loaning me the bird. This one departs from what we consider type specimens in the amount of yellow on both the upper and under parts. There i- a broad hand or blotch of this color on the breast, with a Blight Buffuaion on the chin and the rest of the ventral aspect. The whole dorsal plumage, from the crown, is faintly washed with the same tint. Compare this and next with Mr. BivwsterV account of E. I. Shorea's Suf- tield, (dun , specimen, above alluded to. :;. At date of penning these data the following comes from my friend .1. \. Clark, at Saybrook, Conn.: "Took a fine male //. leucobronchialis, M.i\ 30 [1879]; — an exceptional specimen, with a patch of bright yellow across the breast from the bend of win^s. Thought it was pinus when I fired; notes and habits the same." Mr. Clark's is the fourth for Con- necticut. General Notes. 185 4. The " Daily Democrat " (newspaper) of Grand Rapids, Mich., of June 1, 1879, under the caption " A New Bird," thus alludes to a Warbler shot by Mr. Gunn in Ottawa Co. :".... the new bird be- longs in what is called the genus Helmintliophaga ; it presents five dis- tinctive points of specific difference to that of its nearest congener, the golden winged warbler (Helminthophaga chrysopterd), the chief point of difference being the absence of the black throat which is a characteristic peculiarity of the golden wing, the throat in the new species being white, the chin is pale yellow, a faint line passing down on either side as far as the cheek. The cheek patch which forms a prominent marking in the golden winged warbler, is entirely absent. The sub-maxillary stripe is not to be seen, and the lores are merely dusky ; but the most peculiar feature in the coloration of the specimen is the bright yellow breast, this color extending as far down as the abdomen and over the Hanks. The specimen is a female, and yet it exhibits a golden crown patch equal in intensity to that of the male golden wing. Mr. W. A. Gunn secured this new bird, May 25th while collecting in a patch of underbrush near the edge of a heavy pine forest. He deserves great credit for so valu- able an addition to the avifauna of the State and in honor to his capturing it and being the first to present it to public notice, it is named Helmin- thophaga Gunnii by Dr. Gibbs, to whom it was submitted for classification." Allowing for slight individual variation, have we not here a ninth White- throated Golden-wing, or does '• H. gunnii" hold its own? — H. A. Pur- die, Newton, Mass. Additional Capture of the Cerulean Warbler tn New- England. — Through the kindness of Mr. Charles M. Carpenter of Providence, R. I., I am enabled to record a second specimen of Dendrceca trended, taken near Cumberland Hill, R. I., May 22, 1878. The Warbler was a male, and was in company with a flock of Blue Yellow-backed War- b'ers when shot. The first specimen recorded for New England was taken at Sufnekl, Conn , June 12, 1875, by Mr. E. I. Shores, and is now in his collection. Dr. Brewer, in his " Additions to his Catalogue of the Birds of New England," * includes this record, and says: " This Western species is said to have been taken at Suffield, Conn. I therefore venture to add this bird to my list, though not without much hesitation." The doubt thus ex- pressed by Dr. Brewer is entirely unnecessary, as the specimen was thoroughly identified. — Rutiiven Deane, Cambridge, Mass. Another Kirtland's Warbler (Dendrceca kirtlandi). — Mr. Adolphe B. Covert of Ann Arbor, Mich., writes me that on May 16 last he shot a female of this much-desired Warbler, his second capture of the species. This recent specimen I make to be the ninth known to science, viz. : — 1. Male, caught on a vessel at sea off Abaco, Bahamas, by Dr. Samuel * Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. XIX, 1878, p. 303. 186 General Notes. Cabot of Boston, the second week in October, 1841. Not identified until some years after the type specimen was described. 2. Male, taken by Dr. J. P. Kirtland near Cleveland, O., May 13, 1851. Type (if the species. 3. Female, obtained by R. K. Winslow near Cleveland, O., in June, 1860. 4. Male shot by Charles Dury at Cincinnati, O., the first week in May, 1872. 5. Female, collected by A. B. Covert at Ann Arbor, Mich, May 15, 1875. 6 and 7. Male and female, taken by Messrs. William and John Hall at Rockport, Cuyahoga Co., O., May, 1878. 8. Female, collected by Charles B. Cory on Andros Island, Bahamas, January 9, 1879. 9. Mr. Covert's specimen above recorded. Three or four others, I believe, have been noted, but were not secured. This bird and Helminthophaga leucobronchialis have about an even record. — II. A. Purdie, Newton, Mass. Correction. — In the January number of the Bulletin (Vol. IV, p. 60) I noted the capture of the Western variety of the Yellow Red-poll Warbler in Massachusetts, and through inadvertence gave the varietal name as " Demlrazcn palmarum hypochrysea, " instead of D. palmarum var. pair marum. — Rutiivkx Deank, Cambridge, Mass. Rare Birds in Michigan. — May 20, 1879, Dr. II. A. Atkins of Locke, Ingham Co., Mich., shot a fine specimen of the Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis ar/ilis). May 22, 1879, I shot a male of this species in Ottawa Co. These arc the only instances of the capture of this rare Warbler in the State, to my knowledge. May 26, 1879, Dr. R. M. W. Gibba collected a nest and two eggs, with the female bird, of the Prairie Warbler (Dendr&ca discolor) in Ottawa Co. May 21, 1879, Dr. Gibbs shot a male Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus l„>ri7<;, p. 234), thai Falco obsoletus of Gmelin, based l Northern Europe and Asia, in contradis- tinction to the later views held by English writei.s. General Notes. 189 Professor J. W. P. Jenks, lit- has kindly written mo in substance that the bird was sent alive from Katahdin Iron-Works (Piscataquis Co., Maine) by Mr. C. H. Prouty to his bro her in Providence during December, 187(J. It had caught several hens, and, having pursued one under a barn through a small opening, was itself caught in the arms of a man as il came out. The Gerfalcon soon died; the wings were cut oil', and the body was buried. Nearly a week afterwards a Mr. Adeock saw and picked up the wings from a stable floor, and, recognizing his old English Fa'con, called for the body, which he dug up and mounted. Professor Jenks happened to see the specimen, and secured it for the University collection. I think MacFarlane's Gerfalcon has not before been known to occur in any portion of Eastern North America, nor at all outside of Arctic North- west America. The one now cited will make the third form of Gerfalcon known to have been taken in New England. I cannot ascertain for a cer- tainty that candicans has yet visited us. Mr. H. G. VTennor records two examples at Montreal. The black Labrador bird has so far been the most frequent visitor to the Canadas, the Provinces, and the United .States. I have record of several, one of which, now announced, was shot in Es?-ex Co., Mass., a few years since, and is in the collection of the Essex Insti- tute.— H. A. Pl'kuik, New/on, Mass. Nesting of Butf.o zoxockkcus in Nkw Mexico. — May 28, 187(J, I found a nest of Buteo zonocercus in a very large cottonwood-tree, in a grove of the same, in the mouth of a canon of the Gila River, in New Mexico, about twenty miles above the Arizona line, I saw the parent fly from the nest, and with its mate circle around overhead. One alighted on the cliff overhanging the grove, which I succeeded in killing. It proved to be the male I had no climbers, and could not then get to the nest, but the next day I returned with a rope, and succeeded in getting near enough to work my hand up through the nest and reach one egg, which was all there was. The nest was quite bulky, composed of twigs, lined with strips of the inner bark of the cottonwood. The egg was very near hatching, and in attempting to extract the em- bryo I broke it, and it has since been broken into small pieces. It was marked with large reddish-brown blotches, irregularly distributed on a dirty white ground. I still have the male. This pair are the only Hawks of this species that I am positive I ever saw, although I have seen several Hawks here in California that at first I took to be B. zonocercus, but they always proved to be very dark plumages of B. sicain&oni. It is about im- possible to tell the difference at shooting distance. The latter species is very abundant here at times. — F. Stevens, Wilmingtont Cal. Capture of the Golden Eaglk at Gbavesend, L. I. — On Octo- ber 6, 187 7, 1 had the good fortune to procure a male Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaiilus) in this vicinity. He was a fine, full-grown specimen, and gave the following measurements: length, 32.75 inches ; extent, 78.25; wing, 22.50; tail, 14.00. — Frank E. Johnson, Gravesend, L. I. 190 General Notes. The Eggs of the Curlew Sandpiper (Tringa subarquata). — The efgs of this species have hitherto escaped the researches of European ornithologists, and up to the present moment have continued to he an especial object of search, and an occasion of renewed disappointment. In a recent visit to Washington, I saw, among tin- interesting things brought hack by Mr. Ludovic Rumlien from the Howgate Arctic expedition, two e\»>\<. of a very dark color, almost a black, on the larger end. The other egg measures 1.47 X 1.04 inches, and is much more pyrifbrm in shape. Its ground color is a very light greenish drab, with rather sparse markings of a deep umber. These are larger and more confluent about the greater end of the egg, where they are chiefly disposed in a circular ring. The rest of the egg is Bparsely marked with the same. About the larger end are also a few very dark markings. — T. M. Bkewer, Boston, Mass. Capture ok the European Widgeon in North Carolina. — On the 17th of last December, a gentleman called my attention to a European Widgeon hanging up with a bunch of Ducks, in an express office in New York. The expressman, of course, had no right to part with the bird, and as the address was wrong, I was unable to follow up the Ducks. The man promised my companion to scud him the true address as soon as he received it, but nothing further was heard from him. The bird was a malt- in full plumage, and, as I have since learned, came from Currituck. Another of these Widgeons was killed at Currituck, on January 17, 1879, by William Baylis, Esq., of Brooklyn, in whose possession it now i-. Through the courtesy of Mr. Baylis I was permitted to examine this bird, which is a fine adult male. The first occurrence of Mareca pt /" !<>/>< in this country was in 1842, when Mr. (r. N. Lawrence obtained one in Fulton Market, said to have come from Long Island. In this Bulletin, Vol. III. p. 98, two specimens are recorded ; one from Virginia, taken in 1855, the other from Long Island, in 1873, In all, five authenticated individuals <>f M. penelope have now been re- corded from the Atlantic coast. Mr. Charles W. Moxon. of Point PleaB- ant, N. J., informs me that during the past Beason Beveral red-headed Widgeons have been shoi on Barnegat Bay. — Dk L. Bkrij r, Fort Hamil- ton, L. I. Bonapaktk's Gull in Kansas. — I have in my collection of birds General Notes. 191 a male Larus Philadelphia, shot on the Neosho River at this place on April 18, 1879. This is the first notice of its appearance in the State, but, as Dr. Coues, in " Birds of the Northwest," says : " No one of our species is more widely dispersed than this. Go where we may in North America, the pretty bird may be seen at one or another season, if we are not too far from any considerable body of water," I am led to believe its occurrence not exceptional, and that it has heretofore been taken for L.franklini, a bird which it somewhat resembles in both color and markings, and being of nearly the same size it would readily be taken for it by the casual ob- server. — N. S. Goss, Neosho Falls, Kan. The Booby Ganxet (Sula fiber) in Massachusetts. — In my Cata- logue of the Birds of New England, I felt constrained to put the Booby Gan- net in the purgatory of the " not proven." It had been mentioned by Mr. Putnam, but all traces of evidence to authorize its retention had been lost. It had also been given in Mr. Linsley's list, but erroneously. It is not a species whose appearance could be looked for with any confidence, but then the list of Massachusetts birds abounds in the appearance of quite a number of such unlooked for visitors. On the 17th of September, 1878, a fine male specimen of the Sula fiber was shot on Cape Cod, and brought to the Boston market. It is now in the possession of my neighbors, Edward O. and Outram Bangs. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. A Word in Defence. — To the Publishers of the Nuttdll Bulletin : — Inasmuch as the pages of the Bulletin have given to a correspondent full liberty to make against the undersigned a personal accusation which he was utterly unconscious of having deserved, he trusts he may at least be permitted to make a brief defence. If any impartial reader of the Bulletin imagines that the undersigned deserves the double charge of untruthfulness and aggressiveness, made against him on p. 75, Vol. IV, all he asks is that, in simple justice to the party thus accused, said reader will not take the accuser's word for it all, but will examine into the matter, and judge for himself after a full examination of all the facts. Let this impartial reader first turn to a paper published in the Essex In- stitute Proceedings, 1868, purporting to be a " Catalogue of the Birds of North America contained in the Museum of the Essex Institute," with which is incorporated " A List of the Birds of New England," etc., and let him open at page 3. He will there find the following unmistakable clue to what the writer himself considers a New England bird : " In the following list the New England species are given in Italics, and those con- tained in the Museum of the Institute are followed by the numbers and localities of the specimens in the collection. All other North American species represented in the Museum are printed in Roman.'" Let the impartial reader proceed to carefully examine this catalogue, beginning with Catharles aura, on page 5, and thence to page 64. He will find some three hundred and thirty-two birds, more or less, each given 192 Gem rul Notes. in a distinct paragraph, and each paragraph beginning with the name of the species in Italics. The ruk- given by the author demonstrates that all these are by him considered " New England birds." Among those thus oriven are Saxicola cenanthe, Oporornh formosa, Seiurus ludovicianu*, < 'turns oxsifragus, and several others, all of which, at that time, were without any evidence of a New England existence. Several were so admitted by the writer in giving them, and some, to this day, have no record in favor ot' their being of New England. Yet these stand in the list, paragraph, Italics, and all, indistinguishable from Turdus migratorius or Spizella social is as to their right to he there. On page '64 the impartial reader will find an " Addenda," giving three more species, all recorded in precisely the same manner with the preceding three hundred ami thirty-two, — that is, in separate paragraphs, commen- cing with their names in Italics, — two of them claimed as actually taken. the third given as fouml botli on our north ami south, ami stragglers in New England are anticipated, and all three apparently intended to lie in- cluded in the list. Certainly they are not distinguishable from the others, and Hesperiphona is, to all appearance, as much included in the list as ( 'orvus ossifragus, or any of the others that arc admitted to lie not actually known to have been taken within its limits. Now, turning to my list of the birds of New England, page 18, it will he seen thai 1 simply refer to the fact that the bird is thii- given, and on hypothetical grounds, the only apparent reason fin- thus giving it being that its occurrence was regarded as probable, and that I, so far from discred- iting, fully admitted this probability, strengthening the hypothesis by mentioning a new instance of its ascertained occurrence mar Vermont. The impartial reader can but find that my statement, instead of being false, was to all appearance fully justified ; that a "claim "was plainly implied by the writer's own test as to his own cleaning and intent, — not as ascertained, like Slrix pratincola, but as hypothetical, like Siurus lulo- vicianus : and that not only in the particular paragraph, but throughout my list, no " side-thrust" is given or intended for any one whatever, — in a word, thai the accusation is purely imaginative, and that all I stated was given in cat ire good faith. Whether I deserve to have it said of me that I "have become not ibly over fond of giving side-ihnisls to any unc who may chance to dill'er," or whether such an unamiable peculiarity is more typical of someone else, would be a question quite out of place in what I trust its publishers design in be a journal devoted to pun' ornithological science, and I am the last person who would seek to misuse its pages by mere personalities. — Timi.m \s M. Bhewkr. [Though we reluctantly open the pages of the Bulletin to mere per- sonalities, we here give Dr. Brewer a cliancc to be heard. We arc in- formed tli it the person referred to has no reply to make. — Eds.] Jull.Nutt. Ormth C - Plate I. Sin. . BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL OKNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. Vol. IV. OCTOBER, 1879. No. 4. NOTE ON THE BLACK-CAPPED GREENLET, VIREO ATRI- CAPILLUS OF WOODHOUSE. BY DR. ELLIOTT COUES, U. S. A. We are enabled to present our readers with a colored plate with this number of the Bulletin, through the liberality of Mr. J. C. Sin- clair, the well-known lithographer of Philadelphia, who very kindly offered to engrave for us the pretty little study in water-colors of the pair of Greenlets made by Mr. W. H. Werner, as noted by Mr. Brewster in his interesting article on Vireo atricapillus (anted,, p. 101). The birds were taken, with the uest and four eggs, on the 6th of May, 1878, in Comal County, Texas, about twenty-three miles northwest of New Braunfels, by Mr. Werner, to whom is due the credit of bringing to notice the first authenticated nest and eggs of the species. We would refer to Mr. Brewster's article (I. c. pp. 99-103) for the full particulars of this capture, including the de- scription of the subjects of Mr. Sinclair's plate, and a review of what had before been known of the species. It is a singular but well-attested fact in the history of several of our birds, that they remained so long unnoticed after their dis- covery that they were in danger of being relegated to the list of " lost species," and then suddenly became notorious. Baird's and LeConte's Buntings, and Sprague's Pipit, and the Black-capped Greenlet, are illustrations of this. How little we really learned of this species during the period from 1852 to 1878 may be seen by referring to our "Birds of the Colorado Valley" (pp. 533, 534), where a fair statement of the case is given, with a full index to the VOL. iv. 13 194 Mearns on Birds at Fort Klamath. literature of the subject. In January of the present year (antea, p. 58), Mr. Ruthven Deane first added something to the meagre knowledge we then possessed, giving the experiences of Mr. G. H. Ragsdale with the species in Texas. Mr. Ragsdale, it appears, took three specimens, all of which were preserved, and was shown a nest with one egg, said to be of a Vireo with a black head, but not thor- oughly identified. Mr. Deane's and Mr. Brewster's articles throw much light upon the history of a hitherto little-known species, but one which will probably soon become common in collections ; and the plate now given will, we are sure, be appreciated by our readers as timely and acceptable. A PARTIAL LIST OF THE BIRDS OF FORT KLAMATH, OREGON, COLLECTED BY LIEUTENANT WILLIS WIT- TICH, U. S. A., WITH ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS BY THE COLLECTOR. BY EDGAR A. MEARNS. (Concluded from p. 166.) 40. Picicorvus columbianus ( Wilson). Clarke's Nutcracker. — No. 29, 9, June, 1875 ; No. 30,