General Notes.
Description of a Nest of the Water Ouzel.—The nest of the Water Ouzel (Cinclus mexicanus) is perhaps not so well known as to make the following description of one wholly uninteresting. The nest when found was in good condition, and had evidently been used the past season. It was built under a slightly overhanging wall of limestone, on a ledge projecting seven or eight inches from the wall, and about four feet above low-water mark, the deepest part of a swift mountain stream flowing directly beneath. The material of construction was a bright green moss, forming a rather conspicuous object for some distance along the opposite bank. The nest has a nearly spherical interior seven inches in diameter. The entrance is triangular, one side of the triangle forming the top and being three and one-half inches across and three inches above the lower angle. The most exposed side of the nest varies from three to four inches in thickness, the top and remainder being only an inch and a half through. At time of finding, the interior of the nest was perfectly clean, but outside, just below the opening, the rock was discolored for some distance by excrement of the birds. Side by side with this nest was an older one partially destroyed, and I fancied I could see traces of still another on the same ledge not far off. The birds had evidently lived in the locality for some time.—R. S. Williams, Gold Run, Montana.
The Short-billed Marsh Wren in New Hampshire.—On the 24th of August, 1881, while investigating the recesses of a fresh water marsh at Rye Beach, N. H., I found a colony of Short-billed Marsh Wrens (Cistothorus stellaris) in a small meadow about a mile from the sea. One bird was shot, and five or six others seen and heard.
Mr. Wm. Brewster in 1872 found this bird in the same vicinity, but in a locality about five miles farther inland.
These two records extend the northern range of the Short-billed Marsh Wren, and give it a place among the birds of New Hampshire.—Henry M. Spelman, Cambridge, Mass.
Early Arrival of the Yellow-rump in Southern Maine.—This morning—March 21, 1882—I found a solitary Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendræca coronata) flitting about in a straggling growth of spruces, on Cape Elizabeth. His arrival is unprecedentedly early for this vicinity. The Yellow-rumps usually reach Portland in the last week of April, sometimes not until after May 1, and up to to-day I have never seen one before April 21, which was the date of their appearance in 1879. My little friend of this morning was probably only an accidental and temporary visitor. Snow still lies from two to three feet deep in the woods, and much blustering, wintry weather must be expected, before the earliest Warblers come to us in earnest.—Nathan Clifford Brown, Portland, Maine.
Late Stay (probable Wintering) of Dendrœca pinus in Massachusetts.—A few individuals of the Pine-creeping Warbler remained so late with us the last season, that their courage deserves a record. I found four of them on December 5, 1881, in company with Chickadees, in a rocky run thickly set with maples and alders. There were no pines, but a small bunch of them not far away. I shot one, according to rule, to make sure of the species. Being desirous of ascertaining if they proposed to spend the winter in that cheerful company, on January 1, 1882, I sent a young friend, who is well posted and a good observer, to the locality, and he reported seeing two of the Warblers so near at hand, perhaps twenty feet, as to make the identification positive. I intended to look for them again in February, but was unable to do so.—F. C. Browne, Framingham, Mass.
The Hooded Warbler in Western New York.—From various points in the dense forest, on the balmy days of May, comes the common and familiar song of the Hooded Warbler,—che-reek, che-reek, che-reek, chi-dì-eê, the first three notes with a loud bell-like ring, and the rest in very much accelerated time, and with the falling inflection. Arriving early in May, this is one of our common summer residents throughout the dense upland forests, occupying the lower story of the woodland home, while the Cœrulean Warbler occupies the upper. Here let me say that in addition to its alarm note, a sharp whistling or metallic chip which is very clearly characterized, the Hooded Warbler has two distinct songs, as different as if coming from different species. Never shall I forget how I was once puzzled by this trick. I was strolling in a thick forest, near the corner of a slashing, in an evening twilight in June, when I was surprised by a strange whistling melody.—whee-reeh, whee-ree-eeh—with a marked emphasis on the second syllable, and a still more marked one on the last. Part of the time this utterance was somewhat varied, a few notes being sometimes added, and again a few being dropped. My curiosity was greatly excited, for I had supposed myself familiar with the voices of all the birds in the neighborhood; but it became too dark to identify the bird. For nearly a week I went to that spot every day, always hearing the song, but never being able to get a clear sight of the bird. It seemed exceedingly shy. In vain did I crawl on hands and knees among the undergrowth to get near to it; for just as I would seem about to gain a good view of it the song would cease at the point under observation and come from one more distant. Just as I was about to give the matter up one evening, down came the singer, stage by stage through the thick foliage, and alighting within a few feet of me and in clear sight, gave the full effect of his whistling song. I have since heard the same song a number of times and in different places from the Hooded Warbler. So I conclude that in the case of this species there are, occasionally at least, two distinct and altogether different songs.
The Hooded Warbler is one of those which make their home on or near the ground. Here it keeps itself for the most part well concealed among the foliage of the thick undergrowth, having a rather slow and dignified movement for a bird of its kind.
It builds its nest from a foot to eighteen inches from the ground, generally in the upright or somewhat leaning fork of a little bush. I once found it on a beech limb, lying on the ground, but still retaining the dry leaves. It is somewhat bulky, but quite neat, the lower part being of dry or skeleton leaves, the upper part, especially the high and well-defined rim, of long fibrous bark, as that of the grape vine, ash, basswood, or elm, laid almost as nicely as coiled cords, the whole structure being bound together by a webby material, and lined with fine grasses, bark-fibres, and horse-hair. In location, material, and structure, it is quite unique, and, like most other birds’ nests, is a much more certain means of identification than the eggs themselves. These, two to four in number, varying from .63×.52 to .75×.50, are clear white, delicately specked and spotted, sometimes even blotched, with reddish, brown, and lilac. In form and coloration the eggs are very variable. They may be found fresh from the last week in May till the middle of June. A second set may be found in July. The male aids in incubation.
Confined to the eastern part of the United States, and barely entering the southern part of New England, Western New York, and Central New York where it is quite common, must be about the northern limit of this species.—J. H. Langille, Knowlesville, Orleans Co., N. Y.
Breeding of the Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) in Lower Canada.—Last summer I had the rare good fortune to accompany, as his guest, the Hon. Judge H. E. Taschereau (Chief Justice Supreme Court of Canada) on his annual salmon fishing excursion to the Godbout River, which empties into the St. Lawrence from the north, about six miles from the Pointe des Monts where the river widens into the Gulf.
One rainy afternoon about the middle of July, while the Judge was catching salmon at the famous “Upper Pool” on the Godbout, Mr. Nap. A. Comeau and I climbed a high and densely wooded hill that rises from the western border of the pool, and when near the summit saw a Pine Grosbeak, in the slate and golden plumage, hopping about amongst the branches of a large Balsam (Abies balsamea). I was within twenty feet from the bird, but having only a rifle was unable to secure it. Mr. Comeau, who lives at the mouth of the Godbout, told me that this species was by no means rare here, and that he regarded it as a resident. He has since written me that he shot several after I left, and that “the bird is quite common here both summer and winter.” Although he has never taken its nest, he says “I have no doubt they breed here, and I have often seen them in the early part of the fall while out trapping. They seem to be fond of keeping near streams and lakes.”
Dr. Coues found the Pine Bullfinch breeding on the Labrador Coast, and I have no doubt that it breeds all along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and perhaps extends even as far west as the Saguenay, along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. It is asserted, on high authority, that it breeds in some parts of Northern New England.—C. Hart Merriam, M.D., Locust Grove, N. Y.
Coturniculus lecontei, C. henslowi, and Cistothorus stellaris in Florida.—Mr. C. J. Maynard has kindly placed at my disposal the following notes made during his recent trip to Florida. In November, 1881, he spent three weeks collecting at Rosewood, a small settlement on the northern edge of the Gulf Hummock, about eighteen miles northeast of Cedar Keys. Around the outskirts of this town were a number of old fields, grown up to rank grass and tall weeds, but nevertheless perfectly dry. Here he found Leconte’s Buntings, Henslow’s Buntings, Yellow-winged Sparrows, and Short-billed Marsh Wrens, associating together in comparative numbers ranking in the order in which their names are mentioned. The first C. lecontei was shot November 4. Shortly afterwards they became so abundant that as many as twenty were sometimes seen in a day, but notwithstanding their numbers, it was by no means easy to obtain specimens. The chief difficulty arose from their excessive tameness, for they could rarely be forced to take wing, while in the long grass it was impossible to see them at a greater distance than a few yards. Indeed so very fearless were they that on several occasions Mr. Maynard nearly caught them in his insect net. All four species were apparently established for the winter.
The detection of Leconte’s Bunting at Coosada, Alabama, by Mr. Brown,[[56]] and more recently in Chester County, South Carolina, by Mr. Loomis,[[57]] has prepared us to expect it almost anywhere in the Southern States, but I believe that this is its first Florida record. The occurrence of Henslow’s Bunting is also of importance, as confirming Audubon’s more or less discredited statement that it wintered numerously in Florida; while that of the Short-billed Marsh Wren is interesting from the exceptional character of the locality and the distinguished society in which the little bird was found.—William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.
Ammodramus caudacutus.—A somewhat inland Record on the Atlantic Coast.—On June 21, 1881, in company with my friends Messrs. Chamberlain and Daniel, of St. John. N. B., I found a few pairs of Sharp-tailed Finches in the tall grassy marshes bordering the Kenebecasis River at Hampton, which is about twenty miles to the north of the above named city and the Bay of Fundy, and about at the head of tide water. The birds were singing, and undoubtedly breeding, but a severe hunt for their nests was unsuccessful. Although a closely allied variety (nelsoni) is known to occur in certain western States, I think our maritime form has not before been observed away from the immediate coast on the Atlantic seaboard. It might however be looked for up our rivers and creeks as far as or a little above the flow of tide water. See this Bulletin. II pp. 27, 28; III, pp. 48, 98; V, p. 52.—H. A. Purdie, Newton, Mass.
The White-throated Sparrow in Winter near Worcester, Mass.—I saw White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) at different dates during December, 1879. I also saw some on January 1, 1880. I, myself, had not observed it before, though possibly it may not be uncommon.—J. A. Farley, Worcester, Mass.
Peucæa ruficeps eremœca.—In Gillespie County, Texas, which adjoins Kendall Co. on the north, where Mr. Nathan C. Brown’s specimens were taken, I collected on April 24, 1878, a pair of Sparrows which Mr. J. A. Allen identified as Peucæa ruficeps. From the fact that Mr. Brown collected no typical ruficeps it is more than likely that my specimens were var. eremæca.
My specimens were sent to the late Greene Smith, Esq., Peterboro, New York, and are Nos. 961 and 962 in his Museum.—G. H. Ragsdale, Gainesville, Texas.
The Canada Jay at Portland, Maine.—A specimen of the Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) was killed in Scarborough on October 15, 1880, by Mr. Luther Redlon, of Portland, and delivered into my hands a few hours after its capture. The specimen is worth noting from its being the first that I have ever known to occur in the vicinity of Portland, although its kind is said by Professor Verrill (Proc. Ess. Inst., Vol. III, p. 151) to winter commonly at Norway, Maine, only forty miles farther north.—Nathan Clifford Brown, Portland, Maine.
The White-throated Swift Breeding on Belt River, Montana.—About the middle of last July, while hunting on Belt River, I happened to approach the edge of the high limestone cliffs which rise above the stream for several miles after leaving the mountains. Watching the Violet-green and Crescent Swallows, which were abundant, for some time, I was about to leave, when I noticed a Swift evidently flying directly towards me. It passed only a few yards overhead, displaying at the same time the extensive white throat-patch of Cypselus saxatilis. Further search revealed some half a dozen altogether. A small opening in the rock which a bird of this species was seen to enter and reappear from several times, I approached, near enough to hear a vigorous twittering at each visit of the parent bird, from which I presume the young were well advanced. This is the only species of Swift I have yet seen in the Territory.—R. S. Williams, Gold Run, M. T.
Capture of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaëtus canadensis) near Columbus, O.—December 13, 1881, I received a male specimen of the Golden Eagle, killed five miles west of the city.
This bird, according to information which I have gathered from various sources, had caused the farmers in the neighborhood in which it was killed a great amount of annoyance. A reward was offered, and published in our city papers, for the capture of a “Bald Eagle” (as they called it), which had killed several young calves. By further inquiry I ascertained that the bird was seen eating at two of the calves, but was not seen in the act of killing them.—Oliver Davie, Columbus, O.
The Little Blue Heron in Maine.—During the summer of 1881 a small white Heron took up his abode in a dense swamp bordering the eastern side of Scarborough Marsh. He foraged regularly about the neighboring ponds and rivers, and before autumn had been seen and unsuccessfully shot at by many covetous gunners. In September, however, he fell captive to the wiles of Mr. Winslow Pilsbury, and now reposes in the cabinet of Mr. Chas. H. Chandler, of Cambridge, Mass. Upon writing Mr. Chandler, to ascertain the species represented by his specimen, I learned that Mr. Henry A. Purdie[[58]] had seen the bird and pronounced it the Little Blue Heron (Florida cærulea). No previous instance of its occurrence in Maine is on record.—Nathan Clifford Brown, Portland, Maine.
Baird’s Sandpiper on Long Island, N. Y.—A Correction.—In the Bulletin for January, 1882, p. 60, it is stated that the record of a specimen of this species from Long Island is apparently its first from any point south of New England. A note to the editors from Dr. E. A. Mearns calls attention to a previous record of the species for Long Island in an article by Newbold T. Lawrence, entitled “Notes on Several Rare Birds Taken on Long Island, N. Y.,” published in “Forest and Stream,” Vol. X, No. 13, p. 235, May 2, 1878, as follows:—
“Tringa bairdii, Baird’s Sandpiper.—Four specimens taken at Rockaway. The first two in September, 1872, shot on a small piece of meadow, out of a flock of Tringa minutilla. The third was taken August 26, 1873, while snipe shooting on a low strip of sand that separates the ocean and bay. My attention was first called to it by hearing a peculiar long-drawn whistle, and soon after I perceived a small snipe flying very high. The next moment it darted down and settled among my decoys, where I secured it. The fourth was taken in the same locality as the first two, September 20, 1874. Three of the above specimens were males.”—Edd.
Pelidna subarquata on the Maine Coast.—I have to thank Mr. C. H. Chandler of Cambridge, for allowing me to view a mounted specimen of the Curlew Sandpiper, which he shot on the beach at Pine Point, Scarborough, Cumberland Co., on September 15, 1881. The plumage is immature—probably a bird of the year. It was in company with Peeps, but its larger size and lighter coloration were noticed, hence this visit to American shores is registered. The species is new to the Maine fauna, at least this is the first instance of actual capture within the limits of that State.[[59]]—H. A. Purdie, Newton, Mass.
The King Rail in New England.—It seems that in making up the New England record of the King Rail (Rallus elegans)[[60]] I overlooked a note on this species, published in “Forest and Stream” of March 11, 1880. In this note Mr. Jno. H. Sage announces the capture of a female specimen at Portland, Conn., September 19, 1879.—Nathan Clifford Brown, Portland, Maine.
Purple Gallinule (Ionornis martinica) in Rhode Island.—Mr. Newton Dexter states that some years ago Mr. P. W. Aldrich showed him a fine Purple Gallinule just received in the flesh from Westerly, R. I. Mr. Dexter bought, and now has the bird. He is not able to give the exact year, but thinks it was in 1857.—Fred. T. Jencks, Providence, R. I.
Note on the Habits of the Young of Gallinula galeata and Podilymbus podiceps.—Mr. N. R. Wood, who collected quite a number of young Grebes and Gallinules this summer at Montezuma Marsh, near Clyde, N. Y., tells me that the little Gallinules use the thumb to aid them in moving about. The thumb in the young of this bird is quite long and sharp, and the nestlings, when unable to walk, hook it into any yielding substance, and drag themselves along. The young Grebes are more vigorous than the Gallinules, and progress by little hops.—Frederic A. Lucas, Rochester, N. Y.
Rhynchops nigra.—An early Record for the Massachusetts Coast.—Champlain,[[61]] while cruising along the sandy shores of Cape Cod on a voyage of exploration in July, 1605, makes mention of the Black Skimmer, as his narration, p. 87, shows.
“We saw also a sea-bird with a black beak, the upper part slightly aquiline, four inches long and in the form of a lancet; namely, the lower part representing the handle and the upper the blade, which is thin, sharp on both sides, and shorter by a third than the other; which circumstance is a matter of astonishment to many persons, who cannot comprehend how it is possible for this bird to eat with such a beak. It is of the size of a pigeon, the wings being very long in proportion to the body, the tail short, as also the legs, which are red; the feet being small and flat. The plumage on the upper part is gray-brown, and on the under part pure white. They go always in flocks along the seashore, like the pigeons with us.”
That this species was found on our shores early in this century is proved by the older natives of the Cape telling me, since the bird’s recent occurrence, that “them cutwater or shearwater birds used to be with us summer times.” Also Mr. Brewster informs me that Nantucket fishermen assert that Skimmers bred on Muskegat Island fifty years ago.—H. A. Purdie, Newton, Mass.
Notes on the Habits of the Kittiwake Gull.—Some fishermen whom I lately employed to get a few Kittiwake Gulls on the winter fishing grounds off Swampscott, Massachusetts, gave me the following interesting account of the habits of this species, and the way in which my specimens were procured.
A number of small schooners sail from Swampscott every winter morning, and reach the fishing banks, which are some twelve miles off shore, about daybreak. The men then take to their dories, and buckets of bait—generally cod-livers or other refuse—are thrown out to attract the fish to the spot. Of this custom the Kittiwakes—or “Pinny Owls,” as these men invariably call them—are well aware, and swarms of them quickly collect around the boats to pick up the morsels before they sink. They are very tame, and if one of the flock is shot the others hover over it as Terns will do on similar occasions. The usual way of taking them, however, is with hook and line, the bait being allowed to float off on the surface, when it is quickly seized by one of the greedy horde. In this manner great numbers are annually taken by the fishermen, who either skin and stew them or use the flesh for bait. I was assured that a “Pinny Owl” stew is by no means an unpalatable dish.
After the morning fishing is at an end the vessels start for their anchorage in Swampscott harbor, and the fish are dressed on the way. This gives the Gulls another chance which is not neglected, for the entire flock follows closely in their wake. When the catch has been a large one, and the work of cleaning the fish is continued at the anchorage, they remain about the spot for hours picking up this offal directly under the sides of the vessels. Here again the poor birds are often mercilessly slaughtered by city gunners who shoot them for sport or practice, leaving the dead and wounded to float out to sea with the ebbing tide. The fishermen admit that their numbers have greatly diminished of late years, but they are said to be still very abundant through the winter months.—William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.
Sterna forsteri breeding off the Eastern Shore of Virginia.—An impression seems to prevail among ornithologists that Forster’s Tern breeds only in the interior of North America. At least I cannot learn that Dr. Coues’ comparatively recent ruling[[62]] to that effect has been publicly corrected, or that it is generally known that the bird nests on the Atlantic Coast.[[63]] On this account it may be worth while to state that during a visit to Cobb’s Island, Va., in July, 1880, I found Forster’s Terns breeding in moderate numbers on all the neighboring islands. They nested apart from the other Terns, but often in company with Laughing Gulls, on the salt marshes or on marshy islets, where their eggs were almost invariably laid on tide-rows of drift-weed that fringed the muddy shores. The largest colony seen in any one place comprised perhaps twenty-five pairs, but it was more usual to find from six to a dozen mingled with a countless number of Gulls. I was late for the eggs, but secured a few far advanced in incubation, besides several downy young and many adult birds in full nuptial dress.—William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.
Note on the Foot of Accipiter fuscus.—On the plantar surfaces of each foot of the Sharp-shinned Hawk two papillae may be noticed, which differ from the others, more properly described as pads, in their greater length and more symmetrical form. These pads are placed at the second phalangeal joint of the third toe, and at the third phalangeal joint of the fourth toe, that is, at the bases of the penultimate phalanges of the third and fourth toes. These papillae are shown to be modified pads, the same as those at the other two joints, by the less developed papillae of Circus, Astur, and others. This transition can readily be traced in the sketches of the feet given in the systematic works on Hawks, though the special prominence of the papillae in the Sharp-shinned Hawk does not seem to be particularly noted. On removing the skin, however, a marked difference at once comes in view. While all the pads are nearly obliterated, the papillae still remain as solid cones of connective tissue (?), having much the same shape and sizes as the entire papillae. These cones or cores are internally connected with the superficial fascia of the toes and seem to straddle the flexor tendons running below.
On noting the structural difference, the cause or function of these papillae at once becomes a point of interest. Why have these two pads been modified into long papillae (.12 inch in a dried specimen), and provided with a solid core? Now the foot of Accipiter is so constructed that the first toe opposes the second toe, and their claws move in nearly parallel arcs. This is not the case with the third and fourth toes, which are longer and not opposable to one another. Thus the claws can be opposed to nothing except the middle portions of the toes to which they belong. But when the claw is thus flexed a small space well adapted for grasping twigs and feathers is formed by the papillae, the penultimate phalanx and the claw, the point projecting beyond resembling the feet of certain crustacea and lice. Hence the function of the papillae would seem to be to aid the third and fourth claws in grasping small objects, and it is an interesting point to notice that the foot of Accipiter fuscus is thus drawn in North American Birds, by Baird, Brewer and Ridgway.
How far the same considerations hold in other species I cannot say, but as mentioned above, allied forms seem to possess the character to a less degree.—J. Amory Jeffries, Boston, Mass.
Supplementary Notes on two Texas Birds.—In a recent paper[[64]] on a collection of birds made in southwestern Texas, I referred a series of Hylocichla unalascæ to the restricted form, with the remark that several specimens closely approached var. auduboni. Upon reading the article, an esteemed correspondent wrote me that one of these aberrant examples, which had passed into his hands, appeared to him to be true auduboni. In this opinion, after a reëxamination of the specimen, I concur. The bird in question has a wing of 3.82 inches, which, though decidedly under the average of auduboni, is more than should be allowed unalascæ proper.[[65]] Here, then, is another species, besides those previously cited, which is represented by two distinct varieties in the tract of country explored.
The single specimen of Coturniculus passerinus taken in the same locality represents the western variety perpallidus, under which, by an oversight, it was not included.—Nathan Clifford Brown, Portland, Me.
Addenda to the Preliminary List of Birds ascertained to occur in the Adirondack Region, Northeastern New York.[[66]]—
178. Dendrœca striata (Forst.) Baird. Black-poll Warbler.—In the collection of the late A. Jenings Dayan (of Lyons Falls, N. Y.) is a female of this species that he killed in the town of Lyonsdale in Lewis Co., May 23, 1877.
179. Dendrœca pinus (Wilson) Baird. Pine-creeping Warbler.—Mr. Dayan took a full-plumaged male D. pinus at Lyonsdale, Lewis Co., May 8, 1877. I have never observed the species within the limits of the Adirondack Region, and it must be regarded as a rare bird here.
180. Asio accipitrinus (Pallas) Newton. Short-eared Owl.—I have seen two specimens of the Short-eared Owl that were taken within the limits of the Adirondack Region, in Lewis County. They were both killed east of the Black River Valley—one in the town of Greig, and the other in Lyonsdale.
181. Nyctiardea grisea nævia (Bodd.) Allen. Night Heron.—I have seen a Night Heron that was shot at Crown Point (in Essex Co.) on Lake Champlain. There were two of them together, and both were killed.
182. Calidris arenaria (Linn.) Illig. Sanderling.—On the 5th of October, 1881 Mr. O. B. Lockhart killed, from a flock, four Sanderlings at Lake George, in Warren Co. (Dr. A. K. Fisher.)
183. Chen hyperboreus (Pallas) Boie. Snow Goose.—Dr. A. K. Fisher writes me that he saw a flock of one hundred and fifty or two hundred Snow Geese on Lake George (in Warren County) Nov. 19, 1881. In company with Mr. O. B. Lockhart he rowed out to within a hundred yards of them, when they were frightened by another boat and took flight, showing plainly the black tips of their primaries as they left.
184. Phalacrocorax dilophus (Sw. and Rich.) Nuttall. Double-crested Cormorant.—Mr. F. H. Knowlton, from Brandon, Vermont, writes me: “I shot, on September 24, 1879, at St. Regis’ Lake [Franklin County], two miles from Paul Smith’s, a young female example of Graculus dilophus. The bird was not wild and was easily shot from the shore.”
185. Dytes auritus (Linn.) Ridgway. Horned Grebe.—On Little Tuppers Lake (Hamilton Co.), Oct. 22, 1881. Dr. A. K. Fisher and I saw about eight Horned Grebes and I killed one of them. While crossing Raquette Lake, the same day, Dr. Fisher shot another. At Big Moose Lake (in Hamilton and Herkimer Counties) we saw this species every day from Oct. 26 to Nov. 8, 1881. Nov. 5 I shot one out of a flock of nine. They were all in the plain fall dress, so that the size alone enabled us to distinguish young from old. In all the iris was of a bright orange red. They are excellent divers and can remain under water an astonishingly long period.—C. Hart Merriam, M.D., Locust Grove, N. Y.
Errata.
In Vol. VII, page 26, line 6, for “An indistinct, dusky” read “A black.” Same page, foot note, for “οὐκέω” read “οἰκέω.”
Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club., Vol. VII., No. 3. Plate 7.
Jeffries & Blake, del. The Heliotype Printing Co. 211 Tremont St. Boston