20 The Ottawa Naturalist. [April 



per cent., seeds and fragments of Echinochloa cnisgalli, 75 per 

 cent. 



Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca; 1. April 22, 1908, seeds of 

 Phleum praiense, and 2 or 3 of a small Rumex; 2. April 24, 1908, 

 a hash of beetles and true bugs in about equal proportions, 50 

 per cent., small larvae, probably lepidopterous, but too badly- 

 crushed for positive identification, 40 per cent., bits of seeds of 

 Lithospennum, 10 per cent.; 3. April 24, 1908, remains of 

 beetles all broken up, in which can be distinguished a weevil 

 and an Aphodius, 66 per cent., trace of a bug, remains of spiders, 

 10 per cent.; 2 small millipeds, 6 per cent., one beetle larva, 

 probably an Elaterid,3 per cent., seeds and fragments of Litho- 

 spermum, Panicum, and Polygonmn, 15 per cent. 



Cedar bird, Ampelis cedrorum; June 11, 1907, full of cherry 

 blossoms; 2. Full of Eidecanium fletcheri, a parasite on the white 

 cedar (named after Dr. Fletcher). 



Bohemian Waxwing, A. garrulus; 1. March 1, 1909, pulp, 

 skin and one seed of apple; 2. Same date, pulp and skin of 

 apple. 



NOTES. 



The Black Rail in Ontario. Ii a review of Macoun's 

 "Catalogue of Canadian Birds" by "W. E. S," who is, T pre- 

 sume, W. E. Saunders, the statement is made with regard to the 

 Black Rail that "the three records given are none of them thor- 

 oughly reliable, one was a bird seen in flight; another refers 

 to the taking of a number of specimens in he Dundas Marsh, 

 which have since proved to be the Virginia Rail ; and the third 

 depends u lOn the ability of a gentleman the honesty of whose 

 intention- is not open to question, but who may have fallen into 

 the same error as did Mr. Nash regarding the Virginia Rail." 



As T nm responsible for the record of the Black Rails taken 

 by me in the Dundas Marsh on the 18th of August, 1874. I should 

 be glad if W. E. S. will let us know when and by whom it was 

 proved that my specimens were Virginia Rails, and upon what 

 evidence he has based his statement. 



C. W. Nash. 



A Few Winter Bird Notes. Mr. Eifrig's note on the 

 abundance of Redpolls in the spring of 1909, which appeared 

 in the September number of The Ottawa Naturalist, reminded 

 me that these same birds were exceedingly numerous in this 



