GRAY KINGBIRD 47 



more than once in Massachusetts, but the record given above appears 

 to be the only one substantiated by a specimen taken in the state." 

 The disposition of this bird was not mentioned by Mr. Forbush but 

 is cleared up in the quotation that appears below. 



The second INIassachusetts occurrence of the gray kingbird was 

 noted on November 22, 1931, and was recorded in graphic style by 

 F. H. Allen and Ludlow Griscom (1932) : 



Ou November 22, 1931, a party of observers was working in West Newbury, 

 Essex County * * * when Allen spied a bird on the telegraph wires, which 

 Griscom thought was a large flycatcher * * * We were properly astounded 

 to recognize a Gray Kingbird * * * We all had a perfect study of the 

 kingbird, easily noting all the diagnostic characters. 



It seemed highly desirable to collect the specimen, but the party was 

 weaponless. Griscom accordingly walked to the nearest house to borrow a 

 shotgun * * * obtained the gun * * * but the available ammunition 

 consisted of two No. 2 shells. Griscom was devoid of experience in collecting 

 small land birds with No. 2 shot * * * but the bird was secured compara- 

 tively undamaged. 



The specimen proved to be an adult female and has been presented to the 

 Peabody Museum at Salem * * * The date is the height of the fall migra- 

 tion of the species from the West Indies to South America. A low pressure 

 area which blanketed New England in rain, fog, and mist for five days during 

 the preceding week may have been attended by strong winds farther south. 

 The only other record for New England is based on a bird shot in 1S69, also 

 in Essex Co., Mass., and preserved in the Boston Society of Natural History, the 

 latter fact unrecorded by Forbush. 



Since this note was published, the gray kingbird has again ap- 

 peared in New England, this time in Maine, even farther north than 

 Massachusetts. The following notes concerning this occurrence 

 were furnished by my friend Martin Curtler and are considered ab- 

 solutely authentic. Having been afield with Mr. Curtler on western 

 and southern trips, I have had his care and accuracy in field identifi- 

 cation impressively demonstrated. This record, representing the 

 farthest nortli occurrence of the gray kingbird in the United States, 

 has never before been published and is quoted as Mr. Curtler sent it : 



"My gray kingbirds were seen at the southwest end of Deer Isle 

 {iy2 miles from Stonington) [Maine], on September 14, 1938. I 

 observed them at close quarters for upwards of an hour; and they 

 were particularly tame, allowing a close approach. They can have 

 been nothing else. At first I thought the single one I saw first was 

 a shrike, being pale gray, with a dark line through the eye. But 

 I soon saw I was mistaken, i. e., on getting my glasses on him. And 

 then, the behavior of the pair later was just like a couple of common 

 kingbirds, sitting on vantage-points, swooping down and out into 

 the air after insects and returning to where they had been before. 

 I caught a glimpse of pale yellow under the wings . . . they 

 were quite silent. It was brilliantly sunny, about 12 noon." 



