General Notes. 31 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Birds around Boston during the winter of 1882-3. 

 — The occurrence of the following birds around Boston 

 during the past winter may be of interest. 



Yellow-rumped Warblers {^Dendraca coronata) have been 

 taken in at least four different localities and a large flock 

 have spent the entire winter in a cedar pasture at Milton. 



Both the White-winged {Loxla leucoptera) and the Red 

 Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra americana) have been com- 

 paratively common; the former, I believe, having been 

 more abundant and more generally distributed than it has 

 been for a number of years. 



Holboll's Redpoll (^giothus Imaria holhoelli) has been 

 very common but apparently most so on the sea shore. 

 Out of forty Redpolls shot at Nantasket Beach thirty-six 

 were of this kind (Forest and Stream, XX, {1883)2^. 124.) 

 Strange to say this species or variety has never been 

 recorded from Massachusetts before, though there are un- 

 doubtedly specimens in many collections. 



A few VVhite-rumped Red-polls (^giothus canescens 

 exilipes) have also been shot, but this species seems to have 

 been far from common. 



Pine Finches {^Chrysometris pinus) have spent the win- 

 ter here for 1 shot them in Milton on January 2, and in 

 Cambridge on February 23. 



A small flock of Swamp Sparrows {Melospiza pjalustris) 

 were seen in Belmont and two shot. [See below.) 



Four Meadow Larks [Sturnella magna) spent the entire 

 winter in the Fresh Pond marshes at Cambridge. 



A pair of Cow Buntings [Molothrus pecoris) were shot 



