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. 



