60 General Notes. 



Occurrence of the Western Variety of the Yellow Red- 

 poll Warbler in Massachusetts. — The first instance of the capture 

 of Mr. Ridgway's interesting variety, Dendrceca palmarum hypochrysea, in 

 Massachusetts has recently come to light, a specimen having been shot by 

 Mr. Arthur Smith at Brookline, about the middle of October, 1878. Mr. 

 William Brewster has compared the bird with specimens in his collection, 

 and, although the bird is in autumnal plumage, he says it is very typical 

 of the form in question. — Ruthven Ueane, Cambridge, Mats. 



The Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-chinned Humming- 

 bird in Texas. — In a letter just received from Mr. George II. Rags- 

 dale, of Gainesville, Texas, he writes : " You may mention in the January 

 Bulletin my taking in Bosque County, last April, a male Dendrceca chryso- 

 paria, now in the Smithsonian Institution, and two male Trochilus alex- 

 andri, in Gillespie and San Saba counties, during the same month. One 

 of the latter is in the Museum of Greene Smith, Peterboro', N. Y., the 

 other I have" 



The few specimens* known of the above Warbler are from the high- 

 lands of Vera Paz, Guatemala, and one specimen was procured on the 

 Medina River, near San Antonio, Texas, in early spring, about 18G4, 

 which till now was its'only United States record. The species of Hummer 

 has not, I believe, been before observed east of Arizona and I 'tab, and 

 Mr. Ragsdale's success in securing in his State two examples, and also 

 a rare Dendrceca, is worth noting. — II. A. Purdie, Boston, Mass. 



Capture of two rare Birds at Riverdale, X. Y. Among the. 

 rare and accidental avian visitors which have come under my observation 

 as having occurred at Riverdale, N. Y., it may be well to note the fol- 

 lowing : — 



Tyrannus verticalis. Arkansas Flycatcher. — A young male, in 

 somewhat worn plumage, taken on October 19, 187"), furnishes the third 

 extra-limital eastern record of the species, and the first for New York 

 State. The bird was first observed on the afternoon of the day previous 

 to its capture, pursuing its avocation of insect-hunting from the topmost 

 branches of some tall trees near a private residence, and the following day 

 was again found about the same spot and without much difficulty secured. 



* Rowley's Omith. Misc. Tart III, January, 1876, pp. 181 184, is devoted 

 entirely to the history of this Bpecies, a beautiful colored plate being also given. 

 Mr. Salvin, the author of the article and the discoverer of the special, corrects 

 an error made by Dr. Brewer in Hist. X. A. 15., 1, p. 161, respecting the origi- 

 nal specimens procured by Salvin in Vera Paz. He states that he never pro- 

 cured more than two specimens, instead of the three Dr. Brewer speaks of, these 

 two, with Dresser's Texas one, being all that were known when he wrote. If 

 none have been discovered meanwhile, Mr. Ragsdale's is the fourth known ono. 

 — E. C. 



