188 General Notes. 



3. Picus pubescens, Linn. Downy WOODPECKER. — Daring the 

 winter of 1878-79 the Downy Woodpecker was several times seen in the 

 sheltered tiinher in the vicinity of the post, and a few specimens were 

 secured. Not observed during previous winter-. 



4. Ceryle alcyon, Boie. Belted KINGFISHER. — On April 14 and 

 1G, 187!». I saw a pair of Belted Kingfishers hovering over one of the 

 lakes near the post in search of food, the first observation of this bird 

 here.— Charles E. McChesney, Fori Sisseton, D. T. 



Capture of a Third Specimen of the Flammulated Owl (Scops 

 fiammeold) in the United States, and first Discovery of its 



Nest. — This rare Owl was first added to our fauna by Captain John 

 Feilner, who obtained a specimen at Fort Crook, Cal., August 23, 18G0.* 

 A second specimen was collected by Dr. C. C. Newberry, thirty miles 

 south of Camp Apache, Arizona, September 11, 1873/j- 



I am indebted to Mr. Charles 6. Brewster of Boston for the opportu- 

 nity to examine a third specimen, which he recently received from Mr. 

 Charles K. Aiken, who obtained it in Fremont County, Col.. June 15, 

 1875. The bird, an adult female, was taken from its nest, which was 

 in a dead pine-tree and contained one egg. The egg is now in possession 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, and Mr. II. W. Ilenshaw has kindly sent 

 me the following description: In color and shape it. resembles those of 

 other species of its genus, and measures 1.12 x .95. — Rcthven Deane, 



Cambridge, Mass. 



• 



MacFARlane's Gerfalcon (Falco gyrfalco sneer) in Maine. — 



Visiting Providence, R. I , in April last, mv friend Mr. Frederick T. 

 Jencks mentioned that there was a specimen of some form of Gerfalcon 

 in the Museum of Brown University in that city. I soon had the satisfac- 

 tion of gazing at the bird. It was labelled " var. sacer" and I think correctly 

 so, for it certainly is not candicans nor labradora,% and is darker than any 

 examples or plates of islandu* that I have examined. Corresponding with 



* Band, Brewer, and Ridgway. Bist. N. Am. Birds, Vol. Ill, p. 58, 

 1874. 



t Report upon the Ornithological Collections made during the Years 1871, 

 1872, 1873, and 1874. By II. W. Ilenshaw. Chapter III, Vol. V, of the Re- 

 ports of the Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys wesl of the 

 One Hundredth Meridian, in Charge of Lt. George M. Whftler, p. 106, 1 S 7.V 



! Mr. Ridgway, with whom 1 have latelj had interesting correspondence on 

 the Gerfalcon group, writes me thai he agrees with Mr. .1. II. Gurnej (sa 

 Has, l >7<;, p. 234), thai Falco obsoletus of Gmelin, based <ui Pennant's " Plain 

 Falcon," belongs to Bonie race of Gerfalcon, but he believes that it should be 

 assigned to the now better known dark Labrador bird, rather than to any plu- 

 mage of islnndus or gyrfalco; also thai it cannol relate to B witi, as 

 associated bj I.'. B. Sharpe. Mr. Ridgway still holds thai sacer can be varie- 

 tallv separated from /•'. gyrfalco <>l Northern Europe and Asia, in contradis- 

 tinction to the later views held by English writei.s. 



