BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY. 205 



'39 [S^fj] Catharista urubu (Vieill.). 

 Black Vulture. 



Accidental visitor from the south. 



A Black Vulture was shot at Swampscott in November, 1850, according to 

 S. Jillson.^ Another was shot at Gloucester on September 28th, 1863, by 

 Wm. Huntsford.^ This, as Howe and Allen ^ conclude, is doubtless the speci- 

 men now preserved in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, at Cambridge, 

 catalogued: No. 3864, Pigeon Cove, October, 1863; collected by Wm. Kunt- 

 fort, October, 1863. There are but three other records for the State. 



140 [327] Elanoides forficatus (Linn.). 

 Swallow-tailed Kite. 



Accidental visitor from the west. 



Essex County is fortunate in having one of the two records for this bird in 

 Massachusetts, the other being only seen at Whately prior to 1870.'' The 

 Essex County bird was shot by Mr. R. L. Newcomb^ at West Newbury, near 

 the Merrimac River, the last of September, 1882. It is a fine specimen and is 

 now in the collection of the Peabody Academy. 



141 [331] Circus hudsonius (Linn.). 

 Marsh Hawk. 



Common summer resident, very rare in winter ; March 21 to November 22 

 (January 21). 



Eggs: May 27 to June i. 



IF. W. Putnam: Proc. Essex Inst., vol. I, p. 223, 1856. 



2 J. A. Allen: Proc. Essex Inst., vol. 4, p. 81, 1864. 



^ R. H. Howe, Jr., and G. M. Allen: The Birds of Massachusetts, p. 60, 1901. 



* J. A. Allen : Amer. Nat., vol. 3, p. 645, 1870. 



^Elliott Coues ; Bull. Nuttall Om. Club, vol. 8, p. 61, 1883. 



