86 General Notes. Tan 
GENERAL NOTES. 
The Roseate Tern (Sterna dougalli) on Lake Michigan.—On August 
14, 1916, while watching the large number of terns congregated on the ex- 
treme southern end of Lake Michigan near Millers, Ind., an individual 
was noticed standing alone at the water’s edge, which on being examined 
with field glasses, looked different from either the Forster’s or the Common 
Tern, both of which were there in abundance. The specimen was collected, 
and proved to be an adult male Roseate Tern, in full breeding plumage. 
While the beautiful rosy tint on the breast was evident enough with the 
specimen in hand, it was not noticed while watching the bird on the beach. 
While this appears to be the first Lake Michigan record, it is not unlikely 
that careful watching would show an occasional wanderer of this species 
among the large number of terns that frequent this locality in fall. The 
skin is in the Harris Extension collection— H. L. Sropparp, N. W. 
Harris Public School Extension of Field Museum, Chicago, Ill. 
Relationship of Florida Herons.— I note in the October number 
of ‘The Auk’ which has just come to hand, on page 431 the statement 
that Ardea herodias wardi and Ardea herodias wurdemanni are both to be 
considered phases of Ardea herodias occidentalis. 
My experience with the birds on the Florida Keys for the last five years 
leads me to believe that this dictum should not be adopted. 
The Great White Heron of the Keys is so entirely different in its habits 
and psychological manifestation from the Great Blue Heron which occupies 
the same region that no one who knows the two birds in the field would 
believe that they were the same. The Great White Heron is of more social 
habits than the Blue Heron. You frequently see small groups of this spe- 
cies ina confined space. For example: on Duck Key, asmall island less than 
sixty yards across, I found four of the Great White Herons. Then again 
there is a breeding colony on a small island in the lagoon on Chase’s Key, 
which is used as a breeding ground exclusively by the Great White Heron. 
The Great Blue Heron is more sparingly represented, and lacks the social 
habits of the white bird; that is, when not on its breeding ground. 
I think that Mr. Oberholser’s dictum is the correct one, and we should 
reserve the name Ardea occidentalis for the Great White Heron of the 
Florida Keys, and Ardea herodias wardi for the Great Blue Heron of that 
region.— Paut Bartscu, U.S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. 
A New Record for New England.— This museum has obtained a 
specimen of the Mountain Plover (Podasocys montanus (Towns.)) taken at 
Chatham, Mass. It is an immature male and was shot on October 28 by 
Mr. A. E. Crowell. This bird was associated with some Black-breasted 
Plovers at the time—— W. Spracur Brooks, Boston Society of Natural 
History. 
