aera General Notes. 209 
.to work at those bushes, pulling them apart when suddenly I saw him 
standing upon the top of a fence post and still crowing. 
I picked up the gun and placed it to the shoulder and old hunter and old 
trapshooter as I was I could not hold the gun still I trembled so. But I 
took a trap-shooter’s chance and got the bird.’’—§. C. Bisnor and A. H. 
Wricut, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 
Feeding Habit of the Sparrow Hawk.— The month of March, 1916, 
was spent by the writer in the longleaf pine forests of northern Louisiana. 
In the region of lumbering operations fires were of frequent occurrence. 
The hawks took full advantage of the action of the fire in driving out 
insects, small reptiles, and rodents, and, in spite of the great heat and 
intense black smoke arising from the resinous wood, the birds would not 
only dash past within a few feet of the flames, but would actually alight on 
stubs and fallen branches in smoke so thick that they were frequently lost 
to view. In the vicinity of every fire observed hawks were present and as 
many as twenty individuals were noted at one time.— A. W. SHORGER, 
Madison, Wisc. 
The Barn Owl (Aluco pratincola) in Western New York.— The writer 
wishes to record the capture of the Barn Owl in the town of Eden, Erie 
Co., N. Y. Noting a mounted adult specimen of this species in the taxi- 
dermist’s shop at Hamburg, he was surprised to learn that the bird was 
taken on a large produce farm about fifteen miles southwest of Buffalo. 
Subsequent correspondence with the owner of the farm revealed the fact 
that it was captured alive in a silo during the month of April, 1916. The 
bird was first seen in the barn about 5 o’clock in the afternoon, but flew 
into the silo when attempts were made to catch it. Here it was easily 
procured by closing a small door. 
Rumors of the occurrence of this species in the town of Eden have come 
to the writer’s attention several times within the past ten years. How- 
ever, Mr. Wm. D. Henry, the owner of the present specimen, states that 
he never saw a bird of this kind before and is inclined to regard such state- 
ments as erroneous.— THomas L. BouRNE, Hamburg, N. Y. 
An Unrecorded Bird from the Bahamas.— When compiling my list 
of Bahama birds (Shattuck, The Bahama Islands, 1905, pp. 347-368), 
I overlooked a specimen of the Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) taken at 
Nassau, New Providence, April 22, 1864, by Lieutenant Fitzgerald and 
now in the U. 8. National Museum, No. 33171. Mr. Ridgway also failed 
to record this specimen in Bull. U. 8S. Nat. Museum No. 50, Part IV, 1907, 
689, and as it has not been previously or subsequently recorded from the 
Islands to my knowledge, I have thought it best to put the specimen upon 
record.— J. H. Ritey, Washington, D.C. 
Blue Jay in Jefferson Co., Colorado.— I was startled on the morning 
of Sept. 24, 1916, to hear the calls of Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata cristata) 
