476 General Notes. au 
GENERAL NOTES. 
Man-o’-War-bird etc. on the North Carolina Coast.—*I have a 
letter from Mr. Russell J. Coles at the Bight of Cape Lookout, North 
Carolina, dated July 19, 1917, enclosing excellent photographs of a juvenile 
Man-o’-War-bird (Fregata aquila) in which he says: “‘On July 10, I and 
members of my crew watched for some time a Man-o’-War-bird attempting 
to fly against a heavy wind squall. The bird appeared very much ex- 
hausted as it came in from the sea against the wind... .At last, one of 
my crew struck at it and in dodging the blow, the bird fell in the sea along- 
side and was lifted into the boat. I kept it on board for half a day and, 
although at first it was too weak to show the usual aggressive spirit of its 
species, yet when rested it become very pugnacious and struck at all who 
approached it with beak and wings. 
“Finally I released it after measuring and photographing, and it flew 
swiftly away to the south. From tip to tip of wings, it measured 7 ft. 
4 in. which was wider than examples I have measured on Gulf coast of 
Florida. This is my first observation of this species as far north as this, 
and native fishermen do not recall having seen one here before. 
‘“‘ During the past five weeks, I have seen three flocks of Brown Pelicans 
[Pelecanus occidentalis] here, one a flock of twelve rested on the water just 
off point of Cape Lookout for thirty minutes on June 15.” 
Under date of July 27, Mr. Coles writes again from the same locality: 
“Since my last letter to you, I have seen one small flock of eight, and 
one of nine Brown Pelicans; both flocks flying south. Then one lone 
Pelican remained half a day near my boat feeding in the Bight. Ten years 
ago, I saw only one Least Tern or “ Striker”? [Sterna minima] on about 
August 1st. Since then their numbers have increased each year, and I 
can now see 20 or 30 in a day.” 
The Man-o’-War-bird is a stray on the North Carolina coast, and the 
status there of Pelican and Least Tern is of interest.— J. T. NicHOLs, 
New York, N, Y. 
Gadwall in Massachusetts.— Mr. Harry P. Sturtevant reports the 
capture at Nippinicket Pond, Bridgewater, Massachusetts, upon October 
11, 1916, of two Gadwalls (Chaulelasmus streperus).— ARTHUR C. DYKE, 
Bridgewater, Mass. 
Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) in a Phenomenal Position at Bos- 
ton, Mass.— Upon entering the Public Garden about seven A. M. on 
March 25, 1917, while my eyes were turned in a somewhat different direc- 
tion, I was conscious of a large bird rising from a grass plot at my right. 
This bird by a flight of about two hundred feet alighted in a large cotton- 
wood tree which stands beside the pond within the Garden, taking a perch 
