General Notes. 



3°9 



in a little close shed, from which he escaped through a broken window-pane. 

 He alighted on a limb of a tree only three or four feet from the window, and 

 I had a good look at him. He seemed to be shivering with cold, but still 

 active. He is quite tame, and very freely goes about among the cattle and 

 hogs searching for food. If we could only get hold of him we would give 

 him better quarters within doors, for it seems scarcely possible that he can 

 long survive such temperature. He evidently 'got left' when the autumn 

 migration took place, and his 'inherited experience' was too limited to 

 prompt him to attempt the journey alone. 



P.S. — Jan. 2, 18S5. The Chewink is still here. This afternoon I caught 

 him in an out-building. We looked him over and let him go. He is in 

 good condition — -sound and plump — despite our — 40 temperature ! He is 

 solitary and alone, no birds of any species being about. — Charles 

 Aldrich, Webster City, Ioiva. 



Cowbird Wintering in Western New York. — A few weeks ago my 

 attention was called to a strange bird which was feeding on the street 

 with Passer domesticus. On getting a good view I saw it was Molothrus 

 ater. The egg from which it was hatched was probably laid and 

 hatched in a Sparrow's nest, and the bird, reared by the Sparrows, failed 

 to mingle with the rest of its species. I have seen it a number of times 

 since, and a young man told me last week that he saw it nearly every 

 day. I am quite anxious to know if it will survive through the winter 

 with its foster parents. Being itself a vagabond, it is a fit companion for 

 Passer domesticus. — J. L. Damon, Lockport, N. T. 



Nest and Eggs of Calypte costae. — In a paper read before the January 

 meeting of the Ridgway Ornithological Club, descriptive of the Californian 

 Trochilidie, reference was made to the finding of a nest and eggs of Calypte 

 costce. Considering the rarity of the nests and eggs of Costa's Hummer, 

 perhaps a description of them may not fail of interest to the readers of 

 'The Auk.' 



Three nests of this bird were found by the writer at Arrow-head Hot 

 Springs, San Bernardino County, Cal., May 15, 1883; but unfortunately 

 but one set of eggs was secured. One set was accidentally shaken from 

 the nest; the other nest was out of reach. 



Finding no account of the breeding habits of the bird in question in 

 such books as are at my disposal, I wrote to Mr. H. W. Henshaw for 

 information, who regretted that he could not enlighten me, not having 

 met with the bird in any of his wanderings ; but he was of the opinion that 

 nothing had been recorded respecting the nest and eggs of this species. 

 He, however, kindly forwarded my letter to his friend Mr. L. Belding, of 

 Stockton, Cal., with request to send what information he could bearing 

 on the subject. Mr. Belding writes concerning Calypte costa? as follows : — 



"I have met it at various places, — Guaymas, on the east side of the 

 Gulf of California, at La Paz, Cape St. Lucas, Cerros Islands, and other 

 localities on the west side of the Gulf, but never recorded much concerning 



