iS5?7-] General Notes. y I 



Milwaukee Naturalist. I. No. 9, Sept., 1SS6. 

 Museum Bulletin. 1, Nos. 5. 6. Sept., Oct., 18S6. 



Naturalist, The. A Month. Journ. Nat. Hist, for the North of England, 

 Nos. 135-137. Oct. -Dec, 1SS6. 



Naturalist's Companion, II. No. 2, Sept.. 1SS6. 

 Ornithologist and Oologist, XI, Nos. 9-10. Sept. -Nov.. 18S6. 

 Proceedings Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, pt. 2. 1SS6. 

 Proceedings U. S. Nat. Mus., 1S86, pp. 161-2S8. 

 Random Notes on Nat. Hist. Ill, Nos. 9-1 1, 1S86. 

 Smihtsonian Report. 18S4, pt. II. 

 Zoologist. X, Nos. 1 18- 120, Oct. -Dec, 18S6. 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Occurrence of Cory's Shearwater ( Puffinus borealis ) and Several Species 

 of Jaegers in Large Numbers in the Vicinity of Gayhead, Mass.. during 

 the Autumn of 1886. — In the early part of the summer of 18S6, both mack- 

 erel and bluefish were very scarce near the coast of the Middle States. 

 and it was ascertained that they were busily engaged in feeding on a small 

 white fish, three or four inches long, occurring in immense numbers, r^o 

 to 200 miles off the coast. This fish proves to be young sea herring 

 (CluJ>ea vulgaris). Towards the end of September this herring came in- 

 shore in large numbers, from Point Judith to Buzzard's Bay and Vinevard 

 Sound, where they remained until the end of October, and perhaps still 

 later. They were accompanied by mackerel of unusually large size and 

 fatness, which furnished for many weeks an ample supply to fishing crafts 

 of various kinds, and they were captured, for the most part, with the hook 

 and line. 



With the herring came also enormous numbers of Puffinus and Ster- 

 corarius, the former proving to be almost exclusivly the Puffinus borealis 

 Cory, with a few Puffinus stricklandi. None of the P. major were 

 seen. 



The Stercorarius consisted principally of 6 1 . parasiticus and 6\ -pom- 

 arinus; these in every imaginable stage of coloration ; some beingentirelv 

 dusky and others in various grades of immaturity; very few. if any 

 specimens in full plumage being seen. 



The Shearwaters occurred in flocks of perhaps from fifty to two or three 

 hundred, the bunches being generally found quietly resting on the water 

 and feeding, while swimming, upon the herrings that were so abundant 

 in the vicinity. They were very tame, but approach to them could be best 

 made by a steam launch, which would almost run over them before they 

 would start to fly. A dozen birds were killed by the discharge of two guns 

 from a launch. About a hundred specimens were secured, and thousands 

 could easily have been killed if necessary. 



