'I A Recent Literature. [January 



singularly distended crop. Upon making a cut into the membrane with 

 a pair of scissors, out rolled, or rather jumped, the contents, which being 

 released from confinement increased to three times its former size. At 

 the same moment I was astonished to observe the character of the con- 

 tents, which proved to be leaves of the common fern (Pteris aguilina), 

 rolled up in so curious a manner, and in such quantity, as to plainly in- 

 dicate that it was the result of a deliberate meal, and not an accident. 



The crop was so full as to be incapable of holding any additional 

 material. No other substance was mixed with the leaves, the entire wad 

 or ball being free from dirt of any character. Every leaflet of the fronds was 

 intact, and after being soaked in warm water and spread out side by side 

 they covered a space twelve inches square. The stomach ami intestines 

 appeared to contain parts of partly digested leaves, but nothing else, 

 though this was not carefully determined. 



A 'Fern-eating Woodcock'' is a novelty in my experience. Drs. Mer- 

 riam and Fisher have desired me to send this record for publication to 

 'The Auk.' This is one of the most singular instances noted, not ex- 

 cepting even the record of the presence of an entire Song Sparrow in the 

 crop of a Chuck-wills-widow. 



It may be mentioned that the locality where this Woodcock was shot 

 was an open marsh, with hushes here and there, while springs and small 

 streams afforded in abundance the usual food of this very fastidious bird. 

 The specimen was in fine condition- — a plump and fat old female.- — 

 Frederic S. Webster, Washington. D. C. 



A Further Note on Colinus ridgwayi. — 1 have recently received a letter 



from Mr. Herbert Brown, calling my attention to an error in my recent 

 paper on this species (Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.. 1. No. 7, 1SS6. pp. 273 

 and 275, footnotes), in which the pair of Quails referred to as seen by Mr. 

 Stephens are said to he the fragments sent to Mr. Ridgway and now in 

 the National Museum. It proves they were not these specimens, hut a 

 "fairly good pair," which was later sent by Mr. Brown to Mr. llenshaw, 

 and through the hitter's kindness now before me. This adds two to the 

 list of specimens known to be extant, raising the number to 21. The male 

 presents the average characters shown by the series previously examined; 

 the female is darker than the average for that sex, being in fact much the 

 darkest of the series thus far seen, the bars, both the black, and the 

 white ones, being much stronger both above and below, and the tones of 

 color much brighter and stronger throughout. It is thus an almost exact 

 counterpart of the more strongly colored females of Colinus graysoui. 



This proves to be the pair of birds referred to by Mr. Brown in one of 

 his -Forest and Stream' articles (Vol. XXV. No. 25, Jan. 14. 1SS6, p. 445), 

 as bavins: been seen by Mr. F. Stephens. W. E. D. Scott, E. W. Nelson, 

 and H. W. Henshaw. Mr. llenshaw- informs nie that he had entirely for- 

 gotten having these birds in his possession until I spoke to him of them 

 after receiving Mr. Brown's letter, as mentioned above. Had he recalled the 

 fact of his having them at the time he heard I was at work on a paper on 



