Vol. XIX-| General Notes. 7 S 



1902 J ' ^ 



returning from a tramp with two students, and as I neared the College 

 ice pond, a gull flew over my head from behind me; for a second I 

 hesitated, thinking it was Bonaparte's Gull, which I have taken here in the 

 mountains on several occasions ; I fired, however, and killed the bird, and 

 was surprised on picking it up to find it was not what I had supposed, nor 

 did I recognize it. A momentary suspicion that it was a Kittiwake — the 

 only likelv bird I could otherwise think of — was dispelled by noticing the 

 dark carmine bill, which, as the specimen was adult, eliminated the 

 Kittiwake. On reaching home, Ridgway's 'Manual' and Coues's 'Key' 

 readily ran it out to Franklin's Rosy Gull, there being no mistaking the 

 two descriptions, and I have since amply verified the i(3entification. The 

 Gull was an adult $ and the under parts were quite rosy and the plumage 

 unworn. A trace of the rosy color still remains. This is not quite as 

 remarkable as my capture here of the Black-capped Petrel in 1893 (see 

 Auk, Vol. X, p. 361), for Franklin's Gulls breed in Iowa: Blacksburg, 

 Va., is only a few miles from New River, a tributary of the Ohio. I sup- 

 pose the bird may have followed the Mississippi to the Ohio and so up to 

 this remote locality. Sea and shore birds are found here with more or 

 less regularity. Ducks come every spring, arid I have shot the Black-head ; 

 the Horned Grebe is occasionally found, and Geese occur at intervals in 

 their season. On May 7 last, I had a fine fresh Canada Goose, ? , brought 

 to me, still warm, one of three that were killed on New River that day. 

 This is very late for geese. — Ellison A. Smyth, Jr., Virginia Poly- 

 technic Institute, Blacksburg, Va. 



Remarkable Flight of Gulls at Cumberland, Md. — On Sunday, April 

 26, 1901, the people of Cumberland were astonished to find a flock of 

 about 50 gulls flying over and around the city, especially about the con- 

 fluence of Will's Creek with the Potomac. There had been excessive 

 rains for three days previous, and high winds, which no doubt account 

 for this large flight. For while occasionally a few stray up here, there 

 had never so many been seen together. Most of them Avent away after 

 having been here a day; some, however, stayed around till the middle of 

 the week. The greater part were Bonaparte's Gull {Lams Philadelphia), 

 the rest, three to five, American Herring Gulls {Lams argcntaius smith- 

 sonianns). A few of the former were shot by hunters and brought to me. 

 They were in perfect nuptial plumage. They all had large black beetles 

 and some bits of offal in their stomach. 



At the same time two specimens of Larus Philadelphia were sent to 

 me from Accident, Garrett Co., Md., where they had been shot by the 

 owner of a small fish pond, near the same. These two, however, had still 

 a few white feathers on their heads. Also in that week I received one 

 American Herring Gull and one Bonaparte's Gull from Confluence, 

 Somerset Co., Pa. This, according to my mind, goes to show that the 

 atmospheric disturbances accompanied by great floods in these parts had 

 the effect of making many gulls temporarily leave their usual homes. — 

 G. EiFRiG, Cumberland, Md. 



