196 



General Notes. [^ 



N. Y., on Wednesday, November 27, 1901. This duck, which was brought 

 to me for identification, was killed bv my friend, Mr. Thomas Newbold 

 Rhinelander, while shooting over decoys from an island in Bostvvicks 

 Pond. The bird was entirely alone, rather wild and a little shy of the 

 decoys. 



On Saturday night and all of Sunday preceding there had been a heavy 

 northeast storm followed on Monday and Tuesday by high northwest wind 

 with clearing weather, and on Wednesday' (the day the duck was shot) 

 very high northwest wind, freezing hard. There was an unusually large 

 flight of American Widgeon {Mnrecn amertca?ta) during the two days 

 immediately following the storm, many flocks numbering over one hun- 

 dred birds. A number of American Widgeon were killed. An old 

 resident of Gardiners Island informed Mr. Rhinelander that every year 

 the Widgeon came to the Pond in large numbers but usually later in the 

 winter. The other ducks noted in great numbers were Black Duck {Anas 

 obsciira) and Red-breasted Merganser {Merganser serrator). A great many 

 Black Ducks were also killed. — Newbold T. Lawrknce, New I'ork City. 



The Masked Duck in Vermont. — Since the publication of my ' Review 

 of Prof. Perkins's Vermont Birds,' Mr. Samuel Henshaw has called my 

 attention to the fact that the specimen of Nomonyx dominicus (No. 482) in 

 the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History has its right wing 

 clipped, and was thus probably not a wild straggler jn y^rmotiit, but a/| 

 escaped tame bird. This evidence is, I think, enough to expunge this 

 record, which has held a place in North American faunal literature since 

 1S58. — Reginald Heber Howe, Jr., Longivood, Mass. 



Rare Ducks in Massachusetts. — While looking over recently an inter- 

 esting local collection of birds, belonging to Mr. Arthur C. Dyke of 

 Bridgewater, Mass., consisting of birds taken within the limits of that 

 town, I came across two very rare species of ducks for this locality. 



Chaulelasmus streperus. Gadwall. — There were two well-marked 

 specimens of this species, in immature plumage, both of which were taken 

 bv Mr. Harry Sturtevant, on Oct. 18, 1901, at Nippenicket Pond in Bridge 

 Avater. They came in to live decoys at a gunning stand on this pond, con- 

 trolled by Mr. Joseph E. Bassett and Mr. Sturtevant. The Gadwall is a 

 very rare or accidental visitor in this State. So far as I know there is only 

 one other record. 



Somateria spectabilis. King Eider. — A young male of this species, 

 in Mr. Dyke's collection, was taken by Mr. Joseph E. Bassett at his gun- 

 ning stand, a't Nippenicket Pond, on Oct. 21, 1899. The King Eider is 

 taken occasionally on our coast where it occurs as a rare winter visitor, 

 but has, I believe, never been taken in an inland pond. — A. C. Bent, 

 Taunton, Mass. 



