1 



284 General Notes. lux"- 



American museums, the question was not easy to answer. Hence, 

 when an opportunity presented itself, in July, 1901, to examine the 

 series of these birds in the British Museum, through the courtesy 

 of the officers of that grand institution, I eagerly availed myself of it. 

 The result of my examination of this material may be briefly summarized 

 as follows : 40 adult birds were examined ; 9 out of 15 specimens killed 

 in the British Islands were of the smithsonianus type, and 6 of the 

 argentatua tj'pe ; of 16 specimens from vai^ious localities in North 

 America, 4 were of the typical argentatus type and 12 of the smithsonianus 

 type. Thus much more than half of the specimens killed in the British 

 Islands were like the so-called stniihsotiianus type, and one fourth of the 

 American specimens were of the so-called argentatus type. INIost of the 

 British examples, it should be added, were birds of apparently the second 

 or third year, and the same is true of the American examples examined. 

 From the foregoing it is evident that there can be but one conclusion 

 in respect to the Herring Gulls of the two sides of the Atlantic; namely, 

 that the extent and form of the white apical spots on the first primary vary 

 with the age of the bird, being small and separated in birds that have just 

 acquired adult plumage, and increase in size with age till, in a small 

 percentage, consisting of probably very old birds, the two white spots at 

 the tip of the first primary become merged into one, forming a single 

 greatly lengthened white area ; that this is true of both European and 

 American birds; and that the alleged characters of Larus smithsoniantis 

 are invalid, the supposed differences in the form and size of the bill being 

 also variations due to age. —J. A. Allex, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., Nexv 

 York City. 



Leach's Petrel at Westford, Mass. — Mr. E. Abbot informs me that a 

 specimen of Oceanodroma leucorlioa was shot on Forge Pond, Sep- 

 tember 25, 1902, and that the bird is now in the Westford Public Library. 

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



European Widgeon in Michigan. — On March 27, 1902, Mr. William B. 

 Boulton, of New York, was on one of the Bay points at Munroe Marsh, 

 Michigan (on Lake Erie) with a friend, when a flock of five Widgeon 

 came towards the decoys, but soaring well outside. Only one bird was 

 hit and came down with a broken wing. The hunter went out in his 

 boat aind shot it, and not until the bird was in hand was there any sus- 

 picion that it was a splendid male specimen of Anas penelofe. 



Another male, in almost as good plumage, was taken in April, 1900. 

 and a third in April, 1892. All were preserved. We have no records of 

 females, nevertheless I believe we occasionally take them and their 

 identity is not suspected, as there is not so wide a difference between the 

 plumage of the females of the two species as there is between the males. — 

 Harold IIerrick, Netv Tork City. 



