iSS6.] DuTCHER, Bird Notes from Lo7ig Island, N. T'. 439 



ner, recognized a description of this species and said that he had 

 shot them at long intervals. 



14. Haematopus palliatus. American Oyster-catciier. 

 — As long ago as Gii"aud's time this bird was considered rare, as 

 he says of it, "With us the Oyster-catcher is a rather scarce bird 

 .... Its occurrence with us is so seldom that I have not had 

 an opportunity of observing its habits as closely as I should wish." * 

 It is probably now even more rare than it was then. In the early 

 part of June, 18S3, 1 saw a pair of tliese birds in the shop of a 

 taxidermist on William St., N. Y. He claimed that they had 

 been shot at or near Greenport, Sufiblk Co., a few days previous, 

 although the name of the shooter could not be given. The record 

 although somewhat obscure, is probably correct. During an 

 outing on Long Island in April, 1SS6, I found in the possession 

 of Mr. Squii'es of Ponquogue, Suffolk Co., a specimen of this 

 species. It was shot on a salt meadow, near the beach, about 

 March 9, iSSo. 



r5. Cathartes aura. Turkev Vulture. — Mr. Knoess, 

 of Riverhead, informed me that he mounted a specimen of this 

 Vulture, August 15, 1S77, for Mr. James A. Johnston, of Brook- 

 lyn. Mr. Benj. B. Johnston, in whose possession the bird now 

 is, informs me that his brother shot the bird "one mile from the 

 village of Greenport, Suffolk Co., on the north road."t 



16. Strix pratincola. American Barn Owl. — Mr. 

 Giraudj does not include this Owl in his list of Long Island 

 birds, and Mr. G. N. Lawrence§ simply says, "Barn Owl, rare." 

 An instance of the breeding of this Owl on Long Island has 

 recently been brought to my notice by Mr. Langdon Gibson, of 

 Flushing, Qiieens Co., as follows: "May 30, 18S3, Mr. C. D. 

 Gibson caught four young Barn Owls in the steeple of the 

 Congregational church in Flushing. On his reaching the staging 

 where the young birds were, one of the parent birds, the only 

 one present, flew out of the broken window and escaped. The 

 young birds crowded up into one corner and made a peculiar 



* Birds of Long Island, pp. 222, 223. 



t A later Long Island record maybe found in Forest and Stream, Aug. 19, 1886, 

 p. 64. 



X Birds of Long Island, 1844. 



(J Catalogue of Birds observed on New York, Long, and Staten Islands, and the ad- 

 jacent parts of New Jersey. Ann. N. Y. Lye. Nat. Hist., VIII, p. 281, April, 1866. 



