228 General Notes. [-^^Hj 



much as Beebe ' has obtained that indicating the probable inducing causes 

 of melanism in caged birds subjected to slightly abnormal degrees of heat 

 and hmuidity; a result in confonnity with Faxon's - hint of over twenty 

 years ago. — Henry L. Ward. Mihmukee. Wis. 



An Interesting Audubon Specimen. — It has long been known that many 

 of Audubon's specimens were deposited in the Charleston Musemn toward 

 the close of 1850. Lack of space forbids going into details, so it must 

 suffice to say that, while it is certain that these specimens were at one time 

 in this Museum, we do not know just what species were represented and, 

 until recently, had been unable to find any trace of Audubon's birds among 

 our collections — which contain many very old specimens. Probably 

 most of the records and perhaps most of the specimens were among mate- 

 rial destroyed during the Ci\nl War. Recently, however, while examining 

 some old and damaged specimens which had been stored away for many 

 years, I found a bird which is apparently an Audubon specimen. It bears 

 two labels. The first, a piece of cardboard tied to the bird's leg, reads as 

 follows : 



" Loxia maculata Gmelin 

 Spotted Grosbeak — Pennant " 

 The second, consisting of a scrap of paper folded up and attached to the 

 string of the other label, bears the inscription: 



"Black Hills 



Male 



June 3 — 34 



J. K. TowiLsend" 



^Mr. Witmer Stone has kindly examined both these labels and informs 

 me that the second one is in Towusend's handwriting. 



The specimen is in reality a representative of the Black-headed Gros- 

 beak — Zamelodia mdanocephala (Swainson). The assumption that it is 

 an Audubon specimen is based on the following facts: — (1) that some of 

 Audvibon's birds were once in this Museum; (2) that Audubon received 

 some of the Western birds from which he drew his figures from Townsend 

 and that these birds of Townsend's were examined and figured by Audu- 

 bon in Charleston in 1836 (see Omith. Biog., Vol. IV, Introd. pp. xii-xiv); 

 (3) that this specimen was taken by Townsend on the same day, month, 

 and year and in the same locality as the female Evening Grosbeak figured 

 by Audubon and received by him from Townsend (see Ornith. Biog., IV, 

 p. 517). 



In his 'Narrative of a Journey across the Rocky Mountains to the 

 Colmubia River. . . .with a Scientific Appendix.' published in 1839, Town- 

 send lists, among the birds collected. Mottled or Spotted Grosbeak. Fnn- 



J Beebe, C. William, Zoologica, Vol. 1, part 1. 



2 Faxon, Walter, Auk, Vol. Ill, p. 284. Other citations of black robins: Ruthven 

 Deane. B. N. O. C, Vol. I, p. 24; Barrows, Auk, Vol. 1, p. 90. 



