^°1908^^] General Notes. 229 



giUa maculata. This is the name used by Audubon in the 'Elephant 

 Folio.' Since there can be Httle doubt that Audubon's figure of the male 

 Black-headed Grosbeak was drawn from the specimen in this Museum, 

 it is evident that the name Fringilla maculata was not, as supposed hitherto, 

 a new one originating with Audubon. Furthennore, this name should 

 certainly be considered a synonym of Zamelodia melanoccphala Swainson, 

 although Mr. Ridgway, in his 'Birds of North and Middle America,' does 

 not include it as such. 



Townsend seems to have confused the Black-headed Grosbeak with the 

 Spotted Grosbeak — Loxia maculata of Gmelin, and out of this confusion 

 arose the specific name maculata applied by Townsend and Audvibon to 

 the Black-headed Grosbeak. I am infonned by Mr. Stone that the iden- 

 tity of Loxia maculata has never been determined and that it remains an 

 unidentifiable (and probably merely hypothetical) species. — Herbert 

 Ravenel Sass, The Charleston Museum, Charleston, S. C. 



Three Erroneous Georgia Records. — Cowbird (Molothrus ater). — In 

 Mr. Ridgway's 'Birds of North and Middle America,' Part II, p. 208, 

 the breedin'g range of this species is given as "south to Georgia (Wayne 

 and Mcintosh counties)." In the citations, however, no authority is 

 mentioned for this breeding record. During the month of May, 1891, I 

 was making observations on the birds of Wayne, Mcintosh and Glynn 

 counties but failed to detect the Cowbird. 



This species does not breed on any portion of the South Carolina coast, 

 and, if the birds really breed on the coast of Georgia (which is questionable), 

 the breeding range would undoubtedly extend northward along the coast 

 to South Carolina, as the Cowbird breeds far north. This Georgia record 

 requires confirmation. 



Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) . — Although the Bank Swallow is 

 said by Mr. H. B. Bailey (Bull. Nutt. Om. Club, Vol. VIII, 1883, p. 39) 

 to breed on St. Simon's Island, he doubtless mistook migrating birds for 

 breeding ones, as the Rough-winged Swallow {Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 

 was the species I found breeding in May, 1891. 



Short-billed Marsh Wren (Cistothorus stellaris). — Mr. H. B. Bailey, 

 in Bull. Nutt. Om. Club, Vol. VIII, 1883, p. 38, refers to this wren as 

 breeding on St. Simon's Island. This statement is erroneous, as the 

 Short-billed Marsh Wren does not breed in any portion of the South 

 Atlantic States, the birds being simply autumnal, winter and late spring 

 residents. 



While Mr. Ridgway does not give the range (breeding and winter) in 

 his great work (Birds of North and Middle America, Part III, p. 483), 

 the so-called "breeding" record by Mr. Bailey is perpetuated in the cita- 

 tions. Since 1884 I have known that the birds are simply winter and late 

 spring residents, and that their breeding range was far to the northward 

 of the South Atlantic States. Mr. Ridgway's inclusion of Mr. Bailey's 



