^°190?T General Notes. 327 



when he saw a female on some floating vegetation near the channel margin. 

 It was verj^ tame. He stopped the boat and watched it for some time at 

 less than ten yards, then passed on without alanning it to flight. In June, 

 1904, Jesse T. Craven and party met with this phalarope in practically 

 the same portion of the Flats, and under circimistances that convinced 

 them the birds were breeding. In 1889 the late W. H. CoUins told me that 

 he foimd phalaropes in summer on the Flats, and I believe that at least a 

 pair or so still summer there and probably breed. I made no attempt to 

 find, the Wilson's Phalarope here in Wayne County until 1907 when I 

 decided to take a pair if possible, and secured a male and female May 19 

 on P. C. 667, Ecorse Twp. This was the first and only day I looked for 

 them. 



Actodromas fuscicollis. White-rumped Sandpiper. — The status of this 

 sandpiper in the State has been discussed but I wish to add that Mr. Her- 

 bert H. Spicer and myself again found the species common in 1907 and 

 secured specimens. The fu-st appeared May 26 on P. C. 667, Ecorse Twp. 

 We found it impossible to make an exact count but estimated the nimiber 

 of indi-viduals seen as fifty. During the remainder of the month and 

 early Jmie we found them present on all visits and the last seen was a 

 flock of fourteen, June 6, on P. C. 588, City of Detroit. 



Charadrius dominicus. Golden Plover. — In early Maj', 1894, a string 

 of about two dozen Golden Plover were for sale in the city market. I 

 examined these birds and am positive as to identity. Sometimes, num- 

 bers were on sale in autimm but I now believe the majority of these were 

 the Black-belhed Plover, and the uncertainty destroys all scientific value. 

 — J. Claire Wood, Detroit, Mich. 



Four Rare Birds in Southeastern Michigan. — The past spring in this 

 section was made interesting by the capture of four rare birds in the 

 vicinity of Detroit. These were aU brought into Mr. Arthur Borck's 

 taxidermy estabhshment where, through the courtesy of the proprietor, 

 I was enabled to examine them in the flesh and secure one for my collection. 



Yellow Rail, Porzana noveboracensis . — A female was caught alive by 

 a dog March 25, north of and just beyond the city limits. Another bird 

 of the same kind was said to have been flushed immediately afterwards 

 but could not be secured. The one taken was presented to me. I en- 

 deavored to keep it alive but without success. It refused to eat and 

 grew so weak that I had to kill it and make it up into a skin. It is No. 

 1028 in my cabinet. 



Caspian Tern, Sterna caspia. — The writer, in collaboration with Mr. 

 B. H. Swales, presented the known status of this bird to 'The Auk' readers 

 a short time ago (Auk, 1907, XXIV, 137). It pleases me to te able to 

 state that the required absolute data of the bird's occurrence near this 

 city has been obtained. April 26, I examined a bird taken the day before 

 at Hooker's Point, Lake St. Clair. Two were said to have been shot, 

 though but one was brought in to be mounted. 



