224 General Notes. [ A ^f, 



fore before classifying it as this variety. I referred it however, to Mr. F. C. 

 Lincoln of the Colorado Museum of Natural History, who advised that 

 although not quite typical, its small size and general characters, unquestion- 

 ably refer it to medianus. — E. Rett, Denver, Colo. 



The Starling in Montgomery, Alabama. — A few evenings ago I was 

 called to my telephone to identify a bird which had been blown into the 

 yard of a farmhouse eight miles southeast of the city. Not being able 

 to make a decision from the description given me, I suggested that the 

 specimen be sent to my home. This was done the following day, and I 

 immediately identified it as the European Starling (Slurnus vulgaris), 

 though I had never before seen one. Several others who have seen it, have 

 verified my opinion. 



The bird had been blown against the barn of Mrs. Frances Hagan of this 

 county during a rainstorm on the night of January 14 and was found dead 

 the following morning. It is apparently a full grown male. The plumage 

 has a tendency in color toward green rather than purple but the upper 

 neck and back are decidedly of the later color and the tan yellow spots are 

 decidedly lanceolate. I have identified it as a male in winter plumage. 



The specimen has been mounted and presented to the Museum of the 

 Alabama State Department of Archives and History. — Peter A. Bran- 

 non, Montgomery, Ala. 



The Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) at Portland, Maine. — Last summer 

 several reports came to hand that the Starling was breeding at Stroud- 

 water, a suburb of Portland. On tracing these reports it was found that 

 they all emanated from one source, Mr. George Parker, a student in the 

 Deering High School, and an earnest student of birds. On July 15, 1917, 

 I visited Mr. Parker at his home in Stroudwater and he took me to a near- 

 by orchard where we quickly found the Starlings in several small groups. 

 Several of the groups flew to a point in the orchard and then across a field 

 to another part of it and we were able to count nineteen, though there were 

 undoubtedly more in the vicinity. Many of these were in brown immature 

 plumage giving support to Mr. Parker's belief that four pairs had bred in 

 the vicinity. His first observation (which he had noted in a diary) was 

 December 27, 1916, of a group of five. 



Though this is not the first time that the Starling has appeared in Maine 

 in recent years, it is believed that this record may be of service in fixing 

 the time of the permanent arrival of the bird in Portland. 



One specimen from the colony has been preserved in the collection of 

 the Portland Society of Natural History. — Arthur H. Norton, Museum 

 of Natural History, Portland, Me. 



Yellow-headed Blackbird at Ipswich, Mass. — At Ipswich, Mass., 

 September 17, 1917, I had under observation for about half an hour, a 

 Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). It was in the 

 plumage of the female. — Francis Beach White, Concord, N. H. 



