226 General Notes. LApril 



The Song of Bachman's Sparrow (Peucxa aestivalis bachmani) . — 

 The following account of the interesting vocal performances of this 

 sparrow is based on notes made April 1, 1917. My records were confirmed 

 on other occasions during several following weeks. The voice of one 

 individual, especially, was studied. I was in the company of Mr. A. F. 

 Ganier of Nashville, Tenn., who later collected the specimen. The bird 

 was in its characteristic habitat, the border of a patch of open upland 

 woods near Nashville; and it was perched on a fence post. We stood for 

 fully five minutes not more than twenty-five feet away. 



The bird sang with only short rests, and the duration of the song which 

 was very variable, was about two to three seconds. Usually, the song 

 started with a single long note followed by a group of short notes in a 

 tempo so fast that we could not be sure of our count. So far as we could 

 determine, the bird had seven to twelve notes in this group, usually about 

 ten. As a rule, they were of essentially uniform pitch, but not of the same 

 pitch as the long opening note. The pitch was sometimes lower than that 

 of the first note and sometimes higher. A few performances had two or 

 three opening notes not so long as the usual, single one. On one occasion, 

 the song was repeated or rather one song followed' another with no interrup- 

 tion or pause, both being a little shorter than usual. 



The quality was remarkably variable, but it tended to be fairly uniform 

 in a single song. Sometimes the series of rapid notes was thin and resem- 

 bled somewhat the song of a Junco. At other times, it was relatively rich 

 and full. Intermediate grades of quality occurred. — R. M. Strong, 

 Nashville, Tenn. 



Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra rubra) in N. E. Illinois. — The 



Summer Tanager is of so rare occurrence in northern Illinois, that I had 

 never taken one in forty-five years collecting, until May 19, 1917, when 

 my friend Lyman Barr brought me a very beautifully marked specimen, 

 which he had shot in a clump of woods two miles west of Highland Park. 



It proved to be an adult female. The upper parts are of the usual 

 brownish olive, but are variegated with a reddish wash on the occiput and 

 middle of the back. 



The sides of the neck, upper and lower tail coverts, and a band across 

 the breast are pale poppy red, giving the bird a very striking appearance. — 

 Henry K. Coale, Highland Park, III. 



Bohemian Waxwing ( Bombycilla garrula) Breeding within the United 

 States. — While carrying forward field work for the Biological Survey, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, in the State of Washington, during the 

 past summer, it was reported to me by E. F. Gaines, in charge of crop 

 investigations, Washington Agricultural Experiment Station, Pullman, 

 Washington, that he had found the Bohemian Waxwing breeding in the 

 vicinity of his old home place at Chewelah, Stevens County, Washington. 

 The nest was found about June 11, 1907, on Chewelah Creek, six miles in 

 a general northerly direction from the town of Chewelah. 



