Vol 'l9l^ XV ] General Notes. 241 



Chamcepetes goudoti. Two years later, in 1829, he visited the Pyramid of 

 Tolima, one of the highest peaks of the northern Andes. In 1830 he 

 crossed the central cordillera and visited the northern part of the Cauca 

 Valley. On his return two years later he recrossed the cordillera farther 

 north in the mountains of Herve. In 1835 he explored the valley of the 

 upper Magdalena south of Honda. During the next few years he was . 

 obliged to devote his attention to other work but employed his spare time 

 in studying the natural resources of the regions where he lived. In May 

 1842, he started on his return to Europe. After descending the Magdalena 

 he went to Santa Marta, visited the mountains in the interior, and while 

 delayed at Carthagena, examined the flora between that point and Turbaco. 

 Finally he reached Havre, France, in December, 1842. 



During the four years from 1843 to 1846 Gouclot published a dozen papers 

 on the botany and zoology of Colombia including the first account of the 

 nesting of the Cock of the Rock. According to Mulsant and Verreaux » 

 he returned to Colombia after 1848 where he died. Although known 

 chiefly as a botanical collector, he collected many zoological specimens 

 including insects and a series of scorpions and probably sent to Europe 

 many of the Colombian birds that were described by contemporary French 

 ornithologists. It is possible also that under his instructions the natives 

 learned to collect birds for the European market and thus began the ship- 

 ment of Bogota skins which later developed into such an extensive traffic 

 to supply museums and the millinery trade.— T. S. Palmer. 



Unusual Dearth of Winter Birds.— Judging by my own experience 

 at Hatley, and that of friends and correspondents in such widely scattered 

 places as Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, the 

 winter season of 1917-18, will no doubt go down to posterity as a very 

 remarkable one, not only for its great severity, but also for its great dearth 

 of winter birds. Nothing like it has been seen in my time at Hatley and 

 long previous to that so I am told by the oldest inhabitants, the thermom- 

 eter standing for long periods at a time far below zero, even up to 20° 

 and 30° in the day time and 45° at night. The local papers have contained 

 notices of the great dearth of birds, and that from people not given to the 

 study of Ornithology, but who perforce have had the matter thrust upon 

 their attention. I myself have not seen any Redpolls, Pine Siskins, Pine 

 or Evening Grosbeaks, the only birds in evidence being a few small flocks 

 of Snow Buntings, and an occasional Northern Shrike, with a Goshawk 

 on December 18. An easterly gale in the first week of December however, 

 was responsible for driving in at least three Brunnich's Murres and one 

 Ring-billed Gull, two of the former being taken at North Hatley on Decem- 

 ber 10, and one at Hatley on January 9, whilst the Gull was taken near 

 Massawippi early in December, all of which birds I saw and identified in 

 the flesh. — H. Mousley, Hatley, Que. 



1 Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux-M ouches, II, p. 66, 1876. 



