V0l ,8? 9 VI ] General Notes. 75 



GENERAL NOTES. 



The Black-capped Petrel (s&strelata hasitata) on the Ohio River at 

 Cincinnati. — A specimen of this oceanic bird was noticed yesterday 

 (Oct. 5, 1S9S) on the river at the east end of Cincinnati by two young 

 men who approached it in a boat, close enough to hit it with an oar. 

 It was brought alive to the Museum of Natural History. Its skin will 

 be preserved in the museum. It proved to be an adult female. j 



A young male of the same species was taken the same evening on one 

 of the bridges connecting Cincinnati with the Kentucky shore. It was 

 seen fluttering about the electric lamp, and finally struck the glass globe and 

 fell down on the bridge where it was picked up by the bridge watchman. 

 The specimen was brought to the Zoological Gardens in Cincinnati 

 where it lived one day and was then given to Mr. Charles Dury, in whose 

 collection the skin will be preserved. Mr. Dury, who skinned both birds. 

 tells me they were extremely emaciated and their digestive canals con- 

 tained nothing but a little watery fluid. 



A few davs after the capture of these two specimens at Cincinnati my 

 attention was called to a notice in a Kentucky paper about an "arctic 

 gull" captured by Captain \V. L. Thomas of the ferry boat at Augusta, 

 Kv. I at once wrote to Captain Thomas for more information. He 

 very kindly sent me the skin of the bird together with the following 

 notes: "The bird was discovered and caught near my boat, last 

 Tuesday a week ago (Oct. 4) just at daybreak, exhausted; for a few 

 days he showed tight and appeared to wander all after night . . . I kept 

 him alive for ten days by forcing small minnows down bis throat. ... 

 The specimen I would call a Fulmar." Captain Thomas's identification 

 proved correct. The bird is the Black-capped Petrel, and was the third 

 specimen of its kind brought by the same gale to the Ohio River between 

 Ohio and Kentucky. — Josua LlNDAHL, Cincinnati, O. 



The Purple Gallinule (lonomis martinica) in Ohio.— On Nov. 16, 1S9S, 

 a tine young specimen of this species, which had been shot the day 

 before on the banks of the Scioto River, was brought to me. This is, 

 as far as I know, the only time this species is recorded from the fall in 

 Ohio. The phase of plumage is an interesting one; the bird is just 

 beginning to change from the plumage of the young into that of the 

 old bird. The age of this bird, and also the date on which it was taken, 

 settle the question whether this species breeds in Ohio or not, beyond 

 all doubt in the affirmative. The bird is now in my collection. — W. F. 

 Henningkr, Waverly, Ohio. 



The Corn Crake in Nova Scotia.— During his visit to this city recently 

 I had the pleasure of exhibiting to Mr. Frank M. Chapman a case of birds 



