V °ig£ VI ] General Notes. 353 



quite wearied, as if from a protracted flight, and even the noise of a gun 

 caused but a few of the nearest to fly. 



I shot two of the Hawks as they slowly flew over me, both of which 

 belonged to the same species, Buteo swainsoni. And, with but one excep- 

 tion (an American Rough-leg), all that I observed were of this species. 



I estimated the number of Hawks on this one bottom at between three 

 and four hundred, and was informed by farmers farther up the river that 

 large numbers of the birds were on the bottoms there at the same time. 

 The greater number resumed their journey southward in a loose body an 

 hour or so after sunrise, but a few remained throughout the day. The 

 next morning none were seen. 



It would be extremely interesting to know the cause of this unusual 

 flight of Hawks. I have known for some time that Buteo stvaiusoui 

 migrates to the south in the fall, but have never before seen them in 

 flocks, or going southward so early in the season. There had been no 

 cold weather here at the time of the flight ; rather the opposite. Possibly 

 in the Dakotas (their breeding grounds) there may have been some 

 atmospheric disturbance which would account for the early exodus. 

 There was also a very large flight of Bartramian Sandpipers on the 

 same morning, but no other birds were present in unusual numbers. — 

 Merritt Cary, Neligh, Nebraska. 



A Musical Woodpecker. — My attention was first called to this tal- 

 ented bird by the rapid vibrations of one of the four wires running into 

 our office. Looking down the track from where the noise seemed to 

 proceed I spied a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) 

 on top of a pole not far away. Leaving the office I went down to the 

 stock pens to watch proceedings. I did not have long to wait, for he 

 began in a short time drumming vigorously against a protruding piece 

 of wire. The piece of wire in question was about ten or twelve inches 

 long with a loop in the center; it stood straight up parallel with the 

 pole and about six inches above it, and protruded from a joint or splice 

 in the wire, left there by some careless lineman. 



The Woodpecker would drum against it for ten to fifteen seconds at a 

 time, stopping now and then to listen to the humming of the wire, or fly 

 out to catch a passing insect. He would stop and listen in evident enjoy- 

 ment, then utter a call and proceed. He kept this up for over a month, 

 when he disappeared and I have not seen him since. — Otto Holsteix, 

 Muir, Ky. 



Note on the Name Drymophila. — Mr. H. C. Oberholser has recently 

 (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., June, 1S99, 213) made use of Temminck's 

 name Drymophila to replace Pkilentoma Eyton, for a genus of Old World 

 Flycatchers, on the supposition that Swainson's Drymophila was preoccu- 

 pied* by Temminck's use of the term. Swainson first published it in 

 Oct., 1S24 (Zool. Journ., I, 302), without diagnosis or indication of a 



