28o General Notes. [^^^)[ 



The Western Meadowlark (Sturuella magna neglecta) in Southern 

 Georgia. — In a small series of Meadow larks from Southeastern Georgia, 

 I find three or four that appear to approach the western form neglecta. 

 One specimen, a female, taken March i6, 1903, at ' Mush Bluff ' (about 

 four miles froin St. Marys), is a tjpical neglecta, and is apparently indis- 

 tinguishable from specimens of this bird taken in North Dakota. — A. H. 

 Helme, Miller Place, N. T. 



The Evening Grosbeak near Quebec, Canada. — On the 24th of Nov- 

 ember, 1903, four specimens of the Evening Grosbeak (Hespert'phona ves- 

 pertina) were brought to me — three males and a female. They were 

 killed in the woods in the vicinity of Qiiebec. Later, about the end of 

 January, 1904, five others, of which one was a female, were shot in the 

 same neighborhood. To my knowledge these are, with the exception of 

 one killed in 1890, the only specimens ever met with here. — C. E. 

 DioNNE, Quebec, Can. 



The Pine Grosbeak on Long Island, N. Y. — It is so rarely that Long 

 Island is favored with the presence of the Pine Grosbeak {Pinicola enti- 

 cleator canadensis) that their occurrence here in considerable numbers 

 during the past winter is worthy of record. During the last twenty five 

 years there have been few winters that I have not spent considerable time 

 in the field at this place, but I have never been able to meet with this bird, 

 to be certain of its identity', until the past winter. I have heard of a few 

 instances of its occurrence on Long Island in former years, as at Miller 

 Place, Cold Spring, Middle Island, and Terryville. At Miller Place, on 

 November 26, 1903, three Grosbeaks were noted in an orchard near my 

 house, and later a red male was seen flying westward. I was told of a 

 "flock of Butcher Birds " that were seen here about a week prior to this 

 date. From the description given me I have little doubt that they were 

 Pine Grosbeaks. While perched on the top of a tree, and in their undu- 

 lating flight, they bear a strong resemblance to shrikes, and if seen singly 

 by one unfamiliar with them might readily be mistaken for these birds. 

 From November 13 to 25, I was away from home and cannot tell at what 

 time they began to arrive. I am inclined to think that some birds I 

 heard early in the month were Grosbeaks, but I was not then familiar with 

 their notes and did not recognize them. November 27, I left Miller Place 

 and did not have another opportunity to look for them until December 4, 

 when I met with a small flock in a cedar grove not far from my house. 

 In this grove, from this time on until about the middle of February, 

 Grosbeaks could be found in varying numbers. The last one was seen 

 on February 28. On February i and 6 they were more plentiful than at 

 any other time, and appeared to be migrating. Not more than two per 

 cent were in the red plumage. Their food consisted almost entirely of the 

 seeds of the red cedar. The seeds were nearly always crushed before 

 they were swallowed, only the inner portions of the seeds being eaten. 



f 



