Vol. XXI-] 

 1904 



1 General Notes. 289 



As the bird represents an interesting phase of plumage the following 

 details are given : Top of head and back of neck slatj black shading to 

 lighter on sides and in front except some of the feathers of the fore neck 

 which are dark like the former. The tips of some of the (new) dark 

 feathers of this region are whitish. Back, grajish blue, the tips of these 

 broad feathers edged with gray. Lower back and rump and upper tail- 

 coverts white. Wing-coverts gravish blue to fuscous and edged with 

 white. Tail fuscous gray, edged broadly with white. Chin, sides of 

 head, neck, breast and belly washed with bright ochraceous buff, most 

 deeply so on the head. Length, 29.50; wing, 16.25 ! tail, 5.50 ; bill, 2.50 ; 

 tarsus, 3.12. 



Crymophilus fulicarius. Three Red Phalaropes (females) which struck 

 the Montauk Point Light were picked up at the foot of the tower, Nov. 

 27, 1902, by Capt. James J. Scott, the Keeper of the Lighthouse, and 

 kindly forwarded to me. 



Numenius borealis. A bird of this species {$) was shot at Rockaway 

 Beach Sept. 14, 1902, by Mr. Robt. L. Peavey of Brooklyn and is now in 

 his collection of mounted birds, and has been examined by the writer. 

 Mr. W. F. Hendrickson in a recent communication to Mr. William 

 Dutcher referred to a strange bird which was shot from a flock of about 

 fifteen as they were passing along the beach, near Zach's Inlet Life 

 Saving Station on August 29, 1903. From the description furnished 

 Mr. Dutcher was inclined to believe the bird one of this species and 

 referred the matter to me for investigation. The captain of the life 

 saving crew, Philip K. Chichester, who saw the bird, is certain the bird 

 was an "English Fute," that is, an Eskimo Curlew. The life-saver is an 

 old-time gunner who in former times saw the bird in much greater num- 

 bers than it is now known to occur anywhere. There seems to me no 

 reasonable doubt that this bird, which unfortunately was promptly 

 plucked and eaten, was also a specimen of the Eskimo Curlew. 



Sturnus vulgaris. As a fulfillment of predictions that the Starling 

 would gradually widen its range on Long Island, it is perhaps worth 

 while to note that a specimen has been taken as far east as Hicksville. 

 Mr. Lott, a taxidermist of Freeport, informed me that a bird strange to 

 him had been sent for mounting, with a report that it had been shot at 

 Hicksville. On examining the specimen I found it to be a Starling. — 

 William C. Braislin, M D., Brooklyn^ N. Y. 



British Columbia Notes. — The following records were made at Comox, 

 Vancouver Island, B. C, during the latter part of 1903 and early part of 

 1904. 



Larus barrovianus. Point Barrow Gull. — I shot an immature 

 specimen of this gull in Comox bay, on the 15th December, the first 

 record for the Province. 



Sterna hirundo. Common Tern. Two adults taken on the 24th Sep- 

 tember by Lieutenant E. N. Carver, R. N. 



Branta bernicla. Brant. — On the 13th December I noticed a bunch of 



