2o4 General Notes. [April 



time in the tree over which the grapevine grew. — Isaac G. Roberts, West 

 Chester, Pa. 



Addendum.— Referring to specimens of the Cape May Warbler 

 ( Dendroica tigrina), mentioned in lines 27 and 28, there should have been, 

 on page 105 of this volume of ' The Auk,' a footnote as follows: 2 Proc. 

 Portland Society Natural History, April, 1882.— N. C. B. 



The Rock Wren at National, Iowa. — A single individual of this 

 species (Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus) was observed on the morning of 

 September 27, 1914, and was still here the next day. It was found in a 

 wet ravine about the roots and thick sprouts of willow trees that grow about 

 thirty feet from my bird blind. It had a favorite spot where in full view 

 it would sit many minutes preening itself. While it was under observation 

 a House Wren and English Sparrows were present with which it could be 

 compared. Its head was not so slim as that of the House Wren,' but seemed 

 fuller or rounder, suggesting more the head of the Warbling Vireo, which 

 was emphasized by its ashy color, while the very light breast rendered it 

 conspicuous against the dark bark of the willows. It cocked its tail and 

 scolded in true wren fashion. 



The bird could not be taken. It was watched on both days as long as 

 I could spare the time, and the description of it, here given, was written 

 down while the bird was present. Rump and tail a dull rufous, the color 

 being brighter on the rump; head and nape ashy, with a brownish wash, 

 there being a gradual blending of this ashy with rufous along the back 

 until the brighter rufous of rump is reached; a tinge of rufous on the tertials, 

 the rest of the wings dark gray with darker bars; tail, rump, and back 

 barred; no bars nor stripes could be detected on nape, head or under parts 

 except tail; no light or white stripe over the eye; throat and breast a 

 grayish white, somewhat lighter than corresponding parts of the Passer 

 domesticus. The most strikingly marked portion was the under part of the 

 tail, buffy white in color with conspicuous lateral bars of dark brown or 

 black. A subterminal band of black on the tail is mentioned, also figured, 

 in books of Mrs. Bailey, and of Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, also in ' The 

 Birds of Washington.' I failed to see this though it might have been possi- 

 ble had I been on the lookout for it, as I was for the stripe over the eye. 

 In the hand, traces of such a streak probably could have been found. The 

 bird was studied from thirty to thirty-five feet away and I used both 8- 

 power and 55-power Bausch and Lomb binoculars, the latter being better 

 for near distances. 



Our place is six miles from the Mississippi River. This brings the 

 occurrence of the species very near to the eastern limit of Iowa; and it 

 makes the 148th species identified on our place with four or five more just 

 beyond our borders. — Althea R. Sherman, National, Iowa. 



Corthylio — A Valid Genus for the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — 



The genus Regulus as currently recognized comprises some eighteen forms 



