102 General Notes. [ 



Auk 

 Jan. 



artificial lake near Branchville, New Jersey. These, together with the three 

 that stayed several weeks during late summer and early autumn of 1916 

 in the vicinity of Van Cortlandt Park, New York City (Chubb, S. H., Auk, 

 Oct., 1916, p. 433), one of which returned in the summer of 1917 to the 

 same place (Rogers, Charles H., Bird-Lore, Sept.-Oct., 1917, p. 276), the 

 one reported from Setauket, L. I., in the summer of 1916 (Nichols, Murphy, 

 and Griscom, Auk, Oct., 1917, p. 440), and other recent records, would 

 seem to indicate that the laws for the protection of this beautiful bird are 

 bearing fruit. — G. Clyde Fisher, American Museum of Natural History, 

 New York City. 



Brooding Habit of the American Coot. — Two nests of the American 

 Coot (Fulica americana) were hatched in the North American waterfowl 

 lake in the National Zoological Park during the summer of 1918, and one 

 curious habit of the bird, which I do not recall having seen noted, attracted 

 my attention. Until the young birds are about twenty days old, almost 

 as large as small quails, and have lost the reddish markings on the head, 

 they return to the nest each evening and are brooded by a parent bird, 

 presumably the female. I had never supposed before thai these birds 

 returned to the nest once the young had left it, almost immediately after 

 they were hatched. In one case the nest was placed on the dry ground, 

 under the overhanging branches of a low tree, about two feet from the bank, 

 and in an excellent position for observation from the shore. I repeatedly 

 saw the Coots between sundown and dark, one parent on the nest, the young 

 under her wings or nestling about her after the manner of the domestic 

 fowl. The other parent at these times patrolled the nearby shore and 

 savagely attacked any ducks that wandered into the immediate vicinity. 

 — N. Hollister, Washington, D. C. 



Stilt Sandpiper {Micropalama himantopus) in Wyoming. — The 



occurrence of the Stilt Sandpiper {Micropalama himantopus) in Wyoming' 

 seems to be rare enough to render it advisable to place on record the exist- 

 ence of four specimens even if the records are decidedly old. In recently 

 working over the series of this species contained in the collection of the 

 United States National Museum, I found that four specimens, all males, 

 were secured at Fort Laramie, Laramie County, Wyoming, May 15, 1875, 

 by Dr. J. S. Newberry. Of these, Number 69918 was sent to Mr. E. E. T. 

 Seton. The existence of these birds has evidently been unknown to 

 Wyoming ornithologists as neither Knight (Birds of Wyoming, 1902, Bull. 

 55, Univ. of Wyoming, p. 47) nor Grave and Walker (Birds of Wyoming, 

 1913, Univ. of Wyoming, p. 35) make any reference to them. — B. H. 

 Swales, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. 



Notes on Migratory Anatinse and Limicolx from Western New 

 York. — Realizing that most ornithologists are interested in obtaining 



