88 General Notes. j an 



Dendroica castanea. — In the outskirts of the village of Flatbush, now 

 a part of Brooklyn, on the morning of Sept. 24, 1895, a number of 

 Warblers, chiefly Black-polls, was seen in a row of shade trees, not far 

 from the Boulevard. Among them was a Bay-breasted Warbler, which 

 was secured. It is an immature male with the buffy markings on the 

 sides well developed. — William C. Brmslin, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Nantucket and Muskeget Island Notes. — Falco sparverius. — Nan- 

 tucket, Sept. 22, 1895, I observed eight American Sparrow- Hawks, in 

 pairs, migrants; none noted before this season. Usually see a tew about 

 this time. 



Asio accipitrinus. — Muskeget Island, June 2, 1895. Mr. John R. Sands- 

 bury informs me that he discovered the nest of a Short-eared Owl on the 

 northeast side of the island containing three young birds in the down. 

 The nest was placed at the foot of a bunch of beach-grass {Ammophila 

 arundinacea) and partially concealed. It was raised about four inches 

 above the sand ; only one old bird was seen, it having been frightened 

 off the nest. On July 7 Mr. Sandsbury and I saw one adult bird. 



Symphemia semipalmata. — Nantucket. On May 2, 1895, Mr. Charles 

 E. Snow informed me he saw five Willets at the Hummock Pond. 



Totanus solitarius. — In the vicinity of the Hummock Pond, more 

 Solitary Sandpipers have been noted this season than for a number of 

 years. On Aug. 29, 1895, one female was taken ; on Sept. 9, three more; 

 Sept. 10, another; on Sept. 29. I saw -.till another. They were formerly 

 quite abundant, but are now scarce. 



Ereunetes occidentalis. — -Aug. 29, 1S95. Four birds taken at the Hum- 

 mock Pond, three of which proved on dissection to be females. These 

 are the only ones I have observed here. 



Macrorhamphus scolopaceus ? — Aug. 29, 1S95. A male bird (by dis- 

 section) was taken at the Hummock Pond. This being a young bird of 

 the year, it is next to impossible to certainly identify it. M. griseus 

 is not uncommon here, but this is the first instance in which I have 

 taken what I suppose to be M. scolopaceus. 



Micropalama himantopus.— On Aug. 29. 1895, a female was taken at 

 Hummock Pond. On Aug. 31, I shot another at the same place. This 

 pond is a very large one. On Aug. 29, with some friends, aided by a 

 horse and scoop, I dug a trench to the ocean, thereby draining it, hoping 

 that the margins thus exposed would offer an inducement for some of 

 the migrants to tarry. 



Oidemia deglandi. — Sept. 2S, 1S95. Avery large flock of White-winged 

 Scoters were observed on the edge of Squash Meadow Shoal. 



Larus argentatus smithsonianus. — Muskeget Island, Nov. 1, 1895. 

 The very large increase in the number of Herring Gulls in this vicinity 

 has been remarked by all; nothing similar has been observed for years. 

 The northeast point of Muskeget, as also the shoals about Gravelly 

 Island, are covered with them in the morning, indicating that they 

 roost there. — George H. Mackay, Nantucket, Mass. 



