1 72 General Notes. [£* 



but as all of the dark specimens of Puffinus that I secured proved to be 

 griseus, I had about concluded that I was mistaken. 



I am now convinced that I was correct, and that the Slender-billed 

 Shearwater, if not of regular occurrence, is periodically common along our 

 Southwestern coast to Lower California. — A. W. Anthony, San Diego, 

 Cal. 



The Skull of the Young Cormorant. — 'The rapidity with which changes 

 take place in growing birds has often been noted, and a remarkable 

 instance of this is found in the Cormorants. 



As is well known, Cormorants are among the best examples of 

 desmognathous birds, premaxillaries, anterior palatines, and maxillo- 

 palatines being completely fused. There is also no trace of narial 

 openings in the adult and no hint of basi-pterygoid processes. Yet the 

 nestling of Pkalacrocorax urile is schizognathous and holorhinal. the 

 narial openings being large, while the sphenoid bears good-sized basi- 

 pterygoid prominences. 



Anv one who has the good fortune to be located near a Cormorant 

 rookery has a splendid chance to ascertain just when the narial openings 

 close, or, if he be charitably inclined, he might collect for the United 

 States National Museum, which would furnish alcohol and a can, a series 

 of young taken at short intervals from the time of hatching to the time of 

 leaving the nest. — F.A.Lucas, United States National Museum, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. 



Clangula hyemalis at San Diego, California. — On January 13, Mr. 

 L. Belding handed me a tine specimen of the Old-squaw that he had shot 

 in the harbor of San Diego, but a few hours previously. lie informed me 

 that the bird was alone near one of the city wharves, no other ducks of 

 any species being in the immediate vicinity. 



This record somewhat extends the range of the species on the Pacific 

 Coast, there being but few records for the State and none from south of 

 Santa Cruz Island, where Mr. Belding informed me that a specimen was 

 taken several years ago and recorded in Wheeler's Surveys West 100th 

 Meridian. — A. W. Anthony, San Diego, Cal. 



Occurrence of Great White Heron at Escondido, California. — A little 

 while ago I accepted an invitation to see a Heron, which had been killed 

 and mounted for a parlor ornament. I was told that the bird had been 

 killed during April, 1895. It prosed to be a tine specimen of the Ardea 

 occidentalis. — J. Maurice Hatch, Escondido, Cal. 



Note on the Flexor hallucis brevis in the Night Heron ( Nycticorax 

 nycticorax narvins). — While dissecting the muscles of the foot of a Night 

 Heron I was surprised to find that the flexor hallucis brev is was perforated 

 at its insertion by the flexor hal. longus, thus becoming a flexor perfora- 

 tes dig. I, similar to the flexores perforati dig. II, III, IV. 



