Vol-XIH] General Notes. I 73 



This perforation of the flexor h. brevis seems to be of a rather rare 

 occurrence since Hans Gadovv, in his great work on birds, forming part 

 of Brown's ' Klassen und Ordnungen des Thier-reich's,' mentions only 

 three genera, with this perforation of said muscle, namely, Talegalla, 

 Crex and Bucorvus. 



Though he refers to the fact that he found this muscle (fl. h. b.) 

 exceedingly well deyeloped in Ibis, Grus and Ciconia, he does not men- 

 tion anv perforation of said muscle, which he surely would have done, 

 had he found it to be so. 



Jn my specimen this muscle arises from about the proximal half of the 

 tarso-metatarsus. In the middle of the tarsus it divides into tvjo branches, 

 or tendons which completely unite before their insertion on the phalanx' 

 of the hallux. The flexor h. longus, which perforates the short flexor, is 

 connected by a small vinculum with the ' flexor profundus ' as in the 

 majority of Ardeidae. It certainly would be interesting to examine these 

 flexores of the hallux in the other genera of the Ardeidae. — Arthur 

 Ri.slkr, Baltimore, Md. 



Porzana noveboracensis near Ottawa, Canada. — On the 22d of October, 

 1895, I shot a male Yellow Rail in a marsh some twenty-four miles from 

 this city. This I think is the first specimen obtained in this vicinity. — 

 Geo. R. White, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 



Crymophilus fulicarius in Maine. — It seems worth while to make a note 

 of the capture of some recent specimens of the Red Phalarope (Cryrno- 

 pliilns fulicarius) on the southwestern coast of Maine, not only because 

 the bird is uncommon there, but because data as to the exact time of its 

 occurrence are not at all full. An adult female in fine plumage was taken 

 on Peak Island, Portland Harbor, on May 17, 1892, and is now in my col- 

 lection. Two other specimens were sent to me in the flesh from York 

 Beach, May S, 1S93. — Henry II. Brock. Portland, Me. 



Crex crex in Maine. — The occurrence of Crex crex near Portland, Me., 

 was noted in an editorial paragraph of the ' Ornithologist and Oologist,' 

 Vol. XV, p. 30, as follows : " H. H. Brock reports a specimen of the 

 European Corn Crake (Crex crex) killed by John Whiting in Falmouth, 

 Me., about four miles from Portland. Another was shot at the same 

 time, but was so mutilated that it was thrown away." 



I feel that the importance of this capture demands a more detailed state- 

 ment, especially in view of the fact that the above notice seems to have 

 been often overlooked. The bird is an unquestionable Crex crex in 

 extremely fine plumage and of typical coloration. It not only agrees 

 closely with printed descriptions, but with the several European speci- 

 mens with which I have compared it. The date of its capture was Octo- 

 ber 14, 1889, and the locality the ' Dyke' Marsh in Falmouth, where so 

 many other rare waders have been taken. It was shot bv Mr. John Whit- 



