Vol. Xin General Notes. 39^ 



.895 J 



no indications of breeding upon dissection. June 19, the flock of Cross- 

 bills suddenly disappeared. 



While at Jackman, Maine, from August 16-23, 1895, I found American 

 Crossbills to be very common in that vicinity. They ^vere usually in 

 small flocks of five to seven individuals and were very evidently parents 

 and young of the year. A number of times I observed the parents in the 

 act of feeding the young. 



What is very odd is the fact that I observed a number of the birds 

 flving about in pairs. These were probably still nesting. Some of the 

 Crossbills probably nest much later than is generally supposed.- Or.x 

 W. Knight, Bangor, Maine. 



Junco phaeonotus Wagler, not J. cinereus ( Swainson ) .- i^r/;» -/7/« 

 cinerea SwAiKsoN, 1827 C= Juneo cinereus K^3CTO^v^^) being preoccupied 

 bv Fringilla cinerea Gmelin, 1788 ( = Melo^piza cinerea Auctorum), 

 it becomes necessary to change the names of the Mexican Junco and its 

 subspecies, as follows: — 



Junco phaeonotus Wagler (Isis, 183 1, 526). 



Junco phceonotus palliatus Ridgway (A. O. U. No. 570). 



Junco ph^onotus dorsalis (Henry) (A. O. U. No. 57° «)— Robert 

 Ridgway, Smithsonian Institution. Washington, D. C. 



Henslow's Sparrow in Indiana.- In July, 1S94, while camping with 

 Mr Wallace Craig, we found this small Sparrow was common in a held 

 of weeds near the southeast corner of Bass Lake in Starke County, Indi- 

 ana. Two were secured, both males, which were singing while perched 

 on the tallest weed tops. July 24, 1895. ^vhile camping on the Kankakee 

 River, near Wilders, Indiana, we found this Sparrow was abundant m an 

 extensive field of tall weeds. Mr. Craig shot at one and it fell wounded 

 in the weeds where it was very hard to find for it tried to keep hidden in 

 the grass. The weed on which he had been standing was one of the 

 tallest in the neighborhood, although not over three feet high, and it had 

 evidently been used by the bird a great deal, judging from the amount of 

 excrement on the grass below it. 



The Yellow-winged Sparrow was found in the same locality and was 

 more numerous than the Henslow's, and, when perched on weedtops or 

 fence posts, was tamer. They could easily be distinguished from the 

 Henslow's by their notes. The following is from our notebook written 

 bv Mr. Craig while we were camping at Wilders: " Henslow's Sparrows 

 s;em to be quite numerous and found over a considerable area in the 

 prairies. Thev sing frequently and may be heard in almost, if not quite, 

 the hottest part of the day. The song is very simple, being a veiT rude 

 attempt at producing music. It consists, so far as I have been able to 

 determine, of two insect-like notes; it may be represented by the 

 syllables stitch lick, uttered in quick succession, and once, jhen 1 

 had fired several shots without hitting anything. I thought the birds 



