Vol.XXXIIIj General Notes. 201 



a boy, on October 13, 1914 (H. K. C. No. 17970). This bird was taken to 

 Mr. R. A. Turtle, the Chicago taxidermist, who kindly presented it to me. 

 It measures: length 20 in., extent 49 in., wing 14.75 in., tail 8.75 in. Cere, 

 legs and feet yellow. Iris slaty brown. It is dark brown above, mottled 

 with light brown and yellowish buff; below from bill to tail, clear yellowish 

 buff with dark brown markings on the sides of the breast. This is the first 

 Swainson's Hawk I have ever seen taken here. — ■ Henry K. Coale, 

 Highland Park, Illinois. 



Nesting of the Crossbill (Loxia curoirosira minor) in Crook Co., 

 Oregon. — During the summer of 1914 while camped in the yellow pine 

 forest near the little town of Sisters, Crook County, Oregon, I was fortu- 

 nate enough to locate the nest of the Red Crossbill. On July 21, while 

 standing near camp I saw a female fly from the ground with a large bunch 

 of grass in her bill. She flew to a tree near by, where she perched for a 

 moment, and was joined by the male, when both birds flew to another tree 

 farther on. I arrived under the tree just in time to see the female disap- 

 pear in a dark mass that I soon made out to be the nest. The male perched 

 on a small twig near by for some time, but finally flew away leaving the 

 female in the nest, where she stayed several minutes, giving me the im- 

 pression that house building was about over. I watched this pair several 

 days and saw the female carry several loads of nesting material, but, al- 

 though the male was often near I did not see him help in any way. Both 

 birds were very noisy while near the nest. On July 26, my time was up 

 in this locality, so on that date the female parent, the nest, and the one egg 

 it contained were taken. The nest was located near the end of a branch, 

 about fifteen feet from the trunk and about ninety feet from the ground in 

 a large yellow pine {Pinus ponderosa). Dry sage-brush twigs, rootlets, 

 weed and grass stems were used in its construction. The whole appearance 

 of the nest suggested that of the House Finch nest on a slightly larger plan. 

 The one egg was pale bluish, spotted and streaked with shades of brown 

 and purple, mainly about the larger end. — Stanley G. Jewett, Portland, 

 Oregon. 



The Barn Owl '(/4/uco pratincola) in Massachusetts. — On October 

 31, 1915, a male Barn Owl was captured in Longmeadow, a few miles from 

 Springfield, Mass. There is but one other record of the occurrence of this 

 species in so much of the Connecticut valley as lies within the borders of 

 Massachusetts.— Robert O. Morris, Springfield, Mass. 



Cowbird wintering in Massachusetts. — On November 26, 1915, 

 beside a small swamp, on the borders of Flax Pond, Lynn, Mass., I found 

 a male Cowbird {Molothrus ater ater) in company with a flock of English 

 Sparrows. On December 26, 1 received a postal from my friend, Mr. G. M. 

 Bubier, announcing that he had that day seen a male Cowbird, associating 

 with English Sparrows, beside Strawberry Brook, the outlet of Flax Pond, 



