434 General Notes. [oct. 



and at a good height for five or six rods before dropping back into the scant 

 vegetation, which here stood in a foot or so of water. On going to the spot 

 the bird flushed again, nearly underfoot, and was secured. The flight of 

 this individual was fully as strong as that of Sora and Virginia Rails seen 

 a short time previously. Mr. Charles Brandler, of the Field Museum, tells 

 me that he saw a specimen of this rail in a hunter's string of birds, early in 

 September, 1898, that was taken in this same locality. The owner, how- 

 ever, refused to part with it on learning it was different from the others. 

 The only previous Illinois records of which I am aware are those of Mr. 

 E. W. Nelson (Birds of Northeastern Illinois, Bulletin of the Essex Insti- 

 tute, Vol. VIII, 1876, p. 134) who says, "During the spring of 1875 I saw 

 three specimens in the Calumet Marshes. The first was observed early 

 in May," and proceeds to give a good description of a nest and ten eggs 

 found the same season near the Calumet River. — H. L. Stoddard, N. W. 

 Harris Public School Extension of Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois. 



Early Flight of Wilson's Snipe in Massachusetts. — On the after- 

 noon of August 27, 1916, 1 saw at least 25 Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, 

 along the Ipswich River in Topsfield, Mass. Mr. F. W. Killam reported 

 about " three dozen " there the next day. These snipe were very wild 

 and restless, continually flighting about the meadows in small flocks. 

 A flight of snipe was reported at other points in Mass. the same week. 

 So far as I can find out this is the earliest autumn record for any consider- 

 able number of this species in Mass. — J. C. Phillips, Weyiham, Mass. 



Eskimo Curlew in Massachusetts. — I am informed by Mr. E. H. 

 Ives of Boston that a flock of about fifty Eskimo Curlew {Numenius 

 borealis) was seen last spring (May 17, 1916) at Chub-Head Sands, near the 

 mouth of the Rowley River between the towns of Ipswich and Rowley, 

 Mass. 



A letter to Mr. Ives from J. E. Short (not dated) says, "I should say 

 there were fifty of them — they stayed around two days. Charles Bartlett 

 saw them (also) and he said he had n't seen any for 15 years." 



Both Short and Bartlett are " clammers" and have been experienced 

 shore-bird gunners in the past. Mr. Ives has talked with both these men 

 and others at Rowley and feels certain that there was no mistake in identi- 

 fication. — John C. Phillips, Wenham, Mass. 



Note on the Nesting of the Valley Quail.— Mr. Fred M. Steele, of 

 Los Angeles, Cal., sends me the following: — • " Last spring a pair of Cali- 

 fornia Valley Quail came down from the hills and were fed on our place 

 for several days. They finally selected a flower box on my sleeping porch 

 for a nesting site, and raised thirteen young, which are now (Aug. 23, 1916) 

 full grown. Every morning about five o'clock they come to be fed on 

 wheat which we put out for them, and we take great pleasure in feeding 

 and watching them." — Henry K. Coale, Highland Park, HI. 



