Vol-XXVIIJ General Notes. 81 



Marion, Washington County, Maine, December 1, 1908, by Mr. G. H. 

 Graham, and is now owned by Mr. Holway who has kindly submitted it to 

 me for positive identification. 



It is rather interesting to note in this connection that many birds of the 

 southern regions have been taken from time to time in or near this section 

 of Washington County. The late George A. Boardman personally secured 

 several rarities in this general region, and subsequently others have taken 

 equally unexpected species. The statements of taxidermists are naturally 

 open to suspicion where pecuniary matters are concerned, so it is always 

 desirable to have confirmatory evidence where obtainable. The evidence 

 in the present case seems entirely sati=ifactory. — Ora Willis Knight, 

 Bangor, Me. 



The Bobolink at Philadelphia, Pa., and Vicinity in Summer and Autumn. 



— The Bobolink is a common transient in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and 

 is enumerated as such in Stone's 'Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New 

 Jersey' (page 31) among the birds found within ten miles of this city, but 

 it appears that it has been observed here during the summer months by 

 different observers since the publication of his book in 1894 on enough 

 occasions to warrant a suspicion that it is perhaps a rare breeder. I have 

 myself seen it here in summer on three different occasions, but under 

 conditions that left room for doubt as to whether they were breeding. 



At Bridesburg, Philadelphia, a locality along the Delaware River, 

 five miles north of the city, on June 5, 1902, I observed a female and two 

 males, and on June 1, 1906, a male; on June 8, 1907, Mr. Ernest A. Butler 

 and I saw an abnormally colored niale at Tinicum, Delaware County, 

 Pa., a locality also along the Delaware River, and about six miles south of 

 Philadelphia. Both of these localities are low, swampy meadow and 

 marsh lands, and are localities which it is doubtful the Bobolink would 

 select as breeding grounds. 



The behavior of the birds did not appear to me to be that of nesting 

 birds. They all acted like late migrants, and the Tinicum bird evidently 

 was one, as the spring of 1907 was very backward and kept some transients 

 lingering here until June. The two males of the three birds observed on 

 June 5, 1902, I know for a certainty were killed by illegal gunners who 

 roam these meadows throughout the year, but what became of the female 

 was not ascertained, but it never was afterward seen. The male seen 

 June 1, 1906, was also probably a late migrant as it was never again seen, 

 or perhaps it, too, was killed by some "man with a gun." 



None of these birds were wounded individuals left behind in the migra- 

 tion, as was determined by chasing and making them perform long flights. 

 The abnormal bird was chased by a gunner and unlike the other males it 

 was not heard to sing. 



On page 105 of his excellent book. Stone says: "The Bobolink is a 

 regular breeder in the northern parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 



