°i906 J General Notes. 109 



and it is clear from the locality and habitat mentioned that the record 

 belongs with the common name, having been inadvertently inserted 

 under Cinclus by the printer, while the note intended for the Dipper 

 was entirely crowded out by the same individual. Similarly, the note 

 following, on the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, will be found also out of its 

 proper place, being inserted under the family Cinclidae. The record of 

 the Western Bluebird from the Niobrara made by Aughey himself is 

 probably a valid one, but the reported abundance of the species in Otoe 

 County is almost certainly a misidentification by Mr. Morton for the 

 common Bluebird which was and still is abundant there. 



Progne subis. Purple Martin. — This year I have seen the Purple 

 Martin commonly across the State; at Imperial June 22, at Culbertson 

 June 23-25, at Stratton June 28, and at Glen, Sioux County, August 5-23. 

 Our previous westernmost record was from North Platte. 



Spizella socialis arizonse. Western* Chipping Sparrow*. — The sus- 

 picion expressed on p. 88 of the ' Birds of Nebraska ' has proved true. 

 A breeding pair of the Chipping Sparrow obtained by me at Glen, Sioux 

 County, August 6, 1905, are very decidedly of the western race. These 

 specimens substantiate the recording of this bird as another addition to 

 our State list. 



Cyanocitta stelleri annectens. Black-headed Jay. — The second 

 record for the State rests upon a bird seen by Prof. Bruner and myself in 

 Warbonnet Canon, Sioux County, August 9, 1905. 



Corvus brachyrhynchos. Crow. — This bird is increasing in Sioux 

 County. The Glen flock mentioned in the 'Birds of Nebraska' has this 

 year increased to twenty-eight. 



Selasphorus platycercus. Broad-tailed Hummingbird. — A pair 

 of these hummers was seen each day about our camp at Glen, August 18- 

 22, feeding at Cleome flowers. I feel quite sure that they bred in the 

 vicinity this year. 



Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. — Additional western Nebraska 

 records for this species are a pair seen on a sandbar near Stratton, June 

 28, evidently breeding near, and three seen at a small pond near Fort 

 Robinson, August 23, in company with several Solitary Sandpipers. — 

 Myron H. Swenk, Dept. Entomology and Ornithology, University of Ne- 

 braska. 



Should Bird Protection Laws and their Enforcement be in the 

 Hands of the National Government? — There are several reasons why 

 the protection of birds should be in the hands of the National Government. 



In the first place, the law which protects bird life from wanton destruc- 

 tion should be uniform throughout the country, and no State or Territory 

 should be without it. As the formulating of the law is a task which requires 

 some knowledge of birds and their habits, and since this knowledge cannot 

 be expected to be possessed by State legislators, the wording of the law 



