398 General Notes. [july 



The record of the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Auk, April, 1911, 

 p. 276 and April, 1912, p. 238) several hundred miles beyond its known 

 limits, and near the extreme eastern distribution of the Prairie Shai-p-tail, 

 seems so strange that I was surprised to see it seriously considered by Mr. 

 Coale. Mr. Schoenebeck wrote me, under date of December 28, 1903, 

 regarding this record: "On a collecting trip in October, 1897, I shot a 

 pin-tail grouse of a very dark color, which we supposed to be columbianus. 

 The skin was prepared and two days afterward we lost it, our collecting 

 outfit, and tent by fire." 



As to the Black Rail near the mouth of Oconto River, June 9, 1899 (Auk, 

 April, 1911, p. 276) I have the following from Mr. Schoenebeck: " I have 

 only seen this little rail running over dead reeds, but was satisfied that it 

 was P. jamaicensis." This sounds to me much more like the young of the 

 Coot, GaUinule, or King Rail; it may have been the Black Rail, but it is far 

 north of its usual range and I hardly think the record should stand. Regard- 

 ing the Eskimo Curlew (1. c, p. 276) : "This specimen brought to me in April, 

 1899, was so badly spoiled that it was impossible to do anything with it, 

 but the V mark on the breast shows that it was a true N. borealis." As a 

 record for a bird virtually extinct at the date, and known from the state, 

 even in the early years of its abundance, only as a very rare straggler, 

 this identification seems open to question. 



Of the specimen of the Anhinga (1. c, p. 276) Mr. Schoenebeck wrote me: 

 " In the spring of 1889, Doctor Lawrence brought me this bird in the skin, 

 but nearly fresh; claimed to be shot on the Green Bay shore; the skin was 

 not made by an expert, it was only roughly made. The glossy black on 

 the upper parts proved it to be a male. I do not know if Doctor Lawrence 

 has the bird yet or not." It is possible that the Anhinga might wander 

 some three hundred miles out of its regular range, but until this specimen 

 comes to light and proves not to be a Cormorant, I do not think it should 

 stand for the only authentic state record. 



As to the breeding Chestnut-collared Longspurs: "This is one of the 

 birds Capt. B. F. Goss and myself captured in June, 1893, on the great 

 plains in the northwestern part of this county. We found a nest contain- 

 ing four eggs and another nearly finished. Now here I must say we were 

 not careful enough about the identification. I shot the female bird and 

 Mr. Goss as well as myself found it a true Longspur and on account of the 

 black wing-coverts we called it the chestnut-collared. We did not save 

 the bird. We were collecting eggs then and we only shot the birds for 

 identification, but never saved any after identified." I think we may 

 safely refuse to accept the determination of this bird, so far out of the 

 known breeding range of the supposed species, by even so accomplished an 

 ornithologist as was Captain Goss. 



Mr. Schoenebeck's list contains so many notes of real value that it seems 

 unfortunate that Mr. Coale has selected the few records so obviously 

 based on error for re-publication in ' The Auk.' 



While on the subject of Wisconsin bird records, I wish to correct an error 



