2 20 General Note^. \_KpA 



Personally, I think that a few of these Sparrows breed on the Middle- 

 town marshes yearly, and if this is a fact it moves their known breeding 

 range sixteen miles to the northward, or in other words from Point Judith 

 marshes to Middletown. 



I cannot think that after breeding is over, which by July 6 could hardly 

 be, the birds would roam sixteen miles to the northward across ocean. 

 However, we have at least two records of their capture there; if nothing 

 more. — Reginald Heber Howe, Jr., Long-Mood, Mass. 



Henslow's Bunting {An)modiamiis /icuslo-vi) Found Breeding at Ply- 

 mouth, Michigan. — On July 27, 1893, while mowing grass in a hay field, 

 I discovered a bird which by its peculiar song and habits was a new 

 species for this locality. It had a nest, among the tall grass, which 

 contained eggs, but unfortunately they w-ere broken by the mowing 

 machine. The bird was very uneasy, repeatedly hiding in the tall grass 

 and only leaving its hiding place when the mowing machine knives were 

 nearly upon it. It stuck to the standing grass until the last swath was 

 cut, after which it would dive under the fallen hay, wheie I tried repeat- 

 edly to capture it alive, and after failing in this, I procured the specimen 

 with a gun. After careful examination I pronounced it the Henslow's 

 Bunting, but to make the identification sure, I later presented the speci- 

 men to the United States National Museum, and received the following in 

 reply from Mr. Charles W. Richmond. Assistant Curator of the Depart- 

 ment of Birds. 



"In reply to your letter of the 2nd inst. [March 2, 1S96] addressed to 

 Mr. Ridgway (who is absent in Florida), I have to say that your identifi- 

 cation of the specimen sent as a Henslow's Bunting is correct. This 

 species ought not to be seen in Michigan. Cook's Birds of Michigan does 

 not record any specimens taken in the State. The bird is very liable to 

 be overlooked, but when once you learn its song you will be quite sure to 

 find more of them. The eggs are quite uncommon in collections. Major 

 C. E. Bendire, the Curator of Oology here, can give you more definite 

 information on this point. We are pleased to accept your offer to give 

 the specimen to the National Museum, and you will receive due acknow- 

 ledgment in a few days." 



I then sent the following description of the eggs to Major Bendire. 

 Eggs white, dotted at the large end with reddish spots, and thinly dotted 

 with reddish specks at the small end. Nest composed of fine dry grass, 

 and lined with the same material. To this Major Bendire replied as 

 follows : 



" In answer to yours of the 9th inst., I have no doubt whatever that the 

 nest and eggs you describe are those of Henslow's Bunting; your descrip- 

 tion of the same fits them exactly, and since you secured the bird at the 

 i>ame time (which I have seen), it makes this almost positive. There can 

 be little doubt that the eggs in question are those of Henslow's Bunting' 

 and so far as I know, I believe this is the first instance of this bird having 



