326 Gerteral Notes. ^^^^^ 



Rare Birds in the Vicinity of Philadelphia. — On Sept. 5, 1S94, a speci- 

 men of Co7itopus borealis was secured near Holmesburg, Pa., and on 

 May 18, 1895,3 specimen of Empidoftax traillii abtortun yvas, secured. 



This is, I believe, the first definite Tecord for the latter in this part of 

 the State, as I am unable to find any in Stone's ' Birds of Eastern Penn- 

 sylvania and New Jersej'.' — Witmer ^^toisK, Academy of Natural Scie?ices, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. 



A Few Notes on the Avifauna Columbiana. — A Swallow-tailed Kite 

 {Elanoides forjicatus) was observed flying over the Virginia side of the 

 Aqueduct Bridge, by the writer, April 11, 1897. This bird is exceedingly 

 rare here and records for this locality are scarce. 



On the same date I took a set of eggs of the Turkey Vulture, about two 

 and a half miles south of Falls Church, which is a very early date for this 

 locality, and merits a notice. 



As spring records for the Connecticut Warbler are scarce, it may not be 

 amiss to say that I noticed a specimen jNIay 9, 1897, in a swampy ravine, 

 on Eastern Branch, south of the Reform School. — Paul Bartsch, 

 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 



Northern New Jersey Notes. — In consequence of the lack of a New 

 Jersey record of the Cerulean Warbler {Dendroica rara) in ' The Birds 

 of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey,' by Witmer Stone, I desire to 

 note the capture of this species' on an oak clad hill of Boonton, Morris 

 Co., N. J., about the first of September, 1887. In the same township I 

 took a young Henslow's Sparrow (^Ammodramns henslozvii') in a tussocky 

 meadow on August 8, 1889. — Sylvester D. Judd, Department of Ag-ri- 

 ciilture, Washington, D. C. 



Bird Notes from Massachusetts. — Mniotilta varia. — On the 15th of 

 December, 1S95, a single individual of this species was seen among the 

 pear trees in the yard. A heavy snow-storm was raging at the time, but 

 the bird was actively engaged clambering about on the trunks, on the 

 sheltered sides of the trees, where the damp snow did not cling. This 

 bird may have been the same one, seen in the same spot November 13, in 

 company with a flock of Chickadees. On both occasions the bird was 

 very tame and confiding, allowing me to approach near enough so see all 

 its markings. It was not seen again after the snow, which was the first 

 heavy storm of the winter. 



Dendroica coronata. — On the 29th of July, 1896, a single bird was seen 

 in an orchard at Mt. Wachusett, Mass. It was engaged in catching flies 

 and other insects, and several times uttered its characteristic tckuck and 

 ■tvheest. The occurrence of this species at this date seems noteworthy as 

 being several weeks earlier than the usual appearance of the bird in this 

 region. 



Junco hyemalis. — It is interesting to note that two pairs of Slate-colored 

 Juncos nested on the summit of Mt. Wachusett during the summer of 



