2 TO General Notes. XJ^"^ 



The bird is strikingly beautiful and its flesh, in the opinion of an epi- 

 cure, was as fine as any duck he had ever eaten. — Witmer Stone, Acad- 

 emy of Natural Sciences., Philadelphia^ Pa. 



A Correction. — In ' The Auk' for 1902, p. 76, 1 noted a European Wid- 

 geon (Mareca fenelope) taken in North Carolina as probably the first to 

 be recorded from the State. I find a record, however, which I previously 

 overlooked, in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Club for 1879, p. 190, where 

 the capture of two males is recorded, one on Dec. 17, 1878, and one on 

 Jan. 17, 1879, by De L. Berier. — Reginald Heber Howe, Jr., Concord, 

 Mass. 



Wood Ibis in Montana. — It will be of interest to the readers of 'The 

 Auk' to know that a specimen of the Wood Ibis, Tantalus loculator 

 Linn., was taken in Montana early in October, 1902. The specimen was 

 sent me from Madison Valley, Madison County, where it was shot by 

 Mr. Bert Maynard, Ennis, Mont. While Mr. Maynard and two other 

 men were in the barnyard feeding the pigs, the bird came and lit on the 

 ground among the pigs and sheep and began feeding on the grain. It 

 was reported to be either "very tame or very tired" and did not take 

 flight even when closely approached. 



The bird is young and undersized and was identified for me by Edgar 

 A. Mearns, Major and Surgeon, U. S. A. The head and neck are not 

 bald as in the adult, but are clothed with the plumage of the young. 



The specimen is deposited in the collections of the Montana Agricul- 

 tural College. — R. A. Cooley, Montana Agric. College., Bozetnan, Mont. 



Woodcock Notes. — I have recently received several interesting dates 

 regarding the occurrence of the American Woodcock (Philohela minor) 

 in Massachusetts. Mr. Edward A. Brigham of Grafton, Mass., informs 

 me that he shot a bird several years ago on Christmas Day which was in 

 excellent condition. Also, that on March 7, 1901, he saw a bird of this 

 species — the earliest spring date in his experience. On March 17, 1903, 

 he put up a fine large bird at the same place. Deputy Thomas L. 

 Burney of Lynn, Mass., informs me that he has a specimen of a Wood- 

 cock, which was picked up on Estey St., Lynn, Mass., by Mr. Geo. Wood 

 man on Dec. 11, 1902, while still alive, but in an emaciated condition. — 

 George H. Mackay, Boston, Mass. 



A Turnstone [Arenaria interpres) Taken in the Mid- Pacific— I was 

 a passenger on the schooner 'Julia E. Whalen ' returning from Marcus 

 Island when, on August 28, 1902, in Long. 174° W., Lat. 33" N., a Turn- 

 stone came alongside and after a few moments dropped down on the 

 deck. I saw the bird when it was quite a distance off, coming from a 

 northerly direction and flying directly for the vessel. On its nearer 

 approach it was not difficult to determine the species, as it made two or 



