VOLXXVIII-] Gemml Not . s 121 



and was presented to the Boston Society of Natural History. 1 At present 

 there is no trace of this bird. Dr. T. M. Brewer, in 'A Defence of his 

 Catalogue of the Birds of New England,' 2 says: " Anser gambeli, between 

 1836-46, was much more common than it apparently is now, but even 

 now there is no lack of evidence of its presence. ... A fine specimen in 

 immature plumage has been recently taken in Gloucester and is now in the 

 collection of Mr. William Jeffries of Boston." The bird referred to was 

 shot October 20, 1876, at West Gloucester, and at the time was supposed to 

 be Anser albifrons gambeli; it turned out, however, to be a Blue Goose. 

 This also is now in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History 

 and is the only one ever recorded from this State. Possibly after all A. a. 

 gambeli was not as common even between 1836 and 1846 as Dr. Brewer 

 supposed. The second authentic record was one shot at Plymouth, 

 November 26, 1897, by Mr. Paul W. Gifford. 3 It is an adult specimen and 

 is to-day in Mr. William Brewster's collection. Of these few records the 

 third is the most interesting, for it is an adult bird that was caught alive 

 in a wounded condition early in August, 1907, at Great Neck, Ipswich, 

 by Mr. A. B. Clark. 4 This bird is still alive and I believe several unsuc- 

 cessful attempts have been made to cross it with a wild Canada Goose. 



In 'The Auk,' Vol. XXVII, No. 3, page 339, Mr. R. Heber Howe, Jr., 

 mentions a King Rail (Rallus elegans) being shot at West Barnstable on 

 Dec. 30, 1909, as the ninth record for the State. I have five more un- 

 recorded specimens making a total of fourteen. The first one was shot 

 on the Neponset meadows, near Canton, on September 9, 1893, and is 

 in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. The other 

 four were all shot in 1909, at Chatham, and as far as I can find they are 

 the only ones known to the local gunners ever to have been taken there. 

 Of these four the first was taken January 9, 1909, by Mr. Russell Bearse 

 in a brackish marsh while he was duck shooting by moonlight. This 

 is now owned by Mr. W. E. Freeman of Arlington. The second was shot 

 by Mr. W. A. Carey of Boston on October 2, and is now in his collection. 

 He was shooting quail along the edge of a cranberry bog when the dog 

 flushed this bird. The third was caught alive on October 25 by a setter 

 dog in a bit of salt marsh, and is now in the collection of the Boston Society 

 of Natural History. The fourth was killed by Mr. Frank Eldredge on 

 October 20. This one was shot on Monomoy Island, in a salt meadow 

 where Mr. Eldredge was after shore birds. It seems very remarkable 

 that these last three should have all been taken within the space of about 

 three weeks time and all within an area of a few square miles. Undoubtedly 

 the King Rail is more abundant than is generally supposed, and although 

 it is thought that it may breed within the limits of the State, no authentic 

 case has yet been recorded. However, this recent abundance may lead 



i Cabot, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. Ill, 1851, p. 136. 

 * Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. II, April, 1877, p. 46. 

 s Auk, Vol. XVIII, pp. 135, 136. 

 » Auk, Vol. XXV, 1908, p. 80. 



