366 General Notes. [}$ 



On March 25, 1830, at Albany, 1 "Pigeons had begun their 

 migration, and thousands of them were overwhelmed in the storm; 

 and they were taken in great abundance in the valley of the Butter- 

 milk creek." 



(To be concluded.) 



GENERAL NOTES. 



A Case of the Migration and Return of the European Teal in 

 Massachusetts. — The following facts must be taken only for what they 

 are worth, for unfortunately the data are incomplete. There is, however, 

 no doubt in my mind that we are dealing with a case of the migration, 

 and return to the place of birth, of a non-indigenous bird. 



In the spring of 1909, Mr. Thomas Johnston came over from England 

 to enter my employment, and brought with him five pairs of live European 

 Teal (Nettion crecca), together with some other water-fowl. These birds 

 were bred in England on the estate of Sir Richard Graham in Cumberland 

 County, where many interesting experiments in propagating water-fowl 

 are in progress. 



The teal suffered many vicissitudes of fortune, from various causes, and 

 were reduced in 1910 to two pairs. These two pairs were kept with other 

 water-fowl in a small, enclosed, artificial pond, in the orchard at Wenhani, 

 situated about 75 yards from the farm-house, 40 yards from the road, 

 and a third of a mile from Wenham Lake. No other varieties of teal were 

 kept . 



About the middle of June, 1910, two downy young were led out into 

 the pond by one of the female teal. These thrived amazingly and obtained 

 their wings so soon that the first attempt at their capture, which was put 

 off for fear of disturbing other fowl, resulted in finding that the youngsters 

 were too spry for the net. They turned out to be both females, and were 

 not disturbed again. They traded between the pond and Wenham Lake 

 all the summer and fall, spending the greater part of their time in the 

 enclosed pond and feeding on a mud flat on the eastern shore of the lake. 

 They were perfectly tame while in the pond, and were only flushed with 

 difficulty, but outside its boundaries they were as wild as any teal. 



On December 6, the pond, and also the lake, froze. The other fowl 

 were placed in winter quarters the day before the freeze, and our teal 

 vanished, as we thought for good. 



' Munsell, Joel. The Annals of Albany. Albany, 185S, Vol. IX, p. 206. 



