i§9 n -1 Kenetal Ato/es. 20? 



1870, 137) of a bird seen in Waltham, August, 1S67, and a third by Mason 

 (Auk, VI, Jan., 1S89, p. 71) of an example shot in West Falmouth, Sept. 9, 

 1888. Two supposed "Massachusetts instances," referred to by Dr. Coues 

 in New England Bird Life (II, 1S83, 137), have been since shown by Mr. 

 llenA (Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., No 7, 1886, 242 (foot-note), to really 

 relate to Maine instead of Massachusetts. — William Brewster. Cam- 

 bridge, Mass. 



Harlan's Hawk a Race of the Red-tail, and not a Distinct Species. — 

 An adult .specimen belonging to the Iowa College Museum. Grinnell, 

 Iowa, which Dr. Merriam has kindly submitted to me for examination, is 

 so clearly intermediate between B. ha r la ni and B. borealis that I have no 

 longer any doubt that the former is simply a peculiar variation of the 

 latter, in which the coloration of the tail is chiefly affected. In this Iowa 

 specimen the plumage is in every respect, except the tail, that of typical 

 B- borealis, while the tail has the curious mixed coloration so character- 

 istic of the so-called B. harlani. The ground color of the tail is chiefly 

 white, but this is much broken by numerous longitudinal mottlings and 

 spots or other markings of dusky in longitudinal series, both webs of the 

 feathers being thus marked. Most of the rectrices have a greater or less 

 amount of rufous suffusion along the edge of the outer web, while the 

 inner web of the middle feather on the right side is almost entirely 

 rufous, though this color is broken by the usual dusky blotches ; all the 

 rectrices have a suffusion of rufous near their tips, which are narrowly 

 white, the subterminal dusky bar of typical B. borealis being slightly 

 indicated by dusky blotches and rather extensive dark brownish gray 

 shading. In addition to the distinct dusky markings and rufous washes, 

 manv of the rectrices are washed with brownish gray on portions of their 

 outer webs, this gray wash being also more or less mottled or blotched 

 with darker. The specimen is probably a female, the measurements being 

 as follows: Wing, 16.75 inches; tail, 9.35; culmen, 1.10; tarsus, 3.20 (un- 

 feathered portion in front, to tips of feathers, 1.16) ; middle toe, 1.75; the 

 outer toe about .15 longer than the inner. 



The technical name of Harlan's Hawk should therefore be changed to 

 Buteo borealis harlani (Aud.). — Robert Ridgway, Washington, D. C. 



Capture of a Third Specimen of the Barn Owl in Massachusetts. — 

 Through the kind offices of Mr. J. A. Farley I have just obtained a Barn 

 Owl (Slrix fratincola') which was taken by Mr. C. T. Wood at South 

 Westport, Massachusetts, Dec. 30, 188S. It is a male in fine plumage 

 and wasjiiounted by Mr. II. P. Babcock of New Bedford. Mr. Wood 

 writes that he shot the bird in a bushy pasture on 'Horse Neck', within 

 a few rods of a salt creek. The specimen is, I believe, only the third that 

 is known to have been taken in Massachusetts. — William Brewster, 

 Cambridge, Mass. 



