1S90.] General Notes. 20Q 



I have, I presume, some 3000 individuals in the pond. I first observed 

 this evidence of destruction early in May last, and it was not until late in 

 July that I detected the cause of it. 



Large flocks of Quiscalus q. ceneus make their home annually from early 

 spring till late every fall, in the pine, spruce and hemlock groves which 

 belong to my grounds; as I do not raise cereals, and devote my land to 

 fruit culture, I regard these birds as the most valuable of their kind to me, 

 and never have permitted them to be shot at or disturbed on my premises. 

 Going down to my pond, as usual, in quest of Kingfishers, I happened to 

 take notice of a Crow Blackbird in the act of striking quickly with its bill 

 into the water at the edge of the bank. Wondering what it found there 

 for food, I cautiously approached, sneaking behind the shelter of an ever- 

 green and bed of flowering shrubs. This bird had struck a small goldfish 

 as it came up to the water's edge — struck it in the centre of its head with 

 the sharp point of its bill. This blow only stunned the fish, but rendered 

 it unable to dart away, although it could still squirm and wriggle; the 

 Blackbird was earnestly trying to land its prey by repeatedly striking 

 the fish so as to get a beak hold, which it finally did after many failures. 

 Catching sight of me, it at once flew away, leaving the writhing and mor- 

 tally wounded victim upon the earth. The mystery of that peculiar de- 

 struction of my goldfish was thus solved. 



The habit of goldfish whereby they suck and bore at and into the grassy 

 and mossy edges of a pond as they feed, renders them a comparatively 

 shining mark for ^jciscalus. — Henry W. Elliott, near Cleveland, Ohio. 



The Evening Grosbeak at Montreal. — Mr. William Brewster in a note 

 to 'Forest and Stream,' Feb. 6, 1S90, records the occurrence of the Even- 

 ing Grosbeak (Coccot/iranstcs vcsflertina) in eastern New Hampshire and 

 Massachusetts, and Dr. A. K. Fisher of Washington, D. C, also Mr. J. 

 Alden Loring of Oswego, N. Y., and Mr. J. L. Davison of Lockport, N. Y., 

 records its occurrence in New York State, between the dates of Dec. 14, 

 1SS9, and Feb. 1, 1S90. My attention was drawn to its occurrence here 

 by Mr. Caulfield, taxidermist, one having been shot in this city by 

 Mr. John H. R. Molson's gardener in the last week in January, 1S90, and 

 four at Laprairie, on the south side of the St. Lawrence River about 

 nine miles above Montreal, on Feb. 5. I saw two of these birds after 

 they were stufted. I believe this is the first record of their occurrence in 

 this district. — Ernest D. Wintle. Montreal, Canada. 



Coccothraustes vespertina in Erie County, N. Y. — On the 15th of April. 

 1S87, Mr. B. W. Fenton of Buffalo shot a pair (male and female) of Even- 

 ing Grosbeaks at Brant, Erie County, N. Y., and brought the male's head 

 to the late Charles Linden for identification. This observation was pub- 

 lished by Prof. Linden in the 'Forest and Stream,' Vol. XXVIII, 1SS7, p. 

 367. This is, I believe, the first record from New York State which is 

 backed by a specimen : the above-mentioned head is now in the collection 

 of Mr. A. H. Alberger of Buflalo, and places the record beyond cavil. 



