Vol i90p Y ] General Notes. 437 



members of the Linnsean Society of New York. I am pleased to record 

 that a nest of the American Coot containing eight eggs was discovered by- 

 Mr. Wilcox, thus establishing this bird as a nesting species within seven 

 miles of New York City Hall. 



In other respects conditions in the marsh-bird colony were found to be 

 much the same this year as those described in the above mentioned article. 



— Clinton G. Abbott, New York City. 



The Stilt Sandpiper in Massachusetts. — While looking over the ' General 

 Notes,' in the July issue of 'The Auk' I noticed a reference to the Stilt 

 Sandpiper (Micropalama himantopus) in Massachusetts. I think the 

 rarity of this species in this State has been greatly exaggerated in this note. 



On September 20, 1903, while gunning at Chatham with a friend, a 

 flock of about a dozen Stilt Sandpipers flew over us, and we each secured a 

 pair. Since then both my brother and myself have seen numbers of these 

 birds in the big market in Boston, which were shot along the south shore 

 in the vicinity of Chatham and Monomoy. 



Thus it seems to me that the Stilt Sandpiper is not so rare in Massachu- 

 setts as Mr. Nash believes and states it to be. I would like to hear from 

 other Massachusetts men in regard to the prevalence of the Stilt Sandpiper 

 in this State. — Winthrop S. Brooks, Milton, Mass. 



The Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) on Long Island, 



N. Y. — Owing to the infrequent occurrence of this species on the Atlantic 

 coast, I wish to record a young male in my collection taken at Rockaway 

 Beach on Sept. 11, 1906.— J. A. Weber, New York City. 



American Goshawk (Accipiter atricajnUus) versus Man and Barred Owl. 



— Two incidents, illustrating at once the ferocity and the "lack of judge- 

 ment," so to say, of the Goshawk, have lately come to the writer's notice. 

 About May 15, 1905, Mr. Ferdinand Lack, a farmer of Germanicus, Renfrew 

 County, Ontario, had occasion to go into an old, little visited pasture on 

 his farm, lying along an extensive piece of woods. Suddenly a large hawk 

 swooped down upon him, flew around his head in most threatening and 

 uncomfortable proximity, at the same time striking at him with wings 

 and claws, as if it wanted to arrest his progress. In this the hawk was 

 successful, the man could not proceed. The next day the farmer wanted 

 to resume his interrupted inspection of the pasture, and thinking that the 

 experience of the day before would probably remain unique, took no 

 weapon of any kind along. But the same thing happened again. He 

 had to turn back again, as he could hardly dodge the vicious onslaughts 

 of the bird. The inspection of the meadow had to remain incompleted 

 again. Once more the farmer sallied forth the following day, but this 

 time in the company of his gun. But even the sight of this did not deter 

 the bird from making his usual assault with the result, of course, that it 

 was speedily put out of commission by a shot from the farmer's gun. He 



