V °S 9 f r ] General Notes. J 7 



an hour in the dense ch.ipparal below, but found nothing. Probably, the 

 shot being small, it was but slightly hurt. Neither of us had ever seen 

 this species before in the wild state, although Mr. Hawley is a native of 

 Southern California and has been often in these mountains. 



In this connection I beg to correct a mistake in my note on Fregata 

 aqiiila, published in 'The Auk' for October, 1S93 (p. 362). In my reference 

 to the Humboldt Bay specimen, I should have quoted Mr. T. S. Palmer 

 instead of Mr. Anthony as the authority for the record. — R. H. 

 Lawrence, Monrovia, Cal. 



Capture of the Golden Eagle at Covington, Virginia. — It gives me 

 pleasure to record the capture of a fine male specimen of the Golden Eagle 

 (Aq/eila chrysaetos) at Covington, Alleghany County, Virginia, on Oct. 

 2S, 1S93. It was shot by Derry B. Smith, Esq., who kindly sent me the 

 specimen for mounting. On skinning I found it very fat. It measured 

 as follows: Length, 33 inches ; extent, 78 inches; wing, 24 inches ; tail, 

 14 inches. This is the first specimen, to my knowledge, that has ever 

 been taken in this immediate vicinity. — Thaddeus Surbek, White 

 Sulphur Springs, W. Va. 



Another Record of the Breeding of the Saw-whet Owl (Nyctalc acadicd) 

 in Eastern Massachusetts. — As there are still but few records of the 

 breeding of the Saw-whet Owl in eastern Massachusetts, I take pleasure 

 in adding one more. 



On July 3, 1S03, Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., and I were setting a line of 

 traps in a heavy white pine swamp that lies along Red Brook in the town 

 of Wareham, Mass. We noticed a large old pine stump which was broken 

 off at about 25 feet above the ground and full of Woodpeckers' holes, and 

 pounded on it. We had pounded but once or twice* when a Saw-whet 

 Owl popped her head out of the uppermost hole and kept it there 

 motionless, although I fired at her three times with my pistol. The third 

 shot killed her and she fell back into the hole. 



On taking the bird out, I found there was a nest containing seven eggs. 

 The nest was quite bulky ami composed of gray moss (Usnca) interwoven 

 with small pieces of fibrous bark, a few pine needles, small twigs, and 

 feathers of the bird herself. The hole in which the nest was found was 

 18 feet from the ground and about 8 inches deep. 



In the nest besides the eggs was a half eaten red-backed mouse (J5vo- 

 tomys gap fieri} . 



Three of the eggs were in various stages of incubation, one being on the 

 point of hatching, — in fact the young bird had already cracked the shell. 

 Three were addled, and one was perfectly fresh. 



On dissecting the old bird we found that she had laid her full set of 

 eggs. Her stomach contained the other half of the Rvotomys, which she 

 was apparently eating when we disturbed her. 



