VOl i909" VI ] General Notes. 427 



rushes (J uncus effusus) and cat-tails (Typha latifolia), 12 inches above 

 water, which in that spot was about two feet deep. The cat-tails were 

 bent over above the nest forming a partially covered arch. The nest 

 itself was loosely, but firmly, constructed of rushes, and measured 9 inches 

 across by 4 inches deep ; a slight depression held the eggs. Although this 

 species is a regular breeder in the Delaware River marshes of Delaware 

 County, which borders Chester County on the east, and of Philadelphia 

 County, which borders Delaware County on the north, as far as I have 

 been able to ascertain, this constitutes the first breeding record for Chester 

 County. — Leonard S. Pearson, Wayne, Pa. 



The Black Rail in Maryland.— In 'The Auk' for April, 1909, p. 190, I 

 mentioned that several specimens of the little Black Rail were said to have 

 been taken on the Patuxent River in Maryland. Through the courtesy 

 of Mr. W. F. Roberts, I am now able to give three records. Mr. Roberts, 

 who was an associate member of the A. O. U. from 1888 to 1899, is an 

 enthusiastic sportsman, has had long experience in rail shooting, and is 

 thoroughly familiar with the habits of the various species in this vicinity. 

 In a recent letter he says: 



"For more than 25 years the writer has been cognizant of the regular 

 occurrence of Porzana jamaicensis on the marshes of the Patuxent River, 

 in the vicinity of Mt. Calvert, Md. It appears more reluctant to take wing 

 than P. Carolina and more are taken during October than September — 

 the two months of rail shooting. They are never common, but I learn of 

 several individuals every season and have the following record dates: 

 Oct. 19, 1906; Sept. 22, 1907; and Oct. 12, 1908." 



The only other record for this rail in Maryland with which I am familiar 

 is that of a specimen presented to the National Museum by John Dowell. 

 This bird (No. 97,717) w T as taken on Piscataway Creek, Prince George 

 County, on September 25, 1877. — T. S. Palmer, Washington, D. C. 



First Appearance of the Sanderling in the Vicinity of Detroit. — In 



August, 1908, the Sanderling (Calidris arenaria) was noted for the first 

 time in the vicinity of this city. Specimens were taken by Messrs. W. C. 

 Wood, Spicer, Jones, and the writer. With them came a White-rumped 

 Sandpiper (Actodromas fuscicollis) which is the first autumn record for 

 the county. The Sanderling reappeared May 16, 1909. — J. Claire Wood, 

 Detroit, Mich. 



Actodromas fuscicollis in Philadelphia County, Pa. — This species, 

 which is rightly regarded by ornithologists as a rare transient in this vicin- 

 ity, is mentioned in Warren's 'Birds of Pennsylvania,' revised edition, 

 page 85, as a "very rare spring and fall migrant," and in Stone's 'Birds 

 of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey,' we learn (page 32) that it is a 

 "rare or irregular transient," and also, on page 73, that "this species 



