112 General Notes.. [January 



less threw it away. The fact that praticola has been found breeding 

 within less than twenty-five miles of the western boundary of Massachu- 

 setts,* taken in connection with that of the captures above recorded, makes 

 it seem not improbable that the form in question may occur regularly, if 

 rarely, in Eastern Massachusetts during the migrations, and perhaps as a 

 summer resident in the extreme western portions of the State. — William 

 Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. 



Occurrence of the Florida Blue Jay {^Cyanocitta cristata Jlorincold) in 

 Southwestern Texas. — On the eleventh of March, 1887, while collecting at 

 Leon Springs, Texas, I came up with a party of four or five Blue Jays in 

 a grove of hackberry and live oak trees. Supposing them to be the ordi- 

 nary eastern bird, only one of them was shot, and although they were seen 

 several times at San Antonio, no other specimens were secured. Upon 

 comparing my bird with typical examples of Cyanocitta cristata florincola 

 in the United States National Museum, I find it to agree perfectly with 

 them. The principal characters that distinguish the Florida bird from 

 the specific form consist in the smaller size of the former and the much 

 less amount of white on the secondaries and the two outer rectrices. 



Mr. Ridgway, who first suggested that my specimen was florincola^ 

 entirely concurs with me in this determination. 



This Jay is evidently a rare bird in Southwestern Texas, for the only 

 authority I can find for its occurrence there is in Dresser's classical paper> 

 where he states that he "was told by several hunters that the Blue Jay 

 is found near San Antonio." Leon Springs is in Bexar County, about 

 eighteen or twenty miles northwest of San Antonio. — Charles Wick- 

 LiFFE Beckham, WasJiingtoti, D. C. 



Abnormal Plumage of Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. — I shot, Octo- 

 ber 31, 1887, in the valley of Mud Creek, thirty miles southeast of Las 

 Animas, Bent Co., Colorado, a female X. xanthocephalus. It could fly well 

 but was quite young. The barrels of most of the quills of wings and tail 

 were dark and full of liquid. The plumage was more loose and ragged than 

 is usual in birds that can fly. It differs from all young females I have seen 

 as follows : — 



Lesser wing-coverts whitish; scattering white and whitish feathers in 

 hind neck, interscapulars, back, upper tail-coverts, breast, belly, crissum 

 and flank. Feathers of the breast long and rounded — looking like cotton 

 strings. One secondary in right wing whitish on both webs for one inch ; 

 middle tail-feathers the same for half their length. Right outer tail-feather 

 pure white. One downy, round feather one and a half inches long, start- 

 ing from below oil gland. It was with two other young birds. The date is 

 much later than I have ever seen these birds in Colorado. — P. M. Thorne, 

 Capt. 22d Infty., Fort Lyon, Colorado. 



* See Mr. Park's note above. 



