iSSR.] Gc7ieial Notes. I I C^ 



grain ; to obtain the latter, the whole tlock would often alight on the ground 

 and eagerly devour the scattered grain. As spring advanced they were 

 usually seen, especially early in the morning, in the top of some tree, 

 singing or chattering noisily, thus attracting the attention of nearly every 

 passer-by. Their loud, cleai% rather harsh, piping notes, uttered in 

 concert, reminded one forcibly of the familiar chorus of a flock of Rusty 

 Blackbirds in the spring, and have also been likened to the shrill piping- 

 arising from some frog pond on a quiet summer evening. In Iowa, the 

 Evening Grosbeak may be regarded as a rare and erratic winter visitor, 

 though its appearance is perhaps most regular in the northern portions of 

 the State. It arrives from the north about the middle of November and 

 remains until May. Prior to last winter it has been observed in the 

 vicinity of Iowa City but once — in February, 1SS4. Correspondents have 

 also reported this species from Charles City, in March, 1879; Grinnell, 

 December and April, and Burlington in the southeastern part of the 

 State.— C. R. Keyes, lo-va City, lo-va. 



Loxia curvirostra minor again at Yemassee, S. C. — On November 20, 

 1SS7, two Red Crossbills were seen at Yemassee, S. C, by my collector 

 who shot large numbers in April for me. — • Arthur T. W.wne, 

 C/urrlcstoi/. S. C. 



A Philadelphia Vireo and a Cobweb. — On September 13, 1SS6, while 

 collecting in a thicket near Bardstown, Kentucky, my companion, a small 

 boy, called my attention to the peculiar actions of a bird eight or ten 

 paces in advance of us. It proved to be a Philadelphia Vireo {Vireo 

 philadelphica) suspended bv the tip of its right wing from a twig at a 

 distance of three or four feet from the ground, violently struggling to free 

 itself. Flying above, within a few feet of it, was another individual of the 

 same species, an apparently interested and distressed witness of the 

 strange performance. Both birds were shot, and upon examination I 

 discovered that the first one had become entangled in a sticky, cobwebby 

 substance that was found to be quite common during that season in the 

 locality mentioned. The end of the wing was completely 'gummed up' 

 with the viscous filaments, and the struggles of the captive had twisted 

 the web into a slender and elastic but strong cord, the other end of which 

 was attached to the twig. The webs in question I found only in thickets, 

 and had been much annoyed by often running against them and getting 

 the glutinous stuff on my face and hands. It is doubtless produced by 

 some spider, but I have never recognized the species. However, I think 

 it improbable that the wily Arachnid deliberately attempts the capture of 

 such large game, and in this particular instance it was doubtless as much 

 surprised as the cockney sportsman in 'Punch,' who fired at a hare and 

 killed a calf. — Charles Wickliffe Beckham, Washington. D. C. 



Helminthophila leucobronchialis in Pennsylvania. — A specimen of 

 this bird was taken, August 31, 1SS7. in the central part of Chester Co.. 



