I 80 DuTCHER on Lofig Tslatid Birds. [April 



ing it for ten minutes, I threw a stone to start it, but it did not fi.y until I 

 hit the limb it was sitting on ; then it flew to another tree about fifty yards 

 off and commenced cleaning its feathers. It was about 5 a.m. when I saw 

 the bird first. I think it had been eating and had gorged itself. These are 

 all the notes I can collect, and I believe they cover the visits of this Vulture 

 in our locality for the past decade." 



16. Strix pratincola. American Barn Owl. — Since my record of the 

 breeding of this species on Long Island* I have heard of the capture of a 

 specimen. Mr. Knoess wrote to me as follows: "I see by reading 'The 

 Auk,' that you mention the Barn Owl as being a rare bird : I mounted a 

 beautiful specimen, shot November 20, 1886, at West Hampton, Suftblk 

 Co., a female. It is the first one I ever mounted on the Island. My friend 

 who shot it saw it perched on a tree near the post office, between one and 

 two o'clock, P.M. 



17. Alauda arvensis. Skylark. — Late in June, 1S87, I i-eceived a 

 request from Dr. C. Hart Merriam to investigate a statement made in a 

 New York paper, that "Skylarks are abundant on Long Island, at Flat- 

 bush and from that place down, easterly through a stretch of land extend- 

 ing to Flatlands, and thence around and about the town of Flatlands." I 

 referred the request to Mr. Alfred Marshall, who resides at Flatbush and 

 is well acquainted with the locality. Within a few days (July 2) he wrote 

 that he had secured two bii-ds which he supposed were Skylarks. They 

 were forwarded to Dr. Merriam who pronounced them "unquestionably 

 the true European Skylark (Alauda arvensis).'" Subsequently, Mr. Mar- 

 shall informed me that he found the Skylarks in the long-grass fields, and 

 that they were quite plenty. Those secured were young birds. On the 

 1 2th of July he saw a great many, all adults, and singing, lie also saw 

 one carrying food in its mouth, and supposing it had young, he noted 

 where it dropped into a piece of timothy grass. He was unable to find 

 the nest then, but later, on the 14th, he was more successful, as he found 

 it with five half-grown young. The nest was composed of grass and was 

 placed in a depression in the ground, about two and one-half inches 

 deep, and was hidden under a tuft of grass. The Skylarks remained until 

 September 15, on which date Mr. Marshall saw the last one. 



18. Otocoris alpestris praticola. Prairie Horned Lark. — Mr. John 

 Heudrickson, of Long Island City, Qiieens Co., has the honor of having 

 secured the first specimen of this variety of the Horned Lark on Long 

 Island. July 31, 18S6, he shot one near his home. His brother, Mr. W. 

 F. Hendrickson, when writing to me about it, asked if it was not earlj' in 

 the season for a Shore Lark to be found, and also stated that the specimen 

 was very small. Subsequently he sent it to me, but as I had no others 

 to compare it with, I forwarded it to Di-. A. K. Fisher, at Washington, for 

 comparison and identification. He replied to my inquiry as follows : ' 'The 

 specimen is Otocoris alpestris praticola. To make doubly sure, I had Mr. 

 Ridgway examine it and he said there was no question but that it was 



*Auk, Vol. Ill, 1886, p. 439. 



