2o6 



General Notes. 



[April 



Ca3'enne, Ecuador, and through the northern part ot" South America, 

 about one in six are red ; in Panama and Central America, about one in 

 ten are red; while of the thirty or more examined from the region north 

 of Central America, no definite red phase is perceptible. 



So much has been written during the last hundred years upon the birds of 

 this genus that it is possible these two phases of plumage have been no- 

 ticed and recorded ; but in looking over all the references made \>y Eng- 

 lish and American naturalists I fail to find any notice of its occurrence. 

 I therefore give my observations for what they are worth, as aids to the 

 interesting though but little understood subject of dichromatism among 

 birds. — Geo. B. Sennett, Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., Ne^v York City. 



On the Further Occurrence of Otocoris alpestris praticola in Chester 

 County, South Carolina. — That the advent of Prairie Horned Larks does 

 not alone depend upon exceptional cold in this immediate region is n.ani- 

 fest; for the past winter has been noteworthy for its clemency and for the 

 presence of these birds in comparative abundance. December 3, the first 

 specimens of the season were secured, but a small flock, presumably of the 

 same subspecies, was seen a week earlier. From this time forward until 

 the end of January they were met with continually, and a few were noted 

 at intervals through February. The situation where my observations 

 were chiefly conducted was a closely cropped pasture of about a dozen 

 acres, sloping gently to the southward. Here, during the two months 

 mentioned, I never failed in twenty visits to find one or more flocks. As 

 I obtained, from the first, on\y praticola, I assiduously pressed my inves- 

 tigations, hoping definitely to settle for the present season, at least, the 

 true status of the two forms of Otocoris reported as occurring in this 

 section. During December I shot one hundred three females and sixteen 

 males, all of which belonged to the western race. In January thirty 

 females and ten males of like kind were procured. A larger number could 

 have been taken, but I desisted from shooting others as soon as I became 

 satisfied as to the real character of the individuals constituting a company. 

 A feature of marked prominence was the preponderance of females. Only 

 on one occasion (Jan. 10) did I capture an equal number of both sexes. 



