American Museum of Natural History. 269 



IV. DOUBTFUL SPECIES. 



1. Acanthis brewsteri. BREWSTER'S LINNET. The type- 

 specimen of this supposed species, taken at Waltham, by Mr. 

 Brewster (Ridgway, Am. Nat., VI, 1872, 433) remains unique. It 

 is now thought to be possibly a hybrid between Acanthis linaria 

 and Spinus pinus (see Brewster, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1881, 

 225)- 



Helminthophila leucobronchialis. BREWSTER'S WARBLER. 

 This supposed species was first taken at Newton ville, May 18, 

 1870 (Brewster, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, I, 1876, i, pi. i). Numer- 

 ous specimens have since been taken, particularly in southern 

 Connecticut and in the lower Hudson Valley. (For a full cita- 

 tion of references and analysis of the specimens see Ridgway, 

 Auk, II, 1885, 359-363.) This and H. lawrencei seem likely to 

 be simply hybrids between H. chrysoptera and H. pinus (Brewster, 

 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1881, 218-225; Auk, III, 1886, 411). 



The Small-headed Flycatcher (Muscicapa minuta Wilson), 

 which has been twice reported as occurring in Massachusetts, but 

 of which no specimens from anywhere are extant, is considered 

 as too problematical to be entitled to recognition. Whatever it 

 may finally prove to be, the Massachusetts records are too vague 

 to have any value. 



V. INTRODUCED SPECIES. 



1. Tympanuchus americanus. PRAIRIE HEN. Small num- 

 bers of these birds have been repeatedly liberated in various 

 parts of the State, particularly in Barnstable County. Mr. 

 William Brewster, who has given special attention to the matter, 

 says, in a recent letter to me (dated 3ist Dec., 1885), "I know 

 of several cases where western Grouse [meaning the present 

 species] have been turned out in Massachusetts within the past 



eight or ten years Only last winter a marketman in Boston 



told me he had some twenty odd sent in by a gunner in Berk- 

 shire County A few days latter he showed me a letter from 



his gunner who said that he did not dare kill any more because 

 a sportsman's club which had procured the birds from the West, 

 1886.] 



