18 QUARTERLY BULLETIN. 



storms or wandering aimlessly, are finally captured in a region 

 so remote from the usual range that the chances are a thousand 

 to one against another individual of the same species ever find- 

 ing its wa}' thither again. Occurrences of the latter class are 

 certainly not devoid of interest, but their value to the intelligent 

 student of ornithology can bear no relation to that of the dis- 

 covery of a species, which of regular, perhaps almost common 

 occurrence, has entirely eluded the search of former collectors. 

 Thus the capture of the Varied Thrush in Massachusetts must be 

 regarded purely in the light of an accident — an accident, more- 

 over, which proves nothing beyond the bad taste of the bird in 

 straying to a region so remote and so overrun by collectors of 

 its race ; while the establishment of a fixed fact like that re- 

 cently developed, of the regular seasonal appearance inconsid- 

 erable numbers of Passerctdus princeps along our New England 

 coast, cannot fail to prove of the utmost practical value to the 

 ornithologist, and reflectant of great and lasting credit on the 

 fortunate discoverer. 



In the present state of our available knowledge, however, 

 classifying any newly acquired feathered citizen under either of 

 the above heads, can scaroely fail to prove a somewhat danger- 

 ous and arbitrary committal. Truly, in ornithology, " we know 

 not what the morrow will bring forth ;" perhaps it will be our 

 " accidental visitor" in multitudes; or the bird which we shot 

 yesterday, for the first time, may never be heard from again. — 

 Manifestly the only thing that can be safely done is to "make a 

 note of it," and calmly await future developments. Sage proph- 

 ecy has, however, such temporary charms, that the best of us 

 fail to keep altogether clear of it at times, and it may' not be 

 gainsaid that it has its value — a value, however, that bears al- 

 ways a most close relation to the reliability to its author. It 

 possesses in addition a no small element of luck, and is in some 

 sort a kind of ornithological gambling, where the fate or for- 

 tunes of the participator are decided by the dice-throw of future 

 discovery. 



Of the following five species, two are recorded for the first 

 time in New England ; two are new to the State of Maine, and 

 the last has never been previously taken in Massachusetts. Al- 

 though the temptation to theorize a little on the occurrence of 

 some of them is great, it will be at least more consistent to act 

 in accordance with the philosophy just advanced and simply 

 give the facts, leaving the commentary to future times and wiser 

 heads : 



