ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 83 



tends even on the sides. Middle tail-feathers like the back ; others brown 

 above, and tipped with white in increasing amount, till the outer ones are 

 white for half an inch ; tail below black, with the white tips, as just said. 

 Under tail-coverts pure white. In general habits, the bird is quiet and 

 not readily alarmed ; it associates with the White-wiiiged Doves (Me%je/ia 

 leucoptera), and prefers tall trees to undergrowth." 



I sent my correspondent's letter to Mr. Ridgway, who kindly compared 

 the description with specimens of Leptotila alhifrons in the National 

 Museum, and made this identification. — Elliott Coues, Washington, D. G. 



Melopelia leucoptera in Colorado. — Mr. E. L. Berthoud, writing 

 from Golden, Col., March 7, 1877, informs me of the occurrence of this 

 species near timber line on the head of Cub Creek, Jefferson County. He 

 saw a dozen or more of the birds — rare in this region — in July, 1869. 

 This verifies my surmise (Birds of the Northwest, p. 386) of the actual 

 occurrence of the sjiecies beyond hitherto recorded limits. — Elliott 

 CouES, JFashington, D. C. 



The Ruff and the Purple Gallinule in Ohio. — Dr. Theodore 

 Jasper, of this city, obtained, November 10, 1872, at the Licking Reser- 

 voir, thirty miles east of Columbus, a Wader which remained uniden- 

 tified till recently. I was of the opinion that it would prove to be either 

 Philomachus pugnax, or a nondescript. On communicating my views to 

 Mr. H. W. Henshaw, of Washington, he kindly offered to compare the 

 specimen with others in the National Museum. He writes that the bird, 

 which was a male (probably young), is positively identical with specimens 

 of that species in the collection of the National Museum. 



I have also just received from my friend, Dr. Howard E. Jones, a fine 

 skin of the Purple Gallinule {Porphyrio martinica), killed by him at Circle- 

 ville, Ohio, May 10, 1877. This bird is now recorded for the first time, on 

 unimpeachable authority, as a visitor to this State. Dr. Jones tells me that 

 it has been seen before in the vicinity of Circleville. In my Catalogue of 

 the Birds of Ohio (Ohio Agric. Rep., 1860), it was inserted on what I after- 

 ward discovered to be insufficient authority, and for that reason it was 

 omitted from a subsequent list (Food of Birds, etc. 1875). I have several 

 times been favored with reports, and once or twice with skins, presumed 

 to be of this species, which proved, however, to be those of the Florida 

 Gallinule, which is not a rare summer resident throughout the State. — 

 J. M. Wheaton, Columbus, 0. 



Notes on Nyctale Acadica. — Although not generally common in 

 any locality, the Acadian or Saw-whet Owl has been of quite frequent 

 occurrence in Chicago and immediate vicinity during the past three years. 

 A female of this species in my collection was caught alive while sleeping 

 on one of the lower branches of a pine-tree, June 23, 1874. In July of 

 the same year three adult specimens were shot by a boy, who saved only 



