General Notes. 97 



from Massachusetts and one from New Hampshire.* — John Murdoch, 



Eoxhury, Mass. 



Robins' Eggs, Spotted. — My friend, Mr. Oliver Lockhart, of Lake 

 George, early in June, found a Robin {Turdus migratorius) building in a 

 pine-tree near his house. When the nest was completed, and the bird had 

 laid her eggs, he was surprised to find them spotted. One, which he kindly 

 ■sent me, was marked very much like a Scarlet Tanager's (Pyranga rubra) 

 egg, the greater number of spots being at the larger end ; the rest of it 

 was sparingly spotted ; otherwise it was a normal Robin's egg. — A. K. 

 Fisher, Sing Sing, N. Y. 



Some New Traits for the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes 

 erythrocejihalus). — A remarkable instance of foresight in several birds of 

 this species in " looking out for a rainy day ahead " has been communi- 

 cated to me by my friend Mr. G. S. Agersborg of Vermilion, Dakota Ter., 

 and I cannot do better than quote extracts from his letter : " I have for- 

 gotten to mention to you an interesting fact about Melanerpes erythroceph- 

 al IS. Last spring in opening a good many birds of this species with the 

 object of ascertaining their principal food, I found in their stomachs noth- 

 ing but young grasshoppers. One of them, which had its headquarters 

 near my house, was observed making frequent visits to an old oak post, 

 and on examining it I found a large crack where the Woodpecker had in- 

 serted about one hundred grasshoppers of all sizes (for future use, as later 

 observations proved), which were put in without killing them, but they 

 were so firmly wedged in the crack that they in vain tried to get free. I 

 told this to a couple of farmers, and found that they had also seen the 

 same thing, and showed me the posts which were used for the same pur- 

 pose. Later in the season the Woodpecker, whose station was near my 

 house, commenced to use his stores, and to-day (February 10) there are 

 only a few shri\^elled-up grasshoppers left. I have now not seen this bird 

 for over two weeks." 



A similar habit is related of the California Woodpecker {Melanerpes for- 

 micivorus) by Dr. Heermann in California, and Mr. J. K. Lord in British 

 Columbia ; the food in this instance being acorns, which were wedged 

 tightly in crevices, and in some cases the hollow stems of reeds were used.t 

 — H. B. Bailey, New York City. 



Spurious Primaries in the Red-eyed Vireo. — On September 3, 

 1877, At Bar Harbor, Me., I shot a Red-eyed Vireo {Vireo olivaceus) 

 which is curiously abnormal in having well-developed spurious first pri- 



* See note by William Brewster, with references, Bulletin of the Nutt. Orn. 

 Club, Vol. I, No. 4, p. 94. 



t See Baird, Brewer, and EiJgway, History of Birds of North America, Vol. 

 n, pp. 568, 569. 



