54 General Notes. 



Illinois. He speaks of it as more common during its migrations, and re- 

 cords the capture of a fine specimen near Chicago, in May, 1876. He 

 believes it to be a common summer resident upon the prairies of the west- 

 ern part of the State (Bull. Esse.x Inst., VIII, p. 111). Dr. H. A. Atkins 

 has reported the occurrence of quite large flocks of neglect a at Locke, 

 Ingham Co., Mich., during October, 1878 (see this Bulletin, IV, p. 123). 

 In all probability, var. neylecta mixed with var. magna will be found to 

 occur with more or less frequency to the extreme eastern limit of the 

 prairie districts, but with its distinctive characteristics rather less strongly 

 pronounced than on the arid plains further westward. — J. A. Allen, 

 Cambridge, Mass. 



Chordiles popetue minor in Florida. — Just after sunset on 

 May 1, 1879, as we were rowing down the Homosassa River, in Florida, 

 about six miles above its entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, our attention was 

 attracted by probably a thousand " Night-Hawks," sailing and twisting in 

 their usual manner in pursuit of insects, at a height of from fifty to a 

 hundred and fifty feet above the water. This continued until very 

 late in the evening. AVe observed the same the next evening and pro- 

 cured a few specimens. They seemed small ; but we thought them all to 

 be Chordiles popetue until, upon dissection, finding some females to have 

 white throats and one a pale rufous throat, Ave were puzzled, and sent one 

 to Mr. G. N. Lawrence, of New York. Mr. Lawrence says that, on com- 

 parison with his specimen of Chordiles from Cuba, he found it to be 

 identical with Chordiles minor of Cabanis. He also informs me that this 

 species was obtained in Florida by Mr. Maynard. The note of these birds 

 is scarcely different from that of C. popetue, except that it is perhaps a 

 little feebler. — Greene Smith, Peterboro', Madison Co., N. Y. 



[In Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway's " History of North American 

 Birds " (Vol. V, Appendix, p. 520) occurs the following reference to Mr. 

 Maynard's specimens : — 



" Chordiles popetue var. minor. Specimens from Miami, Florida, col- 

 lected by Mr. Maynard, agree very nearly with typical examples of var. 

 minor from Cuba, both in size and color, and possibly should be referred 

 to that race. A male (7414, Mus. C. J. M.) measures: wing, 7.00; tail, 

 4.15. The colors are those of var. joo/je/we, with less rufous than in the 

 single specimen of minor with which it has been compared." 



Mr. Lawrence, in referring to Mr. Smith's specimen in a letter to the 

 writer, says, " I found it to agree precisely with a female in my collection 

 sent me by Dr. Gundlach, from Cuba," and adds, that, as " this appeared to 

 be a more positive case " than those mentioned as taken by Mr. Maynard in 

 the above-given extract, he advised Mr. Smith to have his examples re- 

 corded in the Bulletin. Mr. Maynard, it may be added, makes no refer- 

 ence to this small race in his " Birds of Florida," in treating of this 

 species, although pale examples resembling var. henryi are noted (see 

 Ft. Vm, p. 199). — J. A. Allen.] 



