124 General A'otes. 



G. frater cuius, instead of ashy as in G. canadensis, and in the color of the 

 wings. In G. canadensis the edge of the wing and the primaries are 

 phimbeoiis brown, scarcely darker than the general color, with the shafts 

 of the primaries white. In G. fraterculus the alula, edge of the wing, and 

 the primaries are decidedly black, while the shafts of the primaries are 

 intense shininc/ black. The naked portion of the head is fully one third 

 less in G. fraterculus than in the other, the feathered portion extending 

 forward centrally as far as the middle of the orbits, instead of ending far 

 behind them. 



Dr. Palmer's specimen appears to be nearly adult, or to have at least 

 nearly completed its first moult, there being only here and there a 

 brownish-tipped feather indicative of immaturity. It is certainly mature 

 so far as size is concerned, as the date of capture (February 23j would 

 alone sufficiently indicate. 



Dr. Palmer's note accompanying the specimen gives the species as a 

 " winter resident " at the locality where it was taken. Whether the 

 species is of frequent occurrence within the United States remains to be 

 determined ; yet, if at all common, it seems strange that it should have 

 escaped the notice of the recent collectors, who have so thoroughly ex- 

 plored Southern Texas, Southern New Mexico, and the adjoining portions 

 of Arizona, but less so when we take into account the difficulty of capture 

 of these wary birds, and the fact that, if seen merely at a distance, the 

 species might easily be mistaken for the larger G. canadensis, and its ac- 

 quisition not considered of special importance. — J. A. Allen, Cambridge, 

 Mass. 



NoTKS ON THE Habits of Rallus obsoletus, with a Description 

 OF its Eggs. — I have found these birds abundant, at all seasons of the 

 year, on the salt marshes of Oakland, San Mateo, and other marshes that 

 are partially covered by the highest tides. At such times they may be 

 shot by the dozen, as they sit upon floating drift-wood, the dead body of 

 an animal, a fence, or, in one instance, a railroad bridge, from which they 

 would not fly until nearly run into by an approaching train. Their tame- 

 ness at all times, especially during the high tides, is remarkable. If 

 obliged to fly, they start from either land or water as readily as a Duck. 

 They swim well ; but when wounded and closely pursued, they dive, and 

 hold on to the marsh grass beneath the water to keep from rising. 



The birds are close sitters, and not easily flushed ; but wlieu once 

 started, they seem to fly as long as they have the power, sometimes 

 alighting in the middle of a slough, as though unable to reach the opposite 

 bank. The only note that I have known them utter is a harsh cackle, 

 frequently heard at night. They commence breeding in April, selecting 

 a high piece of marsh ground, usually on the bank of a slough, beneath a 

 species of Composilce common to the marshes. The nest is composed 

 wholly of dry marsh grass, loosely laid together ; here they deposit eight 



