General Notes. 125 



or nine eggs, of a light creamy buff, spotted, often blotched, with reddish- 

 brown and lavender markings, the latter appearing as if beneath the shell. 

 Of some three dozen specimens examined by myself, all have the mark- 

 ings more numerous at the larger end ; on some of them the lavender 

 predominates. 



A tet of eight taken at San Mateo, April 24, 1879, contained small 

 embryos. They measiu-e respectively, 1.70X 1.25, 1.73 X 1.23, 1.75X 1.23, 

 1,77X1.23, 1.68X1.23, 1.70X1.22, 1.63X1.26, 1.69X1.24. The average 

 measurements of thirteen eggs are 1.71 X 1.24. 



The worst enemies they have are the rats which infest the marshes ; 

 the collector will often come upon a nest containing only shells, the con- 

 tents having been eaten by these rodents. — W. E. Bkyant, San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal. 



An Unusual Flight of Whistling Swans in Northwestern 

 Pennsylvania. — An unusual flight of Swans occurred in Northwestern 

 Pennsylvania, on the 22d of last March (1879), Crawford, Mercer, Venan- 

 go, and Warren Counties being the places where they were seen. On 

 the day mentioned, as well as the previous day and night, a severe storm 

 prevailed, the rain and snow freezing as they fell. The Swans, on their 

 migration north, were caught in the storm, and, becoming overweighted 

 witli ice, soon grew so exhausted that they settled into the nearest ^^onds 

 and streams, almost helpless. Generally a single one was seen in some 

 mill-pond or creek ; and the fowling-piece, loaded with large shot, and not 

 unfrequently the rifle, was used to bring to bag the noble game, tliough, 

 considering the plight they were in, in all probability any one might have 

 paddled up to the birds and taken them alive. In fact, in a number of in- 

 stances they were reported as thus taken alive. Large flocks were seen in 

 some districts in the same pitiable condition. In close vicinity of Mead- 

 ville only two, I believe, were taken. Titusville and Oil City, and the 

 intervening eighteen miles up Oil Creek and its branches, seem to have 

 been the points where they were seen in greatest number. A published 

 report from the former place states that " ten or twelve White Swans 

 were captured alive " near East Titusville. The report from the Rouse- 

 ville (three miles above Oil City, on Cherry Run) correspondent of the 

 " Oil City Derrick," states : " A flock of from thirty-three to thirty-five 

 American or Whistling Swans surprised the inhabitants of Plumer on 

 Saturday forenoon by alighting in tlie waters of Cherry Run. One of the 

 Swans was almost immediately shot at and killed, and, to the surprise of 

 the now large crowd of men and boys, the remainder of the flock, on 

 account of the ice accumulating on their wings, was unable to fly, and a 

 general rush was then made for the poor birds, and twenty-five were cap- 

 tured alive by the eager fellows. Some have them yet alive, but many 

 were killed for their feathers and flesh. The remaining eight or ten birds 

 finally managed with great difficulty to arise; — one, however, soon 



