General Notes. 63 



greatly mistaken, Dr. Brewer's specimen and the bird taken by Welch 

 "at Nahant. Nov. 2r. /Sjj," are identical. — William Brewster. Cam- 

 bridge. Mass. 



Notes ox the Breeding Habits of the Caspian Tern. — When 

 collecting at Cobb's Island, Virginia, in company with Mr. S. D. Osborne, 

 during the past season, we were fortunate in securing two sets of the eggs 

 of the Caspian Tern {Sterna casfiia), and as our observation of their 

 habits agrees so closely with Mr. Ridgway's account given in the last 

 number of this Bulletin (Vol. V, pp. 2 2 1-223) I cannot refrain from 

 confirming it by some additional evidence. Our first nest was taken. June 

 2, on what is known as Wreck Island, and we only became aware of our 

 promixity to it by the repeated swooping down towards us of the parents, 

 thev uttering at each plunge their hoarse, barking cry four or five times 

 in rapid succession. The nest was a mere hollow scooped in the sand 

 somewhat back from the ridge of the beach, without lining save a few 

 fragments of dried sedge stalks, and contained two eggs. The day pre- 

 vious. June 1, we had spent on the northern end of Cobb's Island, fully 

 ten miles from this locality, and there we first saw a pair of this species, 

 whose actions were entirely similar, but no nest rewarded our search at 

 this time. Determined to secure, if possible, another set, we visited this 

 locality again June 3. and were rewarded by finding their nest similarly 

 situated as our first, and containing also two eggs. This number, I be- 

 lieve, with Mr. Ridgway. is their full complement. One of the parent 

 birds was secured and its skin preserved. Two pairs were thus breeding 

 at the same time, separated bv ten miles of beach, over which we had 

 pa>sed repeatedlv during our stav; and we saw them at no other place or 

 time. This is the more remarkable as we were anxious to find a breeding 

 colony of Royal Terns {Sterna regia), and their large size would un- 

 doubtedly have attracted our notice. Hence it seems probable that they 

 always breed singlv. The two sets varied but little in coloration or style 

 of marking, much less than is usual among the Sternidce, those in my 

 collection agreeing well with Mr. Ridgway's description, being oval 

 in shape (not pointed at the smaller end), their clayey ground color 

 washed with olive and marked with irregular spots and small blotches of 

 dark brown and lavender. They are somewhat smaller than his specimens, 

 measuring 2.70 x i. 85 inches and 2.65 x 1.80 inches, respectively, and are 

 in no wise to be mistaken for any eggs of the Royal Tern that I have 

 seen. — R. F. Pearsall, New York City. 



List of Occurrences of North American Birds in Europe. — 

 I regret that through an oversight I find it necessary to ask the insertion 

 here of the following errata and addenda to my paper on this subject in 

 the last volume of the Bulletin and to apologise to Mr. Saunders and to 

 the readers of the Bulletin therefor: 



Errata. — Page 143, line 33, of Vol. V, after " Vaud" insert " Switzer- 

 land"; page 212. line 16. leave out "where the locality is misstated " ; 

 same page, line lS, after " Harbor" insert " Saunders. I.e. "; same page, 



