124 General Notes. 



lower part of the body. The alternate shade and light thus produced upon 

 the pure white of the breast and abdomen seen against the October blue 

 of the sky presented a remarkably interesting view of a living panorama. 

 Occasionallv the clear, shrill whistle of the leader was sounded, and in the 

 quiet air of the morning was heard at a distance of more than a mile. 

 — Elisha Slade, Somerset, Mass. 



The Harleqjjin Duck and the Glossy and Wood Ibises in South- 

 ern Illinois. — In looking over the additions I made last year to my col- 

 lection of birds, I find there are three that may be of interest to the readers 

 of the Bulletin. The first I will mention is the Harlequin Duck {Ilis- 

 trionicus torquatus), a specimen of which was shot by Mr. Sybold, in a 

 small lake in Illinois (Marion County), seven miles from St. Louis. The 

 bird was in company with a Hock of the Lesser Scaup Duck (Fuligula 

 alii ii is ). 



The second species is the Glossy [bis {Plegadis falcinellus) , a fine male 

 of which was shot by Mr. Sybold, February 27, 18S0. at the small lake 

 already mentioned. It was shot from a Hock of three, flying northward, 

 two of which fell but only one was secured. 



The other species is the Wood Ibis ( Tantalus loculator), which was 

 very plentiful here last year. I counted about fifty of these birds at one 

 place, namely, on an island in the lake already alluded to. They were 

 resting on some high sycamores and could be seen at a long distance. 

 About noon they circled about high in the air. They remained here 

 throughout the month of August, but all disappeared about the 5th of 

 September. — Julius Hurter. St. Louis. Mo. 



The White-winged Gull {Larus leucopterus) in Massachusetts. — 

 Although this species has been included in various local lists of our birds 

 as a rare winter visitor, there appears to be no very explicit record of its 

 capture in this State, or at least no recent one. It may therefore be of 

 interest to state that we procured an immature specimen oft' the Boston 

 Milldam on the 31st of January, 1880. It was in company with another of 

 the same species and from twenty to thirty Herring Gulls. — E. A. and 0. 

 Bangs. Boston^ Mass. 



The Caspian Tern in California. — The National Museum possesses 

 two specimens of this bird from California. One of these was shot at 

 Stockton, in December, 18S0, by Mr. L. Belding, and is in immature plu- 

 mage ; the other came from Woodward's Gardens. San Francisco, and was 

 obtained in exchange from another party. The label was inscribed ••Sterna 

 regia. Shore of California." This is also a winter specimen, but is in 

 adult livery. — Robert Ridgway. Washington. D. C. 



The Short-tailed Tern {Hydrochelidon nigra) in New England. — 

 In former numbers of this Bulletin I have repeatedly insisted that the Short- 

 tailed Tern is a much commoner New England species than writers have 

 been willing to admit. This opinion has been greatly strengthened by the ex- 

 periences of the past season(i88o), for, in addition to a number of specimens 

 which were received by the Boston taxidermists from various points along 



