58 General Notes. 



The Barn Owl in Maine: A Retraction. — In the Bulletin for Jan- 

 uary, 1S77, p. 28, I added the Barn Owl {Aliico Jfaiiimeus americaniis) 

 to the catalogue of Maine birds, basing the record upon a specimen, which 

 I had examined, in the possession of a taxidermist then of Portland. I 

 very much regret to say that I now believe the account given me of this 

 bird's capture within our state limits to have been false. Several other 

 statements in relation to ornithology have since been made me by the 

 same man, of a character so improbable and with such contradictor^' 

 details that they can only be regarded as wilfully and utterly untrue. 

 Their author has recently left the city under circumstances which dispel 

 anv doubts which may previously have existed as to the reliability of his 

 word. I cannot longer be responsible for a statement emanating from 

 such a source, and wish to formally withdraw the name of the Barn Owl 

 from the list of birds known to occur in Maine. — Nathan Clifford 

 Brown, Portland, Maine. 



The Snowy Owl at Fort Walla Walla, W. T. — On November 

 10, iSSi, one of my men shot here a female of this species {Nyctea scan- 

 diaca), which I have made into a fine skin. I reported the capture of one 

 on December i, iSSo (see this Bulletin, Vol. VI, p. 128), and these two 

 are the only records known to me for the Pacific coast. The occurrence 

 of this species here seems to be much rarer than in the Eastern States. — 

 Charles Bendire, Fort Walla Walla. W. T. 



Capture of the Golden Eagle in Crawford County. Penn- 

 SYLYANIA. — A Golden Eagle (Aqiiila chryaaetiis caiiadoisis) was shot 

 in Rookdale Township this (Crawford) County on December 10. under 

 the following circumstances. A farmer, by the name of Hull, early one 

 morning saw the bird fly from a carcass in his field to the woods some 

 distance oft'. He conceived the idea that it would return to the carrion 

 and at once made a blind of the rails of a fence near by. The following 

 morning he repaired to the blind long before daylight with gun in hand, 

 and, although he was well concealed and waited patiently until nearly 

 noon, no bird put in an appearance. Nothing daunted, however, he 

 repeated the watching on the second morning, and about eight o'clock 

 was rewarded by the return of the bird, which he shot. The eagle was 

 purchased by Mr. Roe Reisinger of our city and is now movinted. It is 

 the first recorded specimen, I believe, of this species taken in this county. 

 The sex I could not ascertain, as the entire contents of the bird's body 

 were drawn by Mr. Hull before bringing it to town, but from the follow- 

 ing dimensions I should judge it to be a young female : Extent, 83 inches ; 

 wing, 24.50 inches; tail, 15 inches. Tail about two-thirds white. The 

 black terminal zone was about four inches deep on outer quills and about 

 one and one-half inches deep on the centre ones. The general color of 

 the bird is brown, with wings almost deep black. The hood extends well 

 down on the nape and is of a light tawny brown, approaching the golden 

 hue probably as much as any of them do. The tarsus is well covered 

 with feathers to the toes. On the whole it is a very clean and perfect 

 specimen. — George B. Sennett. Meadville. Pa. 



