I 98  Screntific Soczetzes. [April 
the remainder being English Sparrows. Mr. Sennett spoke also of hay- 
ing obtained at Erie, Pa., a few birds interesting as found in that locality. 
Among them a Caspian Tern (Sterza tschegrava) ; Horned Larks (Ocfo- 
corts alpestris praticola), breeding; Shrikes (Lanizus ludovictanus), 
breeding, and Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum passert- 
nus), breeding. 
Mr. John N. Drake mentioned finding parasites resembling grains of 
rice among the feathers of eight specimens of Red-headed Woodpecker 
(Melanerpes erythrocephalus) taken by him in Sullivan Co., N, Y., last 
summer. 
December 7, 1888.—Mr. George B. Sennett, President, in the chair. 
Mr. Frank M. Chapman presented a paper entitled ‘Notes on the 
Mniotiltida of Englewood, New Jersey.’ Dendroica discolor is the only 
species lacking of the thirty-two which naturally should be found there. 
Dendroica tigrina and Geothlypis philadelphia have been taken each 
once; Dendroica vigorstd and Dendroica castanea each twice. The three 
Helminthophila leucobronchialzs captured have been recorded in ‘ The 
Auk.’ Twelve species are summer residents. Careful observations made 
upon Geothlypis formosa, a rather uncommon species at Englewood, 
show it to bea bird of peculiar song habits. A male was watched for 
several hours and during this period he was never silent more than three 
quarters of a minute at a time, uttering his marked five, six, or seven 
rapid notes every twelve seconds with wonderful regularity. This was 
early in June, 1886. A week later the same bird was in his usual haunts; 
but at a later visit he was doubtless oppressed by family cares, and sang 
very little. The nest with young of another pair of these birds was found 
in a bush near the ground by Mr. Chapman and Mr. C. B. Riker and was 
exhibited. Of special note is the capture of a breeding female Helmzn- 
thophila ruficapilla on June 16. It was not known to nest so far south. 
Commenting upon this paper Mr. Dutcher said that Dexdrotca discolor 
was a common bird on the north shore of Long Island; Dexdroitca vig- 
orstt fairly common there and restricted to the pines. 
There was some discussion about ants annoying birds, but whether 
they caused the birds to desert their nests and then attacked their eggs 
and young or only attacked them after they had been deserted, was not 
demonstrated. 
Mr. Foster spoke of a ‘‘barrel-ful” of birds killed by striking the Statue 
of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island, New York Harbor, the night of October 
8, 1888. He saw but a small portion of them. 
Dr. C. Slover Allen showed photographs of the nest ofa Purple Galli- 
nule (Jozornis martinica) and its surroundings taken by him at Lake Har- 
ris, Florida. 
December 21, 1888.—Mr. George B. Sennett, President, in the chair. 
Mr. J. A. Allen spoke upon the Tyrannide and exhibited numerous 
specimens, largely from South America and the West Indies. This group 
is a very difficult one tostudy and its literature is scattered and unsatisfac- 
tory, although Sclater’s ‘Catalogue’ of the family, recently issued, is in 
