102 General Notes. [April 



occurrence of such strangely abnormal specimens should be a warning to 

 those who would impugn certain 'lost' species which, it has been claiined, 

 have existed only in the imagination of their describers. — William 

 Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. 



Breeding of the Mockingbird near Boston, Mass. — On August 15, 1883, 

 my brother, Mr. W. J. Townsend, shot two nearly full-grown Mocking- 

 birds {Mimus J>olyglottus) at Arlington, Mass. He found them in a small 

 thicket near a meadoAV, in company with an old one and two other young 

 ones, which, however, he was unable to secure. The two he obtained were 

 young birds, quite well feathered, their wings fully grown, but their tails 

 decidedly shorter than in the adult. Later I made frequent excursions to 

 the same and neighboring places, but did not succeed in discovering the 

 rest of the family. On inquiry I learned that a farmer of the place, who had 

 lived down in the South and was familiar with the Mockingbird, had seen 

 one several times during the early part of the summer near his house, 

 and heard him sing. 



There seems, therefore, no reason to doubt that a pair of these birds 

 bred at Arlington. Mr. William Brewster tells me there are no records of 

 the breeding of the Mockingbird in Eastern Massachusetts, but the fact of 

 their breeding several times near Springfield, Mass., is well known. — 

 Charles W. Townsend, Boston, Mass. 



Dendrceca coronata in Southern New Hampshire in Summer. — On June 

 25, 1883, I shot an adult male of this bird in Hollis, N. H. It was in 

 company with several broods of Z>. virens, etc. — William H. Fox, Wash- 

 ingto7i, D. C. 



Nest and Habits of the Connecticut Warbler (^Oforornis agilis~). — 

 A few miles south of Carberry, Manitoba, is a large spruce bush, and in 

 the middle of it is a wide tamarack swamp. This latter is a gray mossy 

 bog, luxuriant only with pitcher plants and Droserae. At regular distan- 

 ces, as though planted by the hand of man, grow the slim straight tama- 

 racks, grizzled with moss, but not dense, nor at all crowded; their light 

 leafage casts no shade. They always look as though they were just 

 about to end, though the swamp really continues for miles — the same dank, 

 gray waste. 



At times the Great-crested Flycatcher was heard uttering his whistling 

 croak. Besides this the only noticeable sound was the clear song of a 

 Warbler. It may be suggested by the syllables, beecher-beecher-beecher- 

 beecher-beecher-beecher. It is like the song of the Golden-crowned 

 Thrush, but differs in being in the same pitch throughout, instead of 

 beginning in a whisper and increasing the emphasis and strength with 

 each pair of notes to the last. Guided by the sound, I found the bird high 

 in the tamaracks. It was not shy like the Wood Warblers, so it was easily 

 secured. It proved to be a male Connecticut Warbler. 



As I went on, a small bird suddenly spi-ang from one of the grave-like 

 moss-mounds. It seemed distressed, and ran along with its wings held 



