^°Sy8^J General Notes. 1^-^ 



Birds Nesting under Electric Arc-light Hoods. — The fact of the arc- 

 li<;ht lioods hcin<r utilized foi- nesting purposes is common to most every 

 city or town where this type of lamp is used. The House Sparrow 

 {Passer doinesiictis) was no doubt the first bird to adopt them, and sub- 

 sequently the Purple Martin {Progne subis) ; this is quite a common 

 occurrence through southern New Jersey. But there jet remains another 

 species, the fact of which may be new to ornithologists, which I observed 

 at Atlantic City, N. J., about July, 1892. 



The Friends' Meeting House, corner of Soutli Carolina and Pacific 

 Avenues, has been used as a breeding place by a colony of Barn Swallows 

 {C/iclidoii erythrogastra) for a number of years, building their nests on 

 top of the caps of the pilasters around the outside of the building. 

 While watching their movements from the veranda of a cottage on the 

 opposite side of the street, I noticed a Swallow fly out from under an arc- 

 light hood which stood above the sidewalk. From the frequent trips to 

 and fro, the nest I thus discovered no doubt contained young. — 

 J. Harris Reed, Beverly, N. J. 



The Use of Hornets' Nests by Birds. — Miss Elizabeth A. Simons of 

 East Clifton, Delaware Co., Penn., has in her possession a large hornet's 

 nest, which was taken from a pear tree, in the vicinity, 'by her brother. 

 A neat hole had been excavated in its side, directly under the comb, 

 about tW'O and one half inches in diameter, with quite a good-sized cavity 

 inside, which was bedded with slender fall-grasses and lined with body 

 feathers from fowls. Upon inquiry they were not certain of its true 

 occupants, but from a careful examination I would judge it to be a 

 freshly built nest of the House Sparrow {Passer domesticus). It is to be 

 regretted that it had not been found by a more careful observer. 



This is the second occurrence of the use of hornets' nests by birds, 

 which has come under the writer's notice, the other instance being a 

 House Wren (Auk, Vol. VI, p. 339). — J. Harris Reed, Beverly, N.J. 



Some Corrections. — In 'The Auk,' Vol. XII, pages 191 and 192, are 

 some notes on Upper Peninsula Michigan Birds by the writer, which are 

 here corrected. 



The specimens of supposed Yellow-headed Blackbirds taken by me, 

 have later been identified as " heavily marked fall specimens of the Rusty 

 Blackbird, Scolecophagus carolinus" by Prof. W. B. Barrows. This does 

 not affect the specimen taken by E. E. Brewster of Iron Mountain, Mich., 

 Avhich is a true Xaiithocephalus xaiithocefhalus. 



Also the Connecticut Warlslers have been identified by Dr. C. Hart 

 Merriam as Geothlypis trichas, which they very closely resembled in this 

 the first fall plumage. — Oscar B. Warrex, Hibbing, St. Louis Co., 

 Minn. 



