A Critique of Barrows' " Michigan Bird Life." 33 



list, says : " Not uncommon during the migrations." In the 

 1881 list he says : " MigTant, not common." And in his 

 latest compilation, 1904, he writes, " Recorded first in Co- 

 vert's list of 1875. Dr. Gibbs, in his list of 1879, c[uestioned 

 the correctness of this record, but the bird has since proven 

 to be a common summer resident at suitable localities through- 

 out the lake regions of the state." It will be noticed that in 

 each of these lists the statements regarding the bird are to- 

 tally at variance. Careful search at the University of Mich- 

 igan Museum reveals no mounted specimen labelled Michigan 

 or any catalogue entry; th re is, however, a mounted bird 

 from Nebraska in the collection. 



7. Soinateria dresscri. Eider Duck. — The eider duck is 

 included as a Michigan bird by Barrows as follows : " Dr. 

 Gibbs says that W. E. Collins, of Detroit, wrote him, in 1883, 

 that he had one specimen in his collection (a young male 

 showing white traces), taken on the Detroit River in Decem- 

 ber, 1882." There appear to be few, if any, authentic records 

 of this bird on the western Great Lakes, and a number of 

 specimens labelled as this species have proved, upon exam- 

 ination, to be 5^. specfabilis. Collins is known to have pro- 

 cured the latter bird, and the above evidence is too meagre 

 to entitle the eider duck to a place in the Michigan fauna. 



8. Branta canadensis hntchinsn. Hutchins' Goose. — The 

 claim of Hutchins' goose to a place in the Michigan fauna is 

 still unproven, although it probably has been taken here. The 

 late W. E. Collins, a taxidermist in Detroit, wrote Morris 

 Gibbs that he " had it, taken at the St. Clair Flats." The 

 writer recalls having examined years ago a goose formerly 

 belonging to the old Detroit Scientific Association, labelled 

 as this species, which was mounted by Collins. This bird 

 was a small Canada Goose, and may have been the basis of 

 the above record. It would be well to treat Hutchins' goose 

 as hypothetical until a more satisfying record is available. 

 The species seems to be a rare one in the region of the Great 

 Lakes. 



9. Elanns Icncurus. White-tailed Kite. — Barrows writes 



