156 THe WiLtson BULLETIN—NOos. 76-77. 
Riley saw a very dark bird pass almost directly overhead at 
Fall Church, Va. He informs me that he had a fairly good 
look at it, and that it had some white on the breast, but ap- 
peared to be very dark otherwise; whether upon being shot 
it would be as dark as it appeared, it would be hard to say. 
Worthen mentions one specimen from Minnesota, of a solid 
dark umber, showing dark bars on tail and primaries; and 
Seton another collected by A. Calder, Apr., 1907, Winnipeg, 
Manitoba, sex not stated; fortunately, however, | am able to 
give descriptions of perfect specimens of both male and fe- 
male : 
Male—Portage la Prairie, Mana., May 30, 1900; coll. 
Geo. E. Atkinson. It was found in company with another 
in normal plumage which was not collected. This specimen 
was in excellent plumage, entirely sooty black and very dark 
brownish, except the light tail bars. The entire head, above 
and below, is as dark as the breast. Length 16.00 (406). 
Wing 11.00 (279). Tail 6.50 (165). Atkinson ms. 
Female.—Crystal Lake, Hancock Co., Iowa, May 3, 
1883, No. 107,427 U. S. National Museum. Collected by J. 
W. Preston. “Plumage of head, neck and body, entirely 
continuous dark sooty brown, without the faintest indication 
of markings even on the lower tail-coverts or lining of wing; 
back darker, with a chalky cast in certain lights. Wings 
similar to the general plumage, but somewhat lighter brown, 
on account of paler, but not well defined, borders of feath- 
ers; secondaries lighter brown than coverts, without a trace 
of markings except near the end, when crossed by a broad 
dusky subterminal band and very narrow paler terminal mar- 
gin; primaries uniform dusky brown on outer webs, grow- 
ing gradually blackish terminally, inner webs of the three 
outer quills chiefly white anterior to their margination (the 
portion near the shaft brownish), the white crossed by sey- 
eral very distinct but irregular bands of blackish; inner 
webs of remaining primaries and also of secondaries brown, 
with a greater or less number (according to the length of 
the feather) of dusky bands, the webs mottled with whitish 
