THE OSPREY. 49 



AN ALBINO VESPER SPARROW. 

 By K. W. Williams, Jr., Tallahassee, Florida. 



While hunting live <»r six miles east of this city on the 22d day of January, 

 .902, I shot an all)ino Vesper Si)arrow. The bird was feedin<^ on the groiirxl 

 vith several others of the same species and when flushed took refuge in a 

 lear-hy pine, from which it was taken. Unfortunately I had no shot smaller 

 han number 8 and the two penetrations, one in the back and the other in the 

 "undament, so mutilated the specimen that I was unable to skin it nicely, 

 ;hough I made an efiort to do so and progressed rather satisfactorily till the 

 sternum was reached. Here I found a hard scab of some proportion and the 

 ikin was so closely attached to this scab that in my effort to remove it the skin 

 was badly torn and ultimately ruined. Otherwise the body of the bird was in 

 jxcellent condition. The remiges were much worn and but two rectriccs 

 remained. The only spots whatsoever, to sull}' the otherwise immaculate 

 plumage were a few tiny dusky flakes confined to the frons. 1 sent the speci- 

 men to Mr. Ridgway who confirmed my identification. 



THE THICK-BILLED REDWING. 



A NEW BIRD RECORD FOR IOWA. 



In the Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Science, Vol. iii, p. 

 153, April 1901, Mr. Robert Ridgway described Agelaius phjeniceus fortis. 

 Be states (1. c.) "Similar to A. p. phmticevs, but decidedly larger, with bill 

 relatively much shorter and thicker; adult females, adult males in winter, and 

 immature males similar in coloration to the same of A. p. sono/'iensis but dis- 

 tinguished by very different measurements. Breeding range unknown, but 

 svidently somewhere in the central portion of North America, during migra- 

 tion occuring in Maintoba, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indian Territory, (Illinois, 

 rarely or casually), and westward to and including the Rocky Mountains, and 

 southward to Arizona, northern Chihuahua, New Mexico, and western Texas," 

 rhe type was collected by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt at Omaha, Nebraska. 



Mr. Ridgway has kindly examined the specimens of Redwings in my collec- 

 tion and pronounces the following A. p. fords or Thick-billed Redwings: 

 No. 659. Skunk Riv. 10 m. S. of Burlington, la., Oct. 13, 1895, r? ad. 

 " 662. " " " " 12, 1895, c? juv. 



'< 663. " " " " 12, 1895, ? ad. 



" 667. Henderson Co., 111., Mch. 12, 1893, d" ad. 

 «' 668. Mayfield, Ky., Dec. 15, 1894, J a<l- 

 Evidently all migrants. — Babt.sch. 



