242 General Notes. [October 



connection with the graj until it is separated from the bill by a very light 

 line of pure white feathers encircling the base of the bill. The chin and 

 throat patch are uniform umber brown. Feet and tarsi black. — D. H. 

 Talbot, Sioux City, Iowa. 



Description of the Nest and Young of the Pygmy Owl {Glau- 

 cidiu77i gnotna). — During vay absence from Fort Klamath, between June 

 9 and 24, 1SS3, one of my men accidentally found the nest of this Owl 

 on June 10. It was in an old Woodpecker's hole in a live aspen, about 

 twenty feet from the ground. The cavity was six or seven inches deep, 

 and filled for about half the distance with feathers of various species of 

 birds. When opened by me it contained four young, which I took to be 

 about ten days old. They were feeding on a Chipmunk {Tamias asiaticus 

 totunsendi ) which was still warm. One of the parents — the female — was 

 also secured at the same time. The tree in which the nest was found 

 stood in an open, exposed position, within ten yards of one of the butts 

 of our target range which is in daily use. Although I searched carefully 

 for pieces of the egg-shells I failed to find any. 



The plumage of the young is as follows : Top and sides of head and 

 neck dark ash, unspotted; rest of upper parts dark reddish-brown or 

 brownish-chestnut; wings spotted with ochraceous ; beneath white with 

 reddish-brown along the sides and numerous longitudinal streaks of dull 

 black on the breast and belly; an ill-defined band of dusky across the 

 throat; sides of the throat pure white. — Charles E. Bendire. U. S. A., 

 Fort Klamath., Oregon. 



The Bald Eagle fishing. — A few days ago, while driving by a creek 

 that makes in from the Penobscot River, I noticed a Bald Eagle circling 

 around high in air, above the creek. Presently he began to descend in 

 slow spirals, and I could plainly see that he spied some object in the water, 

 for he bent his neck downward and partly extended his legs; then taking 

 a wide circle he suddenly darted down obliquely and stretching forth both 

 legs to their full length trailed them for several feet along the surface, 

 finally making a quick thrust with the right foot and seizing a small fish 

 near the head, bore it away. It was plain that he saw the fish from the 

 first and circled onlj' for the purpose of getting behind it and approach- 

 ing unseen. Altogether it was the best peice of sti'l-hunting I ever saw. 

 and it is the first time I have seen an Eagle catch a fish. — Manly Hardy, 

 Bre-wer, Maine. 



A Flock of White Herons {Herodias egretta) in Eastern Massa- 

 chusetts. — Eight of these birds paid a visit to the salt marshes in the 

 town of Quincy in August last, and on the 23d of that month Mr. Geo. H. 

 Bryant succeeded in shooting one. I saw the mounted bird in the shop of 

 P. W. Aldrich, Washington St., Boston, and it was a handsome specimen. 

 The flock was much harassed bv gunners, and another Heron is reported to 



