On the Presence of an Operculum in the Aspredinidae.— 

 In our "Revision of the South American JNematoguathi n (p. 9) we 

 defined the Bunocephalidae=Aspredinida3 as having no opercle. In 

 this we followed Cope, who separated the Aspredinidae from the 

 remaining Nematognathi by their lack of an opercle. 



We have lately obtained a specimen of Aspredo aspredo Limm-us 

 from the Museum of Comparative Zoology and have re-examined this 

 point. The closer inspection has demonstrated the presence of a 

 minute operculum attached to the upper posterior border of the 

 expanded hyomandibular. It is movable in moist preparations but 

 becomes immovably fixed with drying, which may have led to the 

 original statement. The interopercle is about as large as the opercle 

 and apparently immovably joint (1 to the hyoinan.lihuhir and preopercle. 

 Briihls " Osteologisches aus dem Pariser Pflanzengarten " 1856, contains 

 the only figures published of the skull of Aspredo. Since these figures 

 are inexact in several respects I add a figure of the dorsal aspect of 

 the skull, etc. of Aspredo aspredo.— C. H. Eigenmanx. 



The Barn Owl in Minnesota.— Three barn owls, Strix pratin- 

 cole, were recently taken from a hollow tree near Waterville, Minne- 

 sota and are still alive and in possession of Chas. A. Gray of that 

 place. The fact is interesting since barn owls are scarcely ever found 

 this far north. 



Mr. Gray says, " The birds are as healthy and strong as when I got 

 them. They dislike cats and dogs and make a hissing noise when 

 these animals are near. When alone at night they make the same 

 noise with a gurgling sound. When I talk to them they sway their 

 bodies back and forth like some wild animals in cages. They live on 

 rabbits and birds, are very tame and like to be petted as much as 



As is often the case, these birds have excited considerable curiosity 

 and photographs have been taken and sent to several places. 



— U. O. Cox. 



The Ruffed Grouse in Hudson, Ohio.— This is a small village 

 with an area of two and a half square miles and a population of 

 about 1200. 



Three years ago in September a Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) 

 was observed in the central part of the village feeding upon grapes on 

 a vine covering the top of an apple tree. By common consent, care 

 was taken that it should not be disturbed or frightened. It remained 



