368 ZOOLOGY. 
Bon. is entitled to a place in the United States Fauna, ‘on account 
of two specimens in New Jersey, captured, at long intervals; and 
one or two seen by Mr. Audubon in the South-west ;” but no 
mention is made of this species we have taken here in New Jersey, 
being found farther north than Texas, where it is quite abundant. 
We have already called attention to the fact of New Jersey 
being ‘‘a sort of neutral ground in the matter of geographical 
distribution ;” and the occurrence of this southern flycatcher is 
an additional proof of the fact ; the more so, because it was taken 
when the weather was chiily, and during a spring more backward 
than any for the past twelve years. It might perhaps have been 
easier to account for the presence of this bird had the season 
been far advanced, or had a southerly wind or storm prevailed for 
a week or ten days previously ; but the very opposite of all this 
had been in reality the case. — CHARLES C. ABBOTT. 
Hasirs or tHe Youne Cucxoo.— Mr. Hugh Blackborn, of 
Glasgow, Scotland, has published an account of a remarkable 
contest witnessed between the young of the cuckoo and of the 
common meadow pipit or titlark. The nests contained two 
pipits’ eggs and one cuckoo’s, the former of which were hatched 
first. Within forty-eight hours after the hatching of the cuckoo, 
it had expelled both the pipits from the nests and on their 
being replaced struggled about till it got its back under one of 
them, when it climbed backwards directly up the open side of the 
nest, and pitched the pipit from its back on to the edge, finally 
forcing it off. After this had been done several times, the pipits ; 
were at length found dead and cold, and when they bi then 
replaced the cuckoo made no effort to eject them. The s! ap : 
part of the affair is that the cuckoo was perfectly naked and plind, 
while the pipits had well-developed quills on the wings and oe 
and had bright eyes partially open; yet they seemed ape : 
which looked amu" — 
gh perfet 
the nest, a 
less under the manipulations of the cuckoo, 
less developed creature. Each time, the cuckoo, thou 
blind, made with unerring certainty for the open side of 
the only part where it could throw its burden down the bank 
which the nest was placed.— A. W. B. s 
s Orton in bS- 
ec., 1869, page ao 
of the North 
Great Aux (Alca impennis).— Professor Jame 
article on the Great Auk, Awerrcan NATURALIST, D 
540, says : —** Once very abundant on both shores 
