240 ZOOLOGY. 
was previously noted, upon the strength of a specimen observed 
by me in August, 1871, in Richland Co., Illinois (see AMERICAN 
Narvraist, vii, April, 1873).— Roserr RIDGWAY. 
Avirauna of Cotorapo anb Wyom1nc.—Our genial critic 
(Amer. Nar., vii, 631) unintentionally misconstrues the sentence i 
of ours which he selects as a point of attack. We said, in illus- 
tration of a stricture we passed upon the paper he edited, that 
“such birds as Geococeyx Californianus and Pipilo mesoleucus find — 
themselves in ornithological company they never saw outside ofa 
book.” Dr. Brewer makes us out to mean by this, that these two 
birds are not found together except on his list, and then proceeds 
to rebuke our supposed ignorance in a kindly and cogent way. 
But we lived a long while where these two species occur together, 
and were perfectly aware of such occurrences ; what we meant was, 
that these were two birds which.were placed on the list among 
certain other species with which they were not elsewhere found — 
` associated; thereby demonstrating the point of our objection, — 
namely, the incongruity of the Holden-Aiken list as edited by 
Dr. Brewer. Thus our criticism remains in force, while the point = 
of Dr. Brewer’s reply disappears. — ELLIOTT COTES., a 
Tue Oxtve-siwep Frycatcner.—Mr. Merriam (in your Des 
No.) forgets that this bird was first noticed by Mr. John Bethune, 
at Mt. Auburn, near Cambridge, Mass. The first specimen 
that Audubon ever saw was shot by him in company with 
in this town (Brookline) about 18385, A year or two later I found 
here the nest, with eggs, and have since seen the species, from 
time to time, generally in secluded woods abounding in pie 
pine, like the once lovely but now desolate spot where it was 
discovered. —J. E. CABOT. 
A REMARKABLE PECULIARITY OF CenTROCERCUS UROPHASIANU 
A peculiarity of this species, which I have not seen noti 
its stomach, instead of being hard and very muscular as in 
Gallinacea, is soft and membraneous, like that of the bird 
prey. This was first told me by hunters in Nevada, and Ł 
wards satisfied myself of the truth of their statement that 
sage hen ‘thas no gizzard,” by dissecting & § oe 
individuals. This bird is never, known to eat grain, but 
sists almost entirely upon green leaves of Artemisia 
rrasshoppers — ROBERT RIDGWAY. e 
snopp 
