General Notes. 
55 
Navarro Co., Texas, by a correspondent of the National Museum, Mr. J. 
Douglas Ogilby, who has kindly forwarded me the following particulars, 
with permission to send the same for publication in the Bulletin. 
“ I shot the specimen on a small lake or rather pond in the Trinity River 
bottom, and surrounded everywhere with dense timber. When I first saw 
it it was sitting on a branch close down to the mud on the edge of the lake, 
and on being disturbed only flew a few yards to another similar resting 
place. It was very tame, and from the thickness of the undergrowth of the 
place I could only shoot from a few yards distant from it, so that it was 
frightfully cut up by the shot. The head, however, was perfect, and at once 
on lifting it I was struck by the curious, sharply-ridged bill. It was a male, 
and measured, total length, 5.65; wing, 2.72; tail,. 2.18; tarsus, 0.72 ; mid- 
dle toe, 0.66; bill, 0.64. The upper parts were brownish-green, tinged 
with reddish on head and wings ; below light greenish-yellow, tinged with 
ashy on sides ; bill dark brown above, light at base ; legs and feet flesh- 
color; irides brown ; graduation of quills, 3, 2, 1-4-5* It was in company 
or at least in the same clump of bushes, with some Prothonotaries. — 
Robert Ridgway, Wcishmgton , D. C. 
Notes on the Habits of the Cliff Swallow (. Petrochelidon luni- 
frons ). — Within my collecting grounds is a locality where numbers of 
these birds have nested for many years. This is a shed, open only on one 
side, where the birds have attached their nests to the sleepers of the loft. 
In the spring of 1878 they returned about the usual time and soon began 
repairing old nests or constructing new ones. One day, while watching 
them, I noticed one bird remained in her half-finished nest, and did not 
appear to be much engaged. Soon a neighbor, owning a nest a few 
feet away, arrived with a fresh pellet of clay and, adjusting it in a satis- 
factory manner, flew away for more. No sooner was she out of sight than 
the quiet bird repaired to the neighbor’s nest, appropriated the fresh clay 
and moulded it to her own nest ! When the plundered bird returned, no 
notice was taken of the theft, which was repeated as soon as she was again 
out of sight. I saw these movements repeated numerous times, but was 
called away, and when I again returned both nests were completed. 
In the same place a nest remained undisturbed, and was occupied bv 
probably the same pair of birds for several seasons. This spring they 
returned to the old nest, and all appeared prosperous, until one day I 
noticed a number of Swallows engaged in walling up the entrance of this 
old nest. This, and the outline of a new nest over the old, was soon com- 
pleted. I then broke open the closed nest and found within the dead body 
of a Swallow. This bird had probably died a natural death, and the friends 
being unable to remove the body, and knowing it would soon become 
offensive, adopted this method of sealing it up. — F. H. Knowlton, 
Brandon , Vt . 
Another Capture of the Loggerhead Shrike in Massachu- 
setts. — Although the Loggerhead Shrike is now known to breed regu- 
larly at certain points in the northern New England States, the records of its 
