Ge1^eral Notes. 
6 3 
greatly mistaken, Dr. Brewer’s specimen and the bird taken by Welch 
“at Nahant, Nov. 21 , 1875” are identical. — William Brewster, Cam- 
bridge , Mass. 
Notes on the Breeding Habits of the Caspian Tern. — When 
collecting at Cobb’s Island, Virginia, in company with Mr. S. D. Osborne, 
during the past season, we were fortunate in securing two sets of the eggs 
of the Caspian Tern ( Sterna casfiia ), and as our observation of their 
habits agrees so closely with Mr. Ridgway’s account given in the last 
number of this Bulletin (Vol. V, pp. 221-223) I cannot refrain from 
confirming it by some additional evidence. Our first nest was taken, June 
2, on what is known as Wreck Island, and we only became aware of our 
promixity to it by the repeated swooping down towards us of the parents, 
they uttering at each plunge their hoarse, barking cry four or five times 
in rapid succession. The nest was a mere hollow scooped in the sand 
somewhat back from the ridge of the beach, without lining save a few 
fragments of dried sedge stalks, and contained two eggs. The day pre- 
vious, June 1, we had spent on the northern end of Cobb’s Island, fully 
ten miles from this locality, and there we first saw a pair of this species, 
whose actions were entirely similar, but no nest rewarded our search at 
this time. Determined to secure, if possible, another set, we visited this 
locality again June 3, and were rewarded by finding their nest similarly 
situated as our first, and containing also two eggs. This number, I be- 
lieve, with Mr. Ridgway, is their full complement. One of the parent 
birds was secured and its skin preserved. Two pairs were thus breeding 
at the same time, separated by ten miles of beach, over which we had 
passed repeatedly during our stay; and we saw them at no other place or 
time. This is the more remarkable as we were anxious to find a breeding 
colony of Royal Terns ( Sterna regia), and their large size would un- 
doubtedly have attracted our notice. Hence it seems probable that they 
always breed singly. The two sets varied but little in coloration or style 
of marking, much less than is usual among the Sternidoe, those in my 
collection agreeing well with Mr. Ridgway’s description, being oval 
in shape (not pointed at the smaller end), their clayey ground color 
washed with olive and marked with irregular spots and small blotches of 
dark brown and lavender. They are somewhat smaller than his specimens, 
measuring 2.70 x 1.85 inches and 2.65 x 1.80 inches, respectively, and are 
in no wise to be mistaken for any eggs of the Royal Tern that I have 
seen. — R. F. Pearsall, New York City. 
List of Occurrences of North American Birds in Europe. — 
I regret that through an oversight I find it necessary to ask the insertion 
here of the following errata and addenda to my paper on this subject in 
the last volume of the Bulletin and to apologise to Mr. Saunders and to 
the readers of the Bulletin therefor : 
Errata. — Page 143, line 33, of Vol. V, after “ Vaud” insert “ Switzer- 
land”; page 212, line 16, leave out “where the locality is misstated ” ; 
same page, line 18, after “ Harbor” insert “ Saunders, 1 . c. ” ; same page, 
