General Notes. 
59 
The Swallow-tailed Kite in Dakota. — On November 14, 1881, 
when a short distance west of Jamestown, Dakota Territory, I saw several 
Swallow-tailed Kites (. Elanoides forjicatus ) flying around apparently in 
search of food. The day was clear and the Kites were much separated ; 
one even was seen alone skimming along an alkali lake, showing every 
indication of searching for food. On November 17, farther to the west, 
about midway between Jamestown and Bismark, near the line of the 
Northern Pacific Railroad,' I saw some fifty more of these beautiful birds, 
but this time in a flock, and each movement being common with them all 
it was a glorious sight. The weather had changed from that of the 14th, 
and was now cloudy with a brisk wind from the northwest, accompanied 
at times by a slight shower of rain, but this change they seemed to enjoy. 
So easily did they ride the storm, so beautiful were their evolutions, so 
much at home did they appear in mid-air, that when they had passed out 
of sight I was pained, for in this northern latitude such a sight is of very 
rare occurrence. — D. H. Talbot, Sioux City , la. 
A Remarkable Specimen of the Pinnated Grouse ( Cufiidonia 
cufiido'). — While overhauling some Grouse in the Boston markets a few 
years since I came across a specimen which exhibits the following peculi- 
arities of plumage : 
Adult $ (No. 2691, author’s collection, Boston Markets, February 27, 
1873 — said to have come from Iowa). Ground-color above warm, brownish- 
cinnamon. Shorter neck-tufts or pinnate coverts, bright reddish-brown. 
Breast, reddish-chestnut, becoming almost clear chestnut anteriorly. A 
band or collar of broad, stiff feathers extends continuously around the 
neck in front and across the lower portion of the jugulum about in a line 
with the neck-tufts. These feathers although less stiff than the longest 
ones in the neck-tufts, are nevertheless quite as much so as the shorter ones. 
They make a conspicuous ruff which is mainly black mixed with a good 
deal of reddish-chestnut. The latter color on the shorter and overlapping 
feathers occurs in the form of narrow central stripes, which in some cases 
ai*e nearly orange in tint; on the longer ones as a more or less broad, 
lateral marginning. 
I offer the above description solely for the purpose of calling attention 
to this remarkable specimen for I am entirely at a loss to account for its 
peculiarities. Several who have seen it have suggested that it may be a 
hybrid between the Prairie Hen and the Ruffed Grouse, but this hypothesis 
seems hardly a probable one, inasmuch as none of the combined charac- 
ters w r hich would be expected in such an offspring are here presented. 
The ruff does indeed remotely suggest that of Bonasa , but otherwise 
the bird shows all the well-marked structural characters of Ctipidonia. 
To simply say that it is abnormal will hardly satisfy the numerous inves- 
tigators of this pushing age of inquiry.— William Brewster, Cambridge , 
Mass. 
Wilson’s Plover (Mbgialites wilsonius ) in New England. — Mr. W. 
A. Stearns sends me a letter from Mr. ArthurS. Fiske, dated Gurnet, 
Conn., Ang. 22, 1877. “This morning I shot a bird of this species on 
