i88 3 .] 
General Notes. 
119 
229. Grouse [Cupidonia cupid o\ on Martha's Vineyard. By S. C. C. 
Ibid.-, XIX, No. 18, p. 344, Nov. 30, 1882. 
230. Death of Mr. Willis's Quail. Ibid., XIX, No. 18, p. 345, Nov. 
30, 1882. — Note from Mr. John J. Willis, of Westfield, N. J., announcing 
the death of his domesticated Quail [ Oytyx virginiana~\ with an autop- 
tical report on the dead birds by the editor [G. B. Grinnell]. (See above, 
No. 220.) For a further note on the same subject see Ibid., No. 20, p. 384, 
Dec. 14, 1882. 
231. The Boston Anti-Sparrow Crusade. Ibid., XIX, No. 18, p. 345- 
— Reprint of a letter by Wilson Flagg to the Boston “Transcript” of 
Nov. 18, with an introductory note by Dr. Elliott Coues. The formation 
of a society for the extermination of Passer dotnesticus urged. 
232. The Pine Siskin. Chrysomitris pinus. By Dr. Elliott Coues. 
Ibid., XIX, No. 19, p. 364, Dec. 7, 1882. — General history of the species, 
with cut of Pine Finch and of American Goldfinch. 
233. The New Zealand Bird Nuisance . By “M.”, Wellington, New 
Zealand. Ibid., XIX, No. 20, p. 384, Dec. 14, 1883. — The principal 
offender is the English House Sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) whose rapid 
increase and ravages are recounted. It is estimated that they annually 
destroy grain to the value of $66,600. 
234. Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley. By W. W. Cooke. 
Ibid., XIX, No. 20, p. 384, Dec. 14, 1883. — A digest of observations made 
by Mr. H. A. Kline of Vesta, Neb. 
235. Strange Hawks' Nests. By T. S. Roberts. Ibid., XIX, No. 26, 
p. 505, Jan. 25, 1883. — In Central Dakota, composed of buffalo ribs. 
V 
(Stittral |Totcs. 
Probable breeding of the Winter Wren ( Anorthura troglodytes 
hiemalis ) in Eastern Massachusetts. — Mr. George O. Welch tells 
me that a pair of Winter Wrens once passed the breeding season in a 
hemlock grove near Lynn. He first noticed them about the middle of 
May, when their actions led him to suspect that they were preparing to 
breed. During subsequent visits — which extended well into June — he 
rarely failed to hear the song of the male, and frequently its mate^would 
be seen hopping in and out among some holes under the hemlock 
roots. He feels sure that they had a nest in one of these holes but all 
his efforts to discover it proved fruitless. At length, about the 10th of 
June, he shot both birds, thus definitely settling their identity. 
The authenticity of the above facts is open to no doubt. They do not 
prove, of course, that these Wrens actually nested, but such an inference 
is, to say the least, highly probable. Assuming it granted, the occur- 
