122 
General Notes. 
[April 
usually seen in September specimens. They were feeding in company 
with Redpolls ( Mdgiothus linaria ) and Goldfinches ( Chrysomitris tristis ) 
among some rank weeds in an old field. Their crops were filled with 
seeds. The ground, at the time, was partially covered with snow and the 
weather cold. There is, apparently, no previous record of the occurrence 
of this species in winter, in Massachusetts. — Henry M. Spelman, 
Camb ridge. Mass. 
An unusual Influx of the Three-toed Woodpeckers ( Pico'ides 
arcticus and P. americanus) into Eastern Massachusetts. — I am 
indebted to Mr. George O. Welch for the following interesting notes. 
Some time in the summer of i860 a fire swept through a piece of heavy 
white pine timber in Lynn, killing most of the trees. In the natural 
course,of events the charred trunks became infested with wood-borers, 
and during the following winter (1860-61) the place was a favorite resort 
of various kinds of Woodpeckers. In what manner the news of the 
feast was advertised in the remote forests of the North is not explained, 
but certain it is that with the first cold weather both species of Pico'ides 
appeared on the scene. Of P. americanus only three specimens were 
actually taken, a female by Mr. Welch, and a fine pair by Mr. N. Vickary. 
P. arcticus , however, was actually abundant, and remained through the 
entire winter. Mr. Welch often saw as many as six or eight during a 
single visit to these woods, and numerous specimens were killed and 
preserved. Most of the individuals seen were females, the yellow-crowned 
males being comparatively rare. Since 1861 only two Three-toed Wood- 
peckers (both P. arcticus) are known to have been taken in Lynn. 
There is nothing novel in the fact of these Woodpeckers assembling 
in numbers in a tract of recently-burned timber; indeed Pico'ides arcticus 
is rather notorious for this habit. But how the knowledge of such an 
attraction could have been conveyed so far as it must have been in the 
present instance is little short of marvellous. We commend the problem 
to the attention of those ornithologists who refuse to believe that there 
is anything “mysterious” in the periodical movements of certain migra- 
tory birds. — William Brewster, Cambridge , Mass. 
The Barn Owl in Canada West. — Mr. T. Mcllwraith, of Hamilton, 
informs me of the capture of Aluco jiammeus pratincola in that locality 
on the 9th of May,' 1882. The bird is new to that place, if not to Canada. 
— Elliott Coues, Washington, D. C. 
Capture of Richardson’s Owl ( Nyctala tengmalmi richardsoni) 
near Providence, R. I. — A beautiful male specimen of this species 
was taken east of this city and brought to us by a milkman, Dec. 18, 
1882. As it passed through several hands before reaching us we could 
not ascertain just where it had been killed, but think it must be accredited 
to Massachusetts, as it was in all probability taken in Seekonk, where the 
man lives who brought it to us. As the Massachusetts line runs but two 
miles east of this city, this is almost beyond doubt a Massachusetts record. 
— F. T. Jencks, Providence , R. /. 
