Four of the hoys at the Thomiison Island Institution, 
while at play May 30, discovered a Turkey JUizzai'<l on a 
small spruce tree. They succeeded in knocking it over 
with stones and then captured it. The bird, which 
proved to be a J> , was sent to us by W. W. Hill, 
Thompson’s Island is situated in Boston Harbor, less 
than two miles from the city wharves. The bird was as 
fragrant as the average. 
^ XIV. June. 1885 p. 95 
SaBtem M«sg. M.A.Pra.ar. 
at?s1e“ T wV ^ turke^burt , taken , 
«0 the coUec. : 
SOT. & Stria. April 24. 1800. p.2a8 
Recent Occurrence of the Turkey Vulture in Eastern Massachusetts— 
Messrs. Goodale and Frazar, the Boston taxidermists, have latelv 
mounted a Turkey Vulture which was shot at Essex, Massachusetts, Nov. 
i6, 1S89 The species has been bought for the Essex County collection of 
the Peabody Museum of Salem. There are records of four previous occur- 
rences in tlie State, one by Samuels (Agr. Mass., Secy’s Rep. 1S63, App., 
p. xviii) of two specimens taken in iS6^another by Maynard (Nat. Guide’ 
1S70, 137) of a bird seen in Waltham, August, 1867, and a third by Mason 
(Auk, VI, Jan., 1889, p. 71') of an example shot in West Falmouth, Sept. 9, 
1888. Two supposed “Massachusetts instances,” referred toby Dr. Coues 
in New England Bird Life (II, 1883, 137), have been since shown by Mr. 
llenA (Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., No 7, 1886, 242 (foot-note), to really 
relate to Maine instead of Massachusetts. — William Brewster, Cam- 
bridge, Mass. Auk, VII. A»rii.l» 90 .p. 10 *^- 206 " 
we notice in the April ^ 
p. 214) in a note on the «“""Xe7 has oy-^kecl a 
ture in M assachusetts the writer has over 
Sl^nre in lioston Harboi, o. & <>■ 
(O. & o. Veh XIV, p. 90 ) at that time, 
slioulil he read more carefully. 
O.&o, XV, Apr. 1890 
p 
General IJoteS ’ 
Cathartes aura. — During the latter part of June, 1892, while spending 
a few days at North Truro, I was told that a Portuguese family in the 
village had a living ‘Bald Eagle’ which they had caught slightly wounded. 
My informant assured me that the bird must be a Bald Eagle, for he had 
seen it and had noticed particularly that it had no feathers on its head. 
On looking into the matter I found, as I expected, a Turkey Buzzard. 
The bird had been caught near the boundary line between North Truro 
and Provincetown about June 20, but refused all food and died the night 
before my visit (June 26). It proved to be an adult male in good plumage, 
but had evidently received a charge of No. 8 shot, nearly a dozen of which a / ’ rl ’ 10 a rap on niy 
were lodged in various parts of the body. — Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., ’ says, I have a bird her,^ - T 
Cambridge, Mass. 
Auk: IX, Oct. 1892. o.397 
Brief Notes, 
On Ajiril 20 , in answer to 
, , a bird here ; I 
ou d hke to know what it is.” So we took 
It the bird, which was stuffed into a large 
paper bag with a lot of paper wound around 
his head and throat filled with old rags 
Well to tell the truth, I was stuck for a min- 
ute, but told him I guessed it was a Turkey 
iizzard which proved to be the fact when 
I looked him up. This is the only one I 
ave ever heard of in eastern Massachusetts. 
Have they been taken in this vicinity before ? 
- West Duxbury, Mass. . 
0 .& O.VoLlS, July, 1888 Ptl 07 
