104 . Mexican Notes. [ ZOE 
in the mangroves, and that one also I shot after careful stalking. 
The boy ran to get it, and brought it in with evident admiration of 
the stranger’s gun. I gave him a medio for wading after the birds, 
or for his appreciation, perhaps, and then as it was beginning to 
rain I went home, although the boy tried earnestly to show me 
more birds. Another day I got in this vicinity several specimens of 
a wading bird that is called ‘‘lagoon bird” by the people. It is 
glossy brown, has a corneous comb at base of bill, placed across in- 
stead of lengthwise as might be expected, and a hooked claw or 
spine at elbow of each wing; it is quite a showy bird in flight, as 
the under side of its wings are bright salmon color, and when it 
alights after a flight it holds its wings erect a moment or two as if pur- 
posely to show the lovely color. The use of the formidable spines 
upon its wings I am unable to surmise, as my observations failed to 
give any information. The birds were walking about on the aquatic 
plants feeding, were rather wild and difficult to approach, requiring 
careful stalking. The bird is a Jacana, I believe. | regret that it is 
impossible here to give the names of the various objects of interest 
as I go along, but determinations have not yet been received, espec- 
ially of the plants, so the technical names must be deferred till the 
close of these notes, when a complete list will be given, if possible. 
The next day was like the preceding, cloudy, and late in the day, 
rainy. In the morning, with press and gun, I went to the first foot- 
hill upon the mainland, several miles from the city. These hills 
are clothed with brush and small deciduous trees, no evergreens 
being seen. One tree was in bloom with large white flowers which 
at first I mistook for white-breasted birds ; the ground beneath 
was covered with the fallen blossoms, which apparently last but a 
day. The limbs were thick and very brittle, almost falling of their 
own weight. I climbed to get the best flowers for specimens, and 
narrowly escaped a disastrous tumble, the large limbs breaking 
without warning. The tree is called palo blanco,’’—white wood— 
and is so soft and pulpy that a large tree will quite rot away and 
disappear in a few months, if cut down. Cattle and horses are im- 
moderately fond of the blossoms. In the densest part of this thicket 
I surprised a pair of large gray night birds, resembling the goat- 
sucker; a quick shot brought down one, but the other I did not get 
till another day, when I came purposely after it. I was quite taken 
aback to come across, in this dense shade and upon a cloudy day, 
