1887.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUxM. 663 



four or five yards distaut) I promptly iired a charge of dust-shot from 

 my caue gun at lier, which ouly seemed to surprise her the more, for 

 instead of gettiug away she stupidly remained in the same place until 

 I had fired my pop-gun at her five times, when she tumbled out of the 

 tree dead. The rearmost one-half of the auricular patch was bright 

 orange; the anterior portion a delicate bluish white. Hancock found 

 the bird more or less common in the chaparral near Corpus Christi, 

 where it was breeding. Brown ijotes it as rare at Boerne, but Dresser 

 records it as " abundant throughout the whole mesquite region," and 

 obtained eggs as late as September 23. 



Genus COCCYZUS Vieillot. 



124. Coccyziis americanus (Lixn.). Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 



A bird I did not meet with in Texas at all; probably for the reason 

 that none had arrived from the south at the time of my departure, 

 March 29. Hancock obtained a female, with the nest and five eggs, 

 near Corpus Christi, on April 23, and Dresser states that it is " very 

 common near San Antonio, where it arrives about the middle of April, 

 and immediately begins to build." 



Family ALCEDINID^E. Kingfishers. 

 Geuus CERYLE Boie. 



125. Ceryle alcyon (Lixx.). Belted Kiugfisliei*. 



I saw a few individuals of this familiar species at Corpus Christi and 

 San Antonio. It is doubtless resident at both places. Brown records 

 it as occurring at Boerne, and Dresser found it common " throughout 

 Texas." 



126. Ceryle cabauisi (Tschudi). Texan Kingfisher. 



I did not see this Kingfisher at San Antonio until March 25, when 

 two were seen on the river within the town limits near a large brewery. 

 As they were both out of range of my 22-caliber neither of them was 

 secured. This was the only occasion upon which the species was observed 

 by me. Hancock saw one near Corpus Christi, perched on a telegraph 

 wire, on March 26, but much to my surprise Sennett does not mention 

 the bird in either of his two faunal papers on Texan birds. Brown ap- 

 parently did not find it in Kendall County, and Dresser makes no 

 mention of its occurrence at or near San Antonio. 



Order PICI. Woodpeckers, etc. 



Family PICID^. Woodpeckers. 

 Genus DRYOBATES Boie. 



127. Dryobates pubescens (Lixx.). Downy Woodpecker. 



A female of this species was taken at San Autouio on February 21, 

 and another was seen there on the 27tli. Both were in trees near the 



