Mr. II. E. Dresser on the Birds of Southern Texas. 41 



time I was there. Near San Antonio also I shot several late 

 in the autumn of 1863. 



Gallinula martinica (Linnaeus). Martinico Gallinule. 



Dr. Heermann had the skin of one, shot near San Antonio. 

 It is said to be rather common than otherwise on the Brazos 

 and Colorado Rivers. 



The following notes on the Natatores will, I fear, be found 

 very meagre ; but I had so little chance of observing the birds 

 belonging to this Order, that I must offer that as my excuse. 

 I spent my winter far in the interior; and even during the 

 summer my visits to the coast were few and far between, con- 

 sisting only of two trips from Matamoras to the Boca del Rio 

 Grande in July and August 1863, and of two visits to Galveston 

 Island in May and June 1864, spending altogether a week at 

 the latter place. 



I would gladly have passed a portion of the winter at Mata- 

 moras; for, if half the tales about the vast quantities of sea- 

 fowl found during the winter at the Boca Grande are true, it 

 must be difficult to find a more suitable place to collect wild- 

 fowl ; but I was compelled to remain inland during the whole 

 winter. However, as it was, I took every opportunity of exa- 

 mining the waterfowl that were brought into San Antonio 

 during the winter, and spent what time I could spare in shoot- 

 ing at MitchelFsPond — a small lake not far from San Antonio, 

 and a great place of resort for waterfowl during the winter. 



Cygnus, sp. ? 



Swans are not uncommon near Brownsville during the winter ; 

 and a friend who remained there during the winter shot one, 

 and gave me the skin of its breast, thinking I wanted it for the 

 sake of the down. I am, of course, unable to say whether the 

 species was C. americanus or C. buccinator. 



?Anser hyperboreus, Pallas. Snow-Goose. 



In November I saw several large flocks of what I believe to 

 have been this species at Mitchell's Pond. It is said to be very 

 common during the winter on the coast. 



