July, 1892.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



107 



where he chirped angrily but stopped when his 

 late pal looked toward him. 



As I wended my way nearly due north, 

 through tlie thinly settled suburbs, a flock of 

 Bronzed. Grackles {Quiscaliis quiscala aniens) 

 flew swiftly eastward to their distant feed- 

 ing grounds and near by, hidden in the 

 dense foliage. Orchard Orioles (Irtenis 

 S2nirius) quarrelled in the trees tiiat border 

 the grass-grown lane. 



Farther on, in the post-oak woods. Painted 

 Buntings (Passerina ciris), Blue Jays {Cyano- 

 citta cristata) and Crested Flycatchers 

 (Mi/lnrchus crinitus) were feeding together, a 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker {Melanerpes caro- 

 linus) hammered away at an old, live oak stub 

 and a low, moaning sound came from a dense 

 elm thicket to the right. When I approached 

 the thicket the sound died away and a male 

 Road Runner (Geococcyx californianus) dashed 

 ott' through the trees, leaving the female to 

 protect her eggs or run as she felt inclined. 

 She chose the the latter course and taking a 

 flying leap from her nest she i-eached the 

 ground thirty feet away and (quickly dis- 

 appeared in the underbrusli. 



The nest was an old Mocking-bird's, repaired 

 and enlarged to suit its present owners. It 

 was in an elm tree, eight feet up and contained 

 only one egg so I left it for a complete set. 



Just in front in the mesquite thicket that 

 borders the prairie, the merry, jumbling song 

 of a Bell's Vireo {Vireo helln) directed my 

 steps to wliere the pretty, little pensile nest 

 was swinging in the fork of a horizontal 

 mesquite limb. It contained three eggs, faint 

 pinkish white, irregularly speckled with 

 reddish-brown. 



To the north the prairie stretches out as 

 far as the eye can see and trees aie few 

 and far between. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers 

 {Milvulus forficatus) and Orchard Orioles have 

 taken i^ossession of most of the nesting places 

 and some of the former have commenced to 

 build their nests. Dickcissels {Spiza anier- 

 icana) were perched on the barbed wires and 

 their monotonous notes, chip-zerp, zerp, 

 zerp ,chip-ip, zerp, zerp, zerp, zerp, were 

 pleasing though somewhat harsh. Turning 

 westward, I made my way through the tall 

 prairie grass towards a group of live oaks, 

 behind which the cedar-clad, limestone hills 

 rose one behind the other, until they were 

 lost in the hazy distance. At my feet a 

 muddy, sluggish creek bordered by high, rank 

 weeds, flowed lazily through the rich, black, 

 waxy, prairie soil. Among the bright green 



weeds and water grasses that bordered it and 

 marked its course from a distance. Western 

 Blue Grosbeaks (Guiraca ccerulea eurhyncha), 

 Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) and Field 

 Sparrows (Spizella pusilla) were con.spicuous. 

 A single Solitary Sandpiper (Totanus soli- 

 tarius) standing by the edge of a marshy pool 

 looked the embodiment of silence and 

 thoughtfulness. Overhead a flock of Dwarf 

 Cowbirds {Molothrus ater obscurus) were 

 wheeling, and, borne by the cool north wind, 

 the mellow notes of the Red-winged Blackbirds 

 [Afjelaius phmniceus) were wafted down from 

 the willow grove at the head of the creek. 



In the hackberry trees which grew at 

 irregular intervals along side the fences, 

 Kingbirds {Tyrannus tyrannus) were numerous, 

 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Dickcissels 

 hovered over abandoned fields ovei-run with 

 Johnson grass, while countless Cliff Swallows 

 (Petrochelidon lunlfrons) skim over the prairie 

 in search of in.sects. 



As I entered the live oak grove that borders 

 Shoal Creek, a Mississippi Kite {Ictinia Missis- 

 sippiensis) sailed slowly away, two Yellow- 

 breasted Chats (Icteria virens) held an ani- 

 mated conversation right in front of me, but 

 prudently kept out of sight and a Baird's 

 Woodpecker (Bryobates scalaris Bairdi) was 

 searching for insects high up in. the knotty 

 trunk of the oak tree. The rocky sides of the 

 creek were lined with hundreds of Mourning 

 Doves {Zenaidura macroura), who had come 

 for miles to enjoy the shade and water. 

 Before I came in sight they took alarm at the 

 indignant chirping of Cardinals {Cardinalis 

 cardhialis) and noisily flew away in company 

 with a Green Heron {Ardea vb-escens) that 

 stood on one leg in the water for hours. I 

 took a drink from the clear, limestone spring 

 that bubbled up close by the side of a deep, 

 still pool, and walked on through a fleld of 

 corn where Texan Bobwhites {Colinus virgin- 

 ianus texanus) and Western Meadow Larks 

 {Sturnella neglecta) were whistling merrily. 

 In a telegraph pole by the side of the railroad, 

 Plumbeus Chickadee (Parus carolinensis 

 agilis) had its nest, but to my disappointment 

 it contained young birds. Deep in the 

 recesses of thick, low cedar brakes. Cardinals 

 and Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra) were 

 numerous, but a rarer bird is here and its low, 

 sweet notes, cher-weasy, weasy, weah, were 

 heard on every side. Slipping up to a tree 

 where one was singing, I took careful aim and 

 brought him down. As he laid on his back 

 with his wings half spread, the rich golden- 



