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BAYLOR UNIVERSITY BULLETIN 



believes in obeying the laws, not only those of the State but also those of common 

 decency and humanity and kills within the limit and then only such birds as can be 

 considered game, I am wilUng to take off my hat and call brother. But for the man (?) 

 who considers Robins, Larks and Mockingbirds fair game, I have absolutely no re- 

 spect. 



The Agriculturists are beginning to suffer for their sin of omission in not shot- 

 gunning the lunk-headed louts who formerly overran their fields and wooded pas- 

 tures, slaughtering for the sake of killing, every living wild thing in sight, and then 

 chucking the contents of their bag in the first trash box on their return home. 



In my day I was too late to witness the great flights of wild pigeons; but I can 

 remember a time when plume birds and other water fowl were myriad in the grassy 

 lagoons of Eastern and Southern Texas, and many of these are soon to be numbered 

 with the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Carolina Paroquet as birds which have recent- 

 ly become extinct! The agency? Man's inhumanity to man and every other mov- 

 ing, living, breathing thing on earth. Of what benefit is a beautiful Heron, a curious 

 Snake Bird, an ungainly Pelican? — I am asked. Of what benefit is a flower — a 

 weeping willow — a tiny cascade — a rugged hill? Merely something natural for us 

 to gaze upon and reflect on the greatness and goodness of Him who created every- 

 thing and on the insignificance of man who created nothing but selfishness and van- 

 dalism and whose principal aim seems to be to reduce to dust, every beautiful thing 

 before its time. 



As this is merely a prehminary list, I have made no attempt to append a com- 

 plete bibliography. I have consulted every book or paper containing a reference to 

 a Texas bird that was in any way accessible to me. In its preparation I have made 

 liberal use of the ranges of many species as outlined in Mr. Ridgway's monumental 

 work on the Birds of North and Middle America. (Parts I-II-III-IV.) 



In the case of species recorded from the trans-Pecos country, I have as a rule 

 used the notes of Oberholser and Bailey in preference to my own, as they were first 

 on the ground. In most instances I have followed the arrangement used in the A. 

 0. U. Check-List as to family divisions but in the case of the Passerine birds I have 

 faithfully followed Ridgway as I consider him the greatest living authority on our 

 Avi-Fauna. I am a little doubtful of the status of some of the recently described 

 subspecies, but if the splitters (and they are in the majority at the present time) are 

 willing to accept these as vahd races, I must bow in deference to their superior dis- 

 crimination. 



For a description of the physical characteristics of the different regions of the 

 State, I will refer the reader to Mr. Vernon Bailey's excellent report on the Biological 



