100 Brewster 07i the Black-Ccqjped Vireo. 



males, were obtained by Dr. Woodhouse on the 26th of May, 1851, 

 near the source of the Rio San Pedro in Southwestern Texas. About 

 three years later a third, also a male, was shot in the same locality 

 by Mr. J. H. Clark, one of the naturalists of the Mexican Boundary 

 Commission. Still a fourth, probably a female,* the date of whose 

 capture has not been recorded, was taken at Mazatlan, Mexico, by 

 Colonel A. J. Grayson. Upon these data alone our knowledge of 

 the species has until very recently rested, and the Black-capped 

 Vireo, with Baird's and Leconte's Buntings, and several other birds, 

 seemed in a fair way to be assigned a permanent place among the 

 lost species. In this Bulletin for January, 1879, however, Mr. 

 Deane brought the species once more to the front by an interesting 

 announcement of the capture of three Texas specimens, which were 

 taken by Messrs. George H. Ragsdale and W. Norris in April and 

 May, 1878. Shortly after the appeai-ance of Mr. Deane's note on 

 this species^ Mr. Edmund Ricksecker of Nazareth, Penn., wrote 

 me that he had received two sets of the eggs of the Black-capped 

 Vireo, wliich he felt sure wei'e correctly identified, and that a friend, 

 Mr. W. H. Werner of South Bethlehem, Penn., had still a third set, 

 together with the nest and both parent birds. Knowing well from 

 past experience Mr. Ricksecker's thorough reliability in such mat- 

 ters, I at once obtained from him one of these sets, which, with the 

 nest, is now in my collection, and will pi-esently be considered in 

 detail. In reply to my further inquiries, Mr. Ricksecker informed 

 me that all these nests had been collected in Comal County, Texas, 

 in May, 1878, by Mr. Werner and a gentleman with whom he was 

 at the time staying, and who*, during a residence of several years in 

 Texas, has collected for Mr. Ricksecker many rare eggs and nests. 

 The latter's name I am for obvious reasons requested to withhold. 

 Mr. Ricksecker, however, very kindly put me in communication 

 with Mr. Werner, who has answered all my inquiries in a very full 

 and satisfactory manner, leaving no doubts in my mind as to the 

 correct identification of these Vireo's nests. 



1 am also indebted to him for the following interesting account 



* Since the above article was written I have examined all Mr. "Werner' .s speci- 

 mens of the Black-capped Vireo, and find that there is no obvious difference be- 

 tween the sexes. Several females, whose sex was determined by careful dissec- 

 tioUi have the head-markings as dai'k and strongly ilefined as the males. Mr. 

 Ridgway informs me that he is now doubtful whether the Mazatlan .specimen 

 really belongs to this species. 



