I/O Nehrling 071 Birds oj Southeastern Texas. 



not know. Thej remain silent during daytinic, and commence their 

 peculiar cries soon after dusk of evening. Tlie eggs are laid on tiie bare 

 ground in drj places, and are commonly well hidden by thick shrubbery. 

 In the dry woods near Spring Creek they are common, but not in the wet 

 wooded tracts near Houston. 



no. Chordiles popetue Bd. Nighthawk. — Seen in very large 

 numbers. I saw thousands during a cloudy, rainy day in the early part 

 of May, near the borders of woods. They all soon disappeared. 



111. ChoicIile.s acutipennis texeiisis Ridgiv. Texan Nighthawk. 



— A regular but somewhat rare summer sojourner. Differs from the pre- 

 ceding in many respects. They are more retiring in their habits; they 

 also sail very low over ponds and pools of water, where myriads of insects, 

 especially mosquitoes, abound. Four to six are often seen together, flying 

 quite near each other. I never heard them utter a sound, and do not know 

 where they breed, but I think they have their nests on the shrubby bor- 

 ders of woods, where they are most commonly to be observed when flying. 

 They are readily distinguishable from their near relatives, our familiar 

 northern Nighthawk, hy their peculiar, low, and quiet sailing, and also by 

 their smaller size. 



112. Campephilus principalis Gray. Ivory-billed Woodpecker. 



— Very rare; I have found it only in the large and dense pine forests in 

 the northern part of Harris County and in Montgomery County far from 

 human habitations. Very shy and not easy to approach. 



113. Picus villosus Linn. Hairy Woodpecker. — Frequently seen 

 during winter, but only a few times during the breeding season. 



114. Picus scalaris Wagl. Texas Woodpecker. — Tliis beautiful 

 little Woodpecker is quite numerous in all wooded districts; it comes often 

 during winter into the gardens of Houston, and is then very unsuspicious. 

 I can give no particulars about its nesting habits, as I have never found 

 a nest. 



115. Picus piibescens Linn. Downy Woodpecker. — Common; 

 breeds in all wooded districts, but is by no means so abundant as I have 

 found it to be in Wisconsin. 



116. Picus borealis Vieill. Red-cockaded Woodpecker. — The 

 Picus qiicruhis of Wilson is resident in all the large pine woods; it is very 

 shy, restless, and noisy. The male is very wary during the breeding 

 season, and every pair has its own limited breeding range. I discovered a 

 nest in an old high pine stump, but it was out of reach. These birds are 

 not rare in heavily wooded districts. I never have seen one in the decid- 

 uous woods. 



117. Sphyropicus varius Bd. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — 

 Winter resident from November to March, and then not uncommon. 

 Always seen singly. 



118. Hylotomus pileatus ^li. Pileated Woodpecker. — Common 

 resident in all the wooded tracts, in the "post oak" as well as in the bot- 

 tom and pine forests. A very noisy species ; its drumming is almost as 

 loud as that of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. It is not a shy and retiring 



