FPtlNGILLID.K — THE nNTIIES. 97 



the United States were observed 1)V Captain McCf)\vn of the V. S. Ainiv. 

 at liin^'<j;<)ld IJairaeks, in Texas. Sinee then it has l>een })n)euied l>y several 

 of tlie naturalists aeconi|»anying the government expeditions. It was ob- 

 tained in New Leon, Mexico, by Lieutenant L'oueh ; in Texas, by Major 

 Emory ; in Texas and at HI I'aso, by Lieutenant Parke. 



When tirst seen, in ^bireh, in the State of Tamaulii)as, by Lieutenant 

 Couch, it was in tioeks, very shy and ditlieult of ap])roaeh. It did not occur 

 much in open tields, but seemed to prefer the vicinity of fences and bushes. 

 It was often seen in company with the c(»mmon Cardinal. 



Dr. Keimerly found this bird quite al»undant in the vicinity of El Paso, 

 bvit did not ( bserve it elsewhere. It kept "generally in tlocks of from three 

 CO six, frequenting the hedges and fruit-trees in the vicinity of houses. It 

 became very restless when a])proached, tlying from branch to branch and 

 from tree to tree, uttering its peculiar note with great vehemence. 



Dr. ileermann met with the first specimen of this bird in a dry canon, a 

 little to the east of the crossing of San Peilro liiver. It was perclied on a 

 bush, seemed wearied and lost, and was prol)ably a wanderer. No more were 

 seen until he reached El Paso. There he found it everywhere among the 

 hedges and trees, and continued to meet with it occasionally on his road, 

 until his party left civilization behind. It erects its crest as it moves active- 

 ly about in search of food, jind utters at intervals a clear, plaintive whistle, 

 varied by a few detached notes. 



Mr. Dresser considers this species rather a straggler from ^lexico than as a 

 Texan bird. Near Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras he found it abundant, but 

 it became scarce as soon as he travelled a few miles into Texas. He saw none 

 north or east of the Leona. He was told that (quantities breed near Eagle 

 Pass, and he saw not a few in cages that had l>een reared from the nest. 

 He found it a shy bird, and dittlcult to shoot. AVhen followed, it tlies about 

 uneasily, perching on the top of some high bush, and erecting its long crest, 

 uttering a clear, plaintive whistle. Sometimes it would take to tlie thick 

 brushwood and creep through the bushes so that it was imi)ossible to get a 

 shot at it. On the Lower Kio (h-ande it was of unconmion occurrence. He 

 noticed a single pair near Matamoras in August, ISC-i. 



Cai)tain McCown, in his account of this species, published by Cassin, 

 writes that, so far as seen on the Rio Grande, this handsome species appeared 

 to have a strong partiality for damp and bushy woods. So lar as he observed, 

 it never ventured far from the river. He was under the im])ression that this 

 bird remains in Texas all the year, having met with it so late in the fall and 

 again so early in the spring, that, if not constantly resident, its migrations 

 must be very limited. He describes it as a gay, spriglitly bird, generally 

 seen in company with others of the same species, frequently erecting its 

 crest and calling to its mate or comrades. It is rather shy, and not easily 

 approached. In its voice and general habits it apjjeared to him very similar 

 to the common species. 



VOL. II. 13 



