AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 73 



ROAD^RUNNER. 



A. O. U. No. 385. ((Jeococoyx californianas.) 



RANGE. 



Southwestern United States, including the southern portion of Cali- 

 fornia, southern Utah and Colorado, southwestern Kansas and western 

 Texas. They are quite abundant throughout the greater part of their 

 range. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length, about 24 in.; tail, 11 in.; extent about 20 in.; eye, dark brown; 

 bill and feet, dark horn color, the latter rather lighter and sometimes 

 more yellowish then the former. 



Adults. The entire plumage has a somewhat coarse and scrawny ap- 

 pearance, and the feathers on the head and neck have a wiry texture. 

 The crown has a crest of black. General color above is a dark lustrous 

 greenish black changing to a dark steel blue on the head and neck. 

 The edges of the feathers on the wings and tail have the appearance of 

 being badly worn, leaving a whitish fringe-like edge. Breast, throat 

 and sides mixed with tawny-white and black. Under parts a dull white. 



The outer tail feathers are broadly tipped with white, as are the pri- 

 maries and secondaries. 



NEST AND EGGS. 

 The Road-runner places his rude domicile in low trees,_ in the branch- 

 es of a cactus or other thorny tree. The nest is clumsy and nearly flat. 

 The eggs are deposited at intervals of several days and may be found 

 in all stages of incubation, from fresh eggs to newly hatched chicks. A 

 complete set of their eggs varies in number from five to eight or some- 

 times more and they are laid from the first part of April till the latter 

 part of May. They are white or buft'y wh'.te and nearly smooth. 



HABITS. 



This bird, called by the Mexicans "Paisano," "Snake-killer" and 

 "Chaparral Cock" is certainly one of the most comical of birds, both in 

 looks and actions, with its extraordinarily long tail and legs. 



Its iiiquisitiveness, habit of flirting its long tail and wings, and ap- 



