Cbe Warbler 37 



of civilization, the time spent here was the most interesting and happy of 

 my life — in spite of moccasin snakes and tarantulas, scorpions and center- 

 pedes, coyotes and outlaws. Throughout the year bird-life was exceedino-ly 

 abundant. The beautiful and always very conspicuous Swallow-tailed Kite 

 made its appearance here by the middle of March, not becoming abundant, 

 however, until the first days of April. At this time of the year spring is well 

 advanced. The procession of flowers in woodland and prairie is a glorious 

 one, far surpassing anything I have seen in other parts of the country. At 

 the arrival of the Swallow-tailed Kite the air is full of music. The notes 

 of the Meadow Lark resounds from the grassy prairies and fields. The jubil- 

 ant song of the Mockingbird, the sprightly lay of the Painted Bunting and 

 the characteristic chant of the Orchard Oriole are constantly heard. The 

 tangled thickets re-echo with the songs of numerous Cardinal Redbirds. 

 Many strange notes arrest our attention, — among them those of the White- 

 eyed Vireo, of the Tufted and the Carolina Titmouse, of Bewick's Wren and 

 the Pileated Woodpecker. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers chase each other 

 through the air in wonderfnl swiftness. And to all this we must add the 

 bright sunshine, the balmy air filled with fragrance, and hundreds of little 

 things new to the Northern eye. Associations of bird and plant life are 

 wonderfully developed in Texas and they impress the mind of the nature 

 lover deeply and lastingly. I can scarcely think of the Swallow-tailed Kite 

 without calling back to mind those grand bottom woods and flower bedeck- 

 ed prairies, with their numerous inhabitants. When I first saw the 

 Swallow-tailed Kite I was struck with its beauty and elegance. Three or 

 four were sailing through the air in easy curves, appearing like gigantic Barn 

 Swallows on account of their long forked tails and pointed wings, and not 

 unlike them in flight. The pure white color of the underside and head, and 

 the deep bluish-black of the wings, tail and back, contrasts wonderfully 

 against the clear, deep blue sky — much deeper and bluer here in the South 

 than farther North. I often observed these birds for hours as they emerged 

 from the green tree tops or while circling over them, or over the fields and 

 grassy prairies. As they are usually seen in small companies the picture be- 

 comes exceedingly fascinating. Often they ascend so high in the air that 

 they appear as small, white spots, and one's eyesight must be very keen to 

 discover them. Why they sail around at such high elevations and so con- 

 tinually, often without a perceptible movement of their pinions, is not quite 

 clear to me. At such times they certainly do not look for prey. When 

 hunting for food the flight is very different and much lower. 



In Texas this Kite is always an inhabitant of the extensive bottom 

 woods along rivers and creeks, where it invariably breeds. The bottom 

 woods along the West Yegua Creek consisted of tall pin-oaks, hickories, 

 elms, pecan and hack-berry trees, many of which were festooned with long 

 pendant masses of Spanish moss. The underwood was dense, climbing 



