ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND — 



OOLOGIST. 



$1.00 per 

 Annum. 



FRANK B. WEBSTER, PUBLISHER. 

 Established, March, 187.5. 



Single Copy 

 10 Cents. 



VOL. XII. 



BOSTON, MASS., MAY 1887. 



No. 5. 



A Collecting Trip in Texas. 



BY G. B. BENNERS, rHILADEI.rHlA. PA. 



(Continued from page 49.) 



Lanius ludovicianus. Loggerhead Shrike. 

 Rather a common bird through all parts of 

 the state, and especially so along the railroad, 

 where they sat on the telegraph wires, looking 

 out for small birds. I found one nest with four 

 eggs, heavily incubated. 



Pro(/«es?(6/s, Purple Martin. Very abundant. 

 Every house in Texas has its Martin box, in- 

 habited by several pairs of these birds, and it is 

 regarded as almost a crime if you shoot them. 



Petrochelidnu lu)iifrons, Clift' Swallow. Found 

 ill immense colonies in Comal County, on the 

 Guadalupe River. The nests were attached to 

 the side of a clift". We were there too early for 

 the eggs. 



Pliranga rubra, Scarlet Taiiager. A single 

 specimen secured May 1st, at Corpus Christi. 



Pyranga cestiva. Summer Redbird. Found on 

 the Guadalupe River, in Comal County, where 

 it was quite common. One nest was found con- 

 taining young birds. 



Passer domesticus, English Sparrow. We saw 

 these birds in all parts of Texas that we visited, 

 but they had not become as common as they are 

 in the Eastern States. 



Centrophanes ornattis. Chestnut-collared 

 Longspur. A large flo(ik seen iu Comal 

 County, and four specimens .secured. 



Chondestes grammica, Lark Finch. This bird 

 occupies the same relative position in Texas 

 that the Song Sparrow, (Melospiza fnsriata) 

 does in the Eastern States. They breed on the 

 ground and in low bushes. The average num- 

 ber of eggs found in a set was four. 



Spizella atrigularis, Black-chinned Sparrow. 

 We found a few of these birds at Laredo. One 

 nest, found April 20th, in the yard attached to 

 a house, was in a brush heap under an old piece 

 of carpet. It contained three young birds and 

 one addled egg, which was white, unspotted'. 



It measured .79x..5S. Another nest found 

 April 21st, by a companion, contained four 

 fresh eggs. It was built in a |)rickly pear cac- 

 tus, and resembled very much the nest of the 

 Chipping Sparrow (Spizella domestica). 



Pipilo ergthrnpthulmns, Chewink. One speci- 

 men seen in Comal County. 



Cardinalis rirginiaims, (^'ardinal Grosbeak. 

 One of the commonest birds of Texas. They 

 generally build in low bushes, and four eggs is 

 the number we usually found. 



Pyrrhnloxia sinxata, Texan Cardinal. We 

 found these birds only on the Rio Grande. 

 They are very shy, and keej) in the thickest 

 bushes. They are very silent compared with 

 Cardinalis virginianiis. One nest that I found 

 on April 21st contained four eggs. Both pa- 

 rents were shot. It was composed of dried 

 grass, lined with cow hair, and was built in a 

 small bush about two feet from the ground. 

 The eggs resembled those of C. virginianus, and 

 measure .87x.69; .S7x.69; .89x.69 and .85 

 X .67. 



Ginraca ceerulen, Blue Grosbeak. A great 

 many of these birds were seen, but we were 

 too early for their nests. 



Passcrina ciris, Painted Bunting. At Corpus 

 Christi this species is quite common, where we 

 found it breeding. The nest was built in a 

 thorn bush, about two feet from the ground, 

 and was composed of dried grass, without lin- 

 ing. The eggs were four in number, white, 

 dotted all over with reddish. Shot two birds. 



Calamospiza hicolor, Lark Bunting. 'NVe saw 

 several large flocks in Comal County and also 

 at Corpus Christi. Shot two fine males in 

 spring plumage. 



Molothrns ater, Cowbird. This bird we only 

 found in the central portion of the state. 



Midathrns ater eihscnrus, Dwarf Cowbird. 

 This species abounded at Corpus Christi, where 

 we found their eggs in nests of the Cardinal 

 Grosbeak. They came into the streets of that 

 town in flocks, in company with Brewer's 



Copyright, 1887, by F. H. CARPENTER and F. B. Webster. 



