July 1887.] 



AND OOLOGI8T. 



103 



Nesting Habits of Texas Birds. 



BY IIARllY 1'. ATWATEK, LONDON, ONTAIUO, 

 CANADA. 



The following observations on the nesting 

 habits of Texas birds were made at Losoya 

 Crossing, a point on the Medina River, fifteen 

 miles south of the eity of San Antonio, Bexas 

 County, Texas, in 1884 and 1885. 



The object of my visit to Texas being the 

 collection of natural history specimens, I was 

 daily in the field during the nesting season, and 

 my being on the same spot during two seasons, 

 one following the other, proved very advanta- 

 geous in many respects. 



The location was high and dry, and the ab- 

 sence of any dense forests or tall timber, also 

 marshes or lagoons, will account for the ab- 

 sence of specimens that might otherwise be 

 found breeding in that latitude. The ranch of 

 Mr. Gustave Tondouze, where I stayed, was 

 situated about a mile from the river, and south 

 of it,the river itself running between high bluft's 

 with here and there on either side an opening 

 of a few acres of bottom land, with a few Pecan, 

 Cypress and tall Cottonwood trees, generally 

 covered with tangled vines, and the whole cov- 

 ered with thick underbrush. I expected to find 

 these openings, as well as several very deep 

 and rocky ravines leading down to the river, 

 a fine nesting place for many species ; but during 

 both seasons the high water wliicli flooded the 

 river bottom for weeks at a time, and the heavy 

 rains which washed and entirely altered the as- 

 pect of these canyons, not only caused the 

 river to be impassable, and prevented explora- 

 tion, but it really seemed as if instinct prompt- 

 ed, or I might say warned many birds to seek 

 more favorable localities. 



Between the river and San Antonio, the 

 country is rolling, and entirely covered with 

 Mesquite trees (average fifteen feet), cactus and 

 Chapari-al, with a few sciittered Live oaks ; and 

 along the road nearest to the river a few ranch- 

 es and cultivated fields. The same kind of 

 country prevails about two miles south of the 

 river, and then commences a dry sandy country 

 covered with Black oaks, no underbrush, and 

 extending south for many miles; very little 

 settled on account of there being no water, and 

 after the migration almost deserted by bii-ds of 

 all kinds. 



Mocking Bird, {Mimus pol>j[ilottns) . Very 

 abundant; commence to breed or build about 

 the middle of March; raise two broods. On 

 account of the cold "northers'' which are fre- 



quent at this period, these birds as well as all 

 others which commence to build about this 

 time, make nests nmch more bulky than those 

 found later on in the season, when it is warmer. 

 The first nests taken were also for this reason I 

 suppose, placed in more sheltered spots. Eggs 

 generally four and five, size and color very 

 much varying. 



Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, (Pulioptila cieruloa). 

 Common during migration, and one nest found 

 in 1884 ; found no nests in 1885. 



Black-crested Tit, {Lophophanes atrocristatus) . 

 Quite common and breed here, but I was not 

 fortunate enough to find a nest during either 

 season. 



Yellow-headed Tit, {AKripanis flaviceps). 

 Very common in 1884 and about twenty nests 

 taken, one containing five eggs, one of which 

 was much lighter in color than the others; all 

 other nests four eggs. First nest in 1884 con- 

 tained four eggs, fresh, taken March 31st. 

 Nests nearly always built on outside limbs of 

 Chaparral bush; position always exposed, and 

 with hardly any exception, about same height 

 from the ground. The nests with one excep- 

 tion were composed of thorns and weed stems 

 woven with spider webs and lined with feath- 

 ers. Birds were not at all shy in 1884 during 

 the breeding time, and 1 have found nests with 

 one or two eggs, and thougii on account of the 

 shape of the nest it was impossible to touch the 

 eggs without greatly disarranging it, they did 

 not seem to mind, but finished laying the full 

 number in all but one or two cases, where per- 

 haps it was my fault in disturbing the bird in 

 the nest after dark, causing a more than usual 

 scare. After taking a nest, a new one would 

 invariably be commenced within a short dis- 

 tance of the old one, and eggs laid. 



The exception mentioned as to position, re- 

 fers to a nest now in my collection, which was 

 placed among some moss or lichen on the lower 

 limb of a Live oak tree, and not close to Chap- 

 arral or thorns of any kind and no thorns are 

 found in its construction, simply weed stems 

 and the usual spider wel)S and feather lining ; 

 which proves that they do not go very far for 

 material, for had thorns been essential plenty 

 could have been procured fifty steps away. 

 This nest contained no eggs and from some un- 

 known cause had evidently been deserted. 



In 1885 the birds were very shy and much 

 more scarce ; only four or five nests taken and 

 the birds deserting always -upon touching the 

 nest ; and in one instance three nests within a 

 short distance of each other, built by the same 

 birds, were one after another deserted before 



