104 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 12-No. 7 



eggs were laid, the birds themselves finally dis- 

 appearing. 



While on exploring journeys among the thick 

 Chaparral and cactus, the alarm note of the 

 bird always told of the nest being near. I 

 shall never forget this wild little cry, which I 

 maj' say seemed the essence of "true plaintive- 

 ness." On one occasion I stood within three 

 feet of a newly made nest and was just going 

 to examine it when the two birds suddenly 

 darted in front of me like a flash. They did 

 not seem to take the least notice of me and I 

 stood perfectly still watching their movements. 

 First one and then the other would fly into the 

 nest, sometimes both together, for a moment, 

 then out again and busily arrange a twig for a 

 second, then dart oft' chasing each othei- like a 

 flash; back again almost touching my face sev- 

 eral times, all the time making a hapijy twitter- 

 ing sound and seemingly quite unconscious of 

 my presence. I never expect to see a happier 

 little pair, and I resolved that their home should 

 never be disturbed by me. After watching 

 them for fully five minutes, I moved and imme- 

 diately the plaintive wail sounded and the birds 

 disappeared. I lost the place for over three 

 weeks after this and was not near it again for 

 some time, when I did succeed in finding it 

 a^ain I could hear or see no birds, and though 

 I repeatedly visited the spot after that, always 

 very carefully and quietly, I never saw a sign 

 of them, and finally found the nest half de- 

 stroyed. Upon examining the inside I discov- 

 ered it had never been finished. I do not think 

 they remained after seeing me. This was in 

 1885. 



These birds sleep in their nests at night. I 

 have taken them alive. They are very brave 

 and peck away spitefully at the intruding fin- 

 ger. The nests are occupied by them during 

 the winter, and the inside made much warmer 

 by more feathers being taken in. The outside 

 is never repaired and one year will wear out a 

 nest, though I have seen some nests which 

 might possibly have been used two years. I 

 think a new one is always made before eggs 

 are laid, the old ones being simply used for 

 sleeping purposes. An intelligent farmer 

 showed me one of these nests close to his 

 house, and told me he saw the bird carrying 

 in feathers between Christmas and New Year's. 



They are generally found nesting in the high 

 dry parts of the country, away from tall tim- 

 ber, where the thorns are thickest, and travel- 

 ling on foot a tedious undertaking. On a jour- 

 ney from Losoya to Carizzo Springs in Dimmit 

 County, near to the Rio Grande, we noticed 



their nests, and found the birds everywhere 

 evenly distributed, wherever the kind of coun- 

 try I have described as being their home i)re- 

 vailed. 



Cactus Wren, (Campylorhynchus brunneica- 

 j^illns). Quite common; five fresh eggs taken 

 March 28th, 1884, Ikiild in communities and 

 nearly always in the tallest cactus, though I 

 have found nests placed among bunches of 

 mistletoe in mesquite trees fifteen feet from the 

 ground. Desert their nests and build new ones 

 for the slightest cause. I have often found the 

 coach-whip snake coiled in these nests, and pre- 

 sume they like the eggs, and attribute the find- 

 ing of so many deserted nests to this cause. 



Carolina Wren, (Thryothorus ludovicianns) . 

 Not plentiful but undoubtedly build nests in 

 the higher portion of the river bottom, among 

 old logs and stumi)s above high water line. 



Texan Bewick's Wren, {Thruomdncs beioieki 

 leuaxjaster). Abundant; six eggs taken March 

 2Gth, 1884, incubation commenced. Build in 

 natural cavities of trees, woodpecker's holes, 

 fence posts, in fact I may say I have found 

 them in "anything and everything." Several 

 sets of eggs taken from old Yellow-head Tit's 

 and Cactus Wren's nests. I have found several 

 nests built in a fork of a cactus bush, with a 

 large prickly leaf for its roof or shelter, and 

 was much puzzled to know what kind of nest it 

 was till I saw the bird. I once told a little boy 

 to put an old tin can in a brush heap and per- 

 haps a bird would make a nest in it for him. 

 About a week after I was surprised when the 

 boy came and told me the bird had done so and 

 laid an egg in it. I went with him to see it. 

 The brush heap was fully a quarter of a mile 

 from the house. On finding the nest the even- 

 ing before, the boy had taken the can with 

 him to the house with the eg,^ and bird in it, 

 and after showing it to his folks had placed it 

 in another brush heap close to the house. Six 

 eggs were laid in this nest, and the can contain- 

 ing bird, eggs and nest taken into the house on 

 several occasions after dark to show to people. 

 Finally on one occasion the eggs were broken 

 in handling and the nest deserted. 



While searching for their nest these little 

 birds delight in keeping up an incessant scold- 

 ing and should failure to find one be the result, 

 the scolding immediately changes to the usual 

 triumphant little song as the intruder retires. 



Yellow-breasted Chat, (Icteria virens) . Though 

 I did not find the nest I am nearly sure at least 

 one pair stayed to breed in a low, thick tangled 

 spot on a part of the ranch. The birds were 

 always there and quite late in the season. 



