,? Zoology. 115 



5 lines. The bill is curved and rounded on the ridge, (he upper man- 

 dible slightly projecting; measured on the ridge it is 1 inch 2 1. ; the 

 commissure 1 inch 5 1. ; its color dusky. Irides bright carmine, of con- 

 spicuous lustre; indeed, the eye is a striking feature of this bird. 



Tarsus rather robust, and 1 inch 5 1. in length ; middle toe and nail 1 

 inch 3 1. 



General color above, light hair-brown, fading to ash-color about the 

 head, while towards the tail it deepens to chesnut. The feathers of 

 the back are loose-webbed ; and all the feathers at base are slate-color. 

 Chin, throat, breast, belly and vent, whitish ; the breast obscurely mottled 

 with light brown. Primaries dusky, edged with white on the outer vanes ; 









i 



was, the 



greater and lesser wing-coverts hair-brown, also slightly tipped with 

 whitish. Lower tail-coverts hair-brown, broadly edged and tipped with 

 whitish. Tail of twelve feathers, chesnut; the two middle ones loose- 

 webbed, the three exterior tipped with white. 



There is little difference between the sexes; the female is perhaps a 

 trine less in size, and its general markings are more obscure. 



O. curvirostris is rather common ahout Matamoras, (Mexico.) The 



song of the male is a clear warble, not unlike the native notes of the 



mocking bird, but he has neither the imitative powers nor the volume 



of voice of the latter. On the Rio Grande, this bird nested in the hedge 



rows near the farm houses, and was constantly seen perched upon their 



roofs, singing with much volubility and all the familiarity of the house- 

 wren. 



Columba leucoptera, Linn. ; C. Trudeauii, or Texan Turtle Dove, 

 Audubon. — This very graceful bird — only one specimen of which Au- 

 dubon mentions as having been received or seen by him — was exceed- 

 ingly abundant at Matamoras in May and June, (1846,) large flocks 

 daily feeding in our camp, and with remarkable confidence approach- 

 ln g quite near the tents. But although common in Mexico, I have 

 some doubts as to the propriety of its being denominated a Texan Dove, 

 for I never saw it in Eastern Texas, neither did I while on an extensive 

 hunting excursion, which embraced the country along the Nueces river 

 for seventy miles above Corpus Christi, see a single individual of this 

 species, although game of every description was most abundant. Nor 

 uid I see one on the whole route from the Nueces to the Rio Grande, 

 until we crossed the latter river into Mexico. Mr. Audubon's specimen 



erore, possibly but a straggler from the neighboring repuoiic. 



About the last of June they disappeared from the vicinity of Mata- 

 moras, and pa ed probably into the interior. In January following, I 

 shot a few stragglers, on small streams, near the Sierra Madrc. 



For the table, this bird is far superior to C. carolinensis, the breast 

 being larger and fuller, and the meat of quite a delicate flavor. Ami 

 ln its style of flight it resembles C. anas more than C. carol inensi*. 



The female differs but little from the male, except that the metallic 

 reflections on the neck, &e. &c. are less vivid. 



2* Description of new species of Birds of the genera Vidua, 

 Bl s. ; Eupleclus, Sw. ; Pyrenestes', Sw. 1 and Pitp/ns, Cuv. ; sped- 

 mens of which are in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences 

 °J Philadelphia; by John Cassin, (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., 

 June, 1848, p. 65.)— Vidua alhonotata, nobis.— Shoulders yellow. 



