170 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



have the eastern form, typical S. magna, as a winter visitor, 

 while its variety, 8. mexicana, is our common summer species, 

 and the western lark, S. neglecta, seems to be a constant resident, 

 though never in such numbers as the varieties oiS. magna ; it may 

 be observed that the notes of all three are easily distinguishable 

 one from another. 



Of individual species the occurrence of Heloncea swainsoni, 

 now for the first time recorded from the State of Texas, is 

 worthy of special mention, and it is probable that future 

 observers, on their attention being drawn to the subject, will 

 hereafter detect it as a regular summer visitor, though in limited 

 numbers, to suitable localities, such as the muddy vine-tangled 

 margins of the overflow pools in the river bottom ; for, although 

 my specimen was obtained during the last week in August — a 

 time when many of our summer visitors were commencing their 

 southward journey — it is impossible that this district should be 

 in the direct line of migration of a species hitherto known only 

 from the coast region of South Carolina and Georgia, while its 

 occurrence in Cuba suggests that its periodical change of quarters 

 may })e performed through the West Indian Islands. 



The detection of Coturniculus lecontei as an abundant winter 

 visitor is also noteworthy, and certainly gave me more pleasure 

 than that of any other species in the list, as I was not at the time 

 aware of its prior discovery in Cooke county, about one hundred 

 miles further north, while the great difficulty of obtaining speci- 

 mens increased the zest of the pursuit. In many respects this 

 species seems to be intermediate between Coturniculus and Am- 

 modromus, the shape of the bill, the length of the legs and feet, 

 which, when outstretched, reach conspicuously beyond the end of 

 the tail, and the greater stiffness and acuteness of the rectrices 

 being characteristic of the latter genus ; and, in addition to this, 

 the middle toe, with its claw, is invariably a little longer than 

 the tarsus, a careful measurement of seven examples giving the 

 following average : — Tarsus=0"7l ; middle toe and claw=0'73. 

 The hind claw also is longer and more attenuated than is the 

 case with the other species of Coturniculus, It differs, however, 

 from Ammodromus in the shape of the wings, in which the 

 tertiaries are conspicuously longer than the secondaries, and indeed 



