A Catalogue of Birds obtained in Navarro County, Texas. 24o 



lying flat along the ground with the head and neck stretched out 

 in front, than to escape by flying. 



Steganopus wilsoni (Sab.) Wilson's Phalarope. — This species 

 is probably a regular, though scarce, migrant during the fall, as I 

 met with it on three occasions at least, between the 3rd and 12th 

 September, 1880. I never saw more than two together, and always 

 accompanying flocks of waders ; nor did I once observe them 

 floating on the water, but invariably seated on the ground"beside 

 a tank. 



Eegurvirostra AMERICANA, Gmel. American Avocet. — The 

 only example of this graceful wader which I obtained was shot 

 beside a prairie creek on the 22nd October, 1880. When fired at 

 and winged it swam across the pool, a distance of about twenty 

 feet, and regardless of its own wound and my presence, began 

 with consummate nonchalance to seek for food upon the other 

 side. Its stomach contained shells, a few small insects, one cray- 

 fish, and a large quantity of gravel. 



PoRZANA CAROLINA (Linn). Sora Rail. — During the month of 

 September these pretty little rails are not uncommon in the 

 cultivated fields, which they seem to frequent in preference to the 

 damper parts of the prairie. They are semi- crepuscular in their 

 habits, and are therefore much easier found and raised about 

 sundown than during the day time. They often settle upon a 

 rail in a fence, if one be near when they are disturbed. The food 

 consists of various seeds intermixed always with gravel. 



FuLiCA AMERICANA, Gmel. American Coot. — Occurs sparingly 

 along the banks of the Trinity during April ; and in much greater 

 numbers during October, when the}^ are more usually found in 

 small ponds of rain-water along the borders of the woodlands, 

 usually in company with teal, but unlike them they are very 

 tame, scarcely troubling themselves to swim out of the way. They 

 feed on worms, shells, water-insects and grass. 



Grus AMERICANA (Linn.) Whooping Crane. — This species 

 passes in considerable numbers both at the spring and fall migra- 

 tions, and is easily distinguishable from its more abundant 

 congener both by colour and size. They begin to pass northward 

 about the last week of March, and the migration continues about 

 three weeks: they also differ from the succeeding species in 

 performing their journey in much smaller numbers, so that twenty 



