SENKETT ON BIRDS OF THE RIO GRANDE OF TEXAS. 59 



On March 15tb, Mr. Halter and I, with a glass, counted thirty-eight of 

 this species on one clump of bushes no larger than two hundred by 

 twenty-five feet. Tbey were busy at work on their nests, and had them 

 all nearly ready for the eggs. On the same day, I examined these 

 bushes, which were scruboak and about eight feet high. By going to 

 the top of a sand-hill, which had drifted upon one of these clumps, I 

 could look into nearly all of the nests, and, had I been inclined, could 

 have stepped into several of them. No eggs were yet laid. The nests 

 were composed of sticks laid upon the thick, tangled bushes. They were 

 very bulkj^, some being fully three feet in diameter, and had a depres- 

 sion of about six inches. The birds were in fine plumage, very shy, 

 knew well the range of a gun, and had sentinels on every sand-hill. 

 When a man appeared, the whole army within the radius of a mile were 

 signalled to that effect. A set of their eggs was sent me, that was 

 obtained soon after I left. They average 2.58 by 1.84 inches. 



Herodias EGRETTA, {G^n.) Gray. — Great White Egret. 



Frequently seen about the lagoons on the coast, and also on the river 

 between Hidalgo and Brownsville. At the great heronry in the rushes, 

 about half-way between Brownsville and the coast, I found it breeding 

 in great numbers, and obtained eggs and young. When I found them. 

 May 15th, the eggs were mostly hatched, and not a perfectly fresh egg 

 was to be found. Young nearly as large as a Gallinule and eggs not 

 hatched were in the same nest. The birds were not easily frightened 

 from their nests, but would stretch up their long necks, and eye us until 

 we were within a few feet of them before throwing themselves into the 

 air. The young are covered sparsely with white down. Their nests 

 are bulky, composed of the dead and broken-down rushes, about two 

 feet in diameter, and situated from one to three feet above the water. 

 Their complement of eggs is three or four. The eggs are broadly oval, 

 of a pale greenish-blue color, and average 2.18 by 1.57 inches. 



200— ^ —41.50 X 61.00 x 17.00 x 6.65, Apr. 10, Brownsville. 

 . 201— $ —38.00 X 56.00 x 15.00 x 5.50. Apr, 10, Brownsville. 



Garzetta candidissima, {Jacq.) Bp. — Little White Egret. 



On May 15th, I was delighted to meet with this to me the prettiest of 

 all the Herons in the salt-marshes, where it was breeding in innumer- 

 able numbers in company with others of the family. I obtained num- 

 bers of birds, eggs, and young. It builds a flat nest of rushes, about 

 eight or ten inches in diameter, with a depression of about three inches, 

 and it is supported by broken-down, living reeds at a height above the 

 water of from six inches to three feet. The young fresh from the egg 

 are covered well with white down, and when a few days old are very 

 pretty, compared with young Herons. When I found them, the young 

 were just hatching, and but few full families were out. The young do 

 not vary as much in size as do A. egretta, Great White Egret. The eggs 

 and nests are so near like those of A. leucoprymna^ Louisiana Heron, 



