Art, XXI.— Fwrthea* ]¥©tes ©m tiae OMaitlioIosry of* the 

 liO^^er Rio Crrande of Texas, froBaa ©toservatioms 

 ifiaaele dtBa'auag^ the Sprimg- of 1§78.* 



By George B. Seaanett. 



Edited, with Annotations, by Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A. 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



Meadvilie, Pa., May 30, 1879. 



Sir : I lierewitli present the notes of my observations and collections in Texas in the 

 spring of 1878. Three months covered the time from my departure from Erie, Pa., to 

 my return in June ; but two months, only, were spent in the field, the remainder of 

 the time being taken up in travelling and necessary delays attendiug it. 



Ten days at Corpus Christi, cruising about the bay and its adjacent waters, gave me 

 a better knowledge of the water-birds than I had before acquired. The objective 

 point, Lomita Ranch, situated on the Rio Grande, seven miles above Hidalgo, aud 

 sixty-five miles from Brownsville, was reached April 8, and was the locality chosen 

 for field-work. 



Nothing occurred to stay the fulfilment of my plans, excepting an accident, in shape 

 of the entering of a poisonous thorn into my knee, which laid me up for three weeks 

 in Ihe middle of the breeding season. Although suftering intense pain, I was able to 

 be bolstered up, so as to study and prepare specimens, and direct the work of my 

 assistant, whom I was obliged to depend upon, and who proved very efiicient. Not- 

 withstanding this drawback, we j)repared over five hundred birds, includiug a large 

 majority of the 168 species observed (five of which are new to our fauna); some four- 

 teen hundred eggs, nearly all rare, and some entirely new ; a few mammals and rep- 

 tiles ; quite a collection of Leindoptera, many of which are interesting ; a few fishes ; 

 and various kinds of insects that came within our reach. The Lepidoptera were sent 

 to Mr. J. A. Lintner, who is now preparing a paper on my collections of both trips. 



Of the birds, nearly every family of the North American Ornis is represented on our 

 southern border. It is remarkable, however, that, on both trijis, no Nuthatches and 

 only one species of the Crow family (Rio Grande Jay) were observed. At Ringgold 

 Barracks, or Rio Grande City, only thirty-five miles above Lomita, Crows are said to 

 be common, but what is told of their boldness makes it seem more j)robable that they 

 are Ravens. 



My grateful acknowledgements are due to my assistant, Mr. J. N. Sauford, of Grant 



* [For "Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande of Texas, from Observa- 

 tions made during the Season of 1877," see this Bulletin, vol. iv. No. 1, pp. 1-66, Febru- 

 ary 5, 1878. 



The present article continues the subject, giving in full the results of Mr. Sennett's 

 important observations and collections made during his second season in Texas. 



The species of this paper new to the United States fauua were first ann(muced in 

 The Country of July 13, 1878, p. 184. 



Some early notes, more especially relating to oology, have appeared in Science Xeics, 

 vol. i, No. 4, Dec. 15, 1878, pp. 57-59; No. 7, Feb. 1, 1879, pp. 106, 107 ; No. 8, Feb. 15, 

 1879, pp. 120, 121; No. 9, March 1, 1879, pp. 132-134; No 10, March 15, 1879, pp. 151- 

 153. -E.G.] 



371 



