426 



BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY. [Yol.Y. 



ground.. Its eggs I could hardly call white, rather a light drab, or better 

 perhaps a light olive drab. The tenderness of this bird's skin, and the 

 ease with which its feathers pull out, exceed that of any Pigeon 1 ever 

 prepared. It is usually fat and most excellent eating. 



The sizes of the four eggs are as follows : 1.14 by .89 j 1.12 by .88; 1.16 

 by .83; 1.15 by .85; averaging 1.14 by .86. 



Lomita 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 

 ...do . 



April 11 

 April 23 

 May 5 

 May 5 

 May 6 

 May 8 

 May 8 

 May 11 

 May 13 

 May 14 

 May 18 



12.00 

 12. 25 

 11. 75 

 11.50 

 12. 50 

 12.00 

 11. 75 

 12. 25 

 12.00 

 12. 25 

 12. 00 



18.75 

 18.50 

 18. 25 

 18.25 

 19.00 

 19. 00 



18. 50 



19. 25 

 18.25 

 19. 25 

 18.50 



6.25 

 0. 25 



5.75 

 5.75 

 6.00 

 6. 25 

 6.00 

 6.00 

 5.75 

 5.90 

 6.00 



4. 50 

 4. .50 

 4.00 

 4.75 

 4.75 

 4. 75 

 4.50 

 4.00 

 4.50 

 4.50 

 4.40 



Specimen No. 467 has the iris yellow, with orange tinge. 



CRACID^. 



115. Ortalida vetula Wagl. — Texan Guan or Chachalac. 



Pre-eminently a bird of the woods, and Lomita without doubt is the 

 heart of its very limited habitat in the United States. Here it is resi- 

 dent; and among the heavy timber and dense undergrowth it breeds in 

 seclusion, secure from its enemies. A more intimate acquaintance with 

 this bird enables me to give a better description of its notes than the 

 attempt in my former memoir. The notes are loud and uttered in very 

 rapid succession, and those of the female follow the male's so closely, 

 while so well do they harmonize, although in different keys, that I mis- 

 took the first note of one for the last note of the other. It really utters 

 but three syllables, thus : " cha-cha-lac," instead of four, " cha-cha-lac-ca," 

 as given before. It also has a hoarse, grating call or alarm-note, uttered 

 in one continuous strain and without modulation, something like Icalc- 

 Mlc-lcalc. Generally this bird is seen in trees, but on one occasion four 

 or five were seen running about on the ground after the manner of chick- 

 ens when freed from a coop. It does not breed in communities, but in 

 isolated pairs, and from all accounts raises but one brood in a season, 

 unless the nest is despoiled, when it will lay another clutch. The clutch 

 almost invariably consists of three, rarely less. On the 10th of April 

 we obtained fresh eggs, and on the 20th sets were generally full and 

 fresh, after which time they contained embryos. The eggs are exceed- 

 ingly hard to drill. The chicles are hatched well coated with down, and 

 they leave the nest as soon as hatched, the old ones leading them into 

 the thickets, where they are very hard to capture. I had the x)leasure 

 at the ranch of seeing six hatch under a hen. The little ones looked 

 and acted exactly like chickens, picking up the corn-batter thrown to 

 them, running in and out from under the hen's wings, and jumping upon 



