438 BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY. [VoIY: 



number contained incomplete sets of two, wliile but two lielcl four eggs. 

 All were fresli or nearly so. Outside of the nests, upon the ground, and 

 probably thrown out by the birds themselves, were many eggs, most of 

 which were of last year, and still whole, but which, upon being broken, 

 gave forth a fearful stench. We took a pailful of the iinest eggs. 



We estimated the Brown Pelicans on this small island to be fully five 

 thousand. No other birds were found breeding here, although when we 

 approached it Gulls, Terns, and a dozen or more White Pelicans were on 

 the upper point; and we found a few old nests of the Great Blue Heron, 

 which. were occupied by Brown Pelicans. On the island adjoining no 

 Pelicans were breeding, but about a dozen nests of Great Blue Herons 

 were found, and on the low prickly-pear cactuses a few new nests of the 

 Eeddish Egret. 



GEACULID^. 



155. ? Gracultjs MEXiCANUS (Brdt.) Bp. — Mexican Cormorant. 

 While cruising about Corpus Christi Bay numbers of cormorants, 



probably of this species, were seen lining the narrow sand-bars in the 

 shallow parts of the bay. They were too shy for us to obtain. 



PLOTID^. 



156. Plotus ANHINGA L. — AnMnga; Water Turlcey. 



My first experience with this bird was on the evening of Aiiril 7, just 

 as we reached the camp at Edinburgh, on our way up the Eio Grande 

 to Lomita. A flock of two hundred or more was first noticed, high uj) 

 in the air, coming in the direction of the camp ; and when directly over 

 it they began to lower, at last alighting in a large patch of willows on 

 the river-bank close by. We started after them at once, and secured as 

 many as we wished. They were so tame that we could stand under the 

 willows and shoot them, with half charges of dust, directly over our 

 heads. We could not drive them away from their roost for any length 

 of time, those not injured coming back immediately to their former 

 place; in this respect quite unlike the reports of the same' bird in 

 Florida. In the morning we watched them circling about over their 

 roost, gradually getting higher and higher, until, when well up and 

 looking about the size of large Blackbirds, they started off up the river. 

 In May we saw them about the lakes at Lomita, where they were evi- 

 dently breeding, but we found no nests. 



LAEID^. 



157. Lartjs ARGENTATus Briinn. — Herring Gull. 



Seen about Corpus Christi, during our stay there, in the last of March. 

 Not noticed at Padre Island, but at the mouth of the Nueces they were 

 very numerous, being next to the Eing-billed Gull in point of numbers. 

 In the slaughter-house yard on the flats out of Corpus Christi I saw 



