46 



CHE oonMiiSr 



set of four beautiful eggs of this species. 

 I had weut out as usual to my Woodcock 

 ranch early in the morning, to see if I 

 could find a set. It looked as if it might 

 rain, but I well knew that would be a 

 help to me, as the birds would probably 

 be off the nests feeding; if the bird is on 

 the nest it is almost impossible to see 

 them unless they fly. I went diligently 

 at it and looked the whole patch of 

 bushes, thistles, dead grass, brush heaps, 

 etc., over very closely. It began to 

 rain, but I pulled down my hat, button- 

 ed up my coat, put my hands into my 

 pockets up to my elbows, and began to 

 whistle and kept on looking. I just 

 happened to glance down in a likely 

 looking place, when my sight happened 

 to rest on two pretty eggs of the Amer- 

 ican Woodcock resting in a snug little 

 nest of dead and dried leaves on the 

 ground among the dead grass and brush 

 near the foot of a small shag bark hick- 

 ory. I knew it was only an incomplete 

 set, so I only looked at them at long 

 range and finally came home, with it 

 settled in my mind to return about two 

 or three days later and get the com- 

 pletement. This I think was on Thurs- 

 day and I visited the nest again on Sat- 

 urday. It contained four beautiful 

 eggs, laying points in — a beautiful sight; 

 but I left them as I wanted to get a 

 camera and take a photograph of the 

 bird on the nest, so I came home and 

 next morning I borrowed a camera and 

 with a chum of mine, went out to the 

 nest. I tried first to get one of the birds 

 up close (8 inches from the nest), but I 

 got too close and she flew. Then I set 

 my infernal machine and we lay for 

 hours waiting for the bird to return, 

 but she did not come, so I packed up 

 the nest and eggs and we came home 

 through a shower. We got a little 

 damp, but I was proud of my sccess, 

 for I expected a visit from a friend, a 

 naturalist, and now I would have two 

 sets to show him of these rare beauties. 

 This set has a ground color of rich 



dark cream; two have a reddish or 

 brownish tint; three are marked very 

 much alike, having the markings distri- 

 buted all over the eggs, but mostly on 

 the larger half, becoming quite thick on 

 the larger end; the fourth has fewer 

 markings on the smaller half, and about 

 the same as the others on the larger 

 half, but it is formed into a heavy 

 wreath; the markings are fine specks 

 and small dots and large spots and 

 daubs. They are of dark and light 

 umber brown and strong lilac, and a 

 few specks of purple black. The pur- 

 ple seems to be under the other mark- 

 ings. The three that look nearest alike 

 have the peculiar Woodcock egg look 

 about them, the markings being the 

 same as those mentioned in the preced- 

 ing set. They measure 1.60 x 1.18, 1.60 

 X 1.16, 1.58 X 1.19, 1.64 x 1.16 inches; 

 form, two eliptical, two oval. 



The Woodcock is one of the most in- 

 teresting birds, I think, that we have, 

 so odd looking, that is when you can 

 see them, for to a casual observer, they 

 are absolutely invisable, even if they 

 move, which they seldom do when 

 watched, until they take flight. They 

 love to frequent low damp places, or a 

 side hill, covered with bushes and trees 

 near some low marshy place, where 

 they can bore for worms, which if you 

 are lucky enough to see them do, you 

 will find vei'y interesting, indeed. 



Geo. W. Vosbukg. 



Brief Observations on the Raptorial 

 Birds of Refugio Co., Texas 



The following is a condensed synop- 

 sis of notes taken in Refugio Co., Tex- 

 as, during three successive seasons. It 

 is not claimed that the list is complete, 

 and some additions will, in all proba- 

 bility, be made at som«i subsequent 

 time. 



329. Gatharles aura. Turkey Vul- 

 ture. The "Buzzard" is a common 

 and constant resident, though excelled 



