﻿FIELD AND FOREST. I 29 



I have never seen so many within a small Territory in any of the 

 Southern States, as I noticed along Clear. and Pond Greeks, Waller 

 County, — Galveston excepted. Larks were common through Indian 

 Territory, but whether S. magna or neglecta or both I am unable to 

 say. S. magna was killed at Hempstead. 



Ortyx virginianns, Cupidonia cupido on the praries ; the former 

 always near timber. Melospiza lincolni, Dcndrceca coronata and 

 palmarum near North Fork, Canadian River. The latter species 

 here, as has been my experience in other of the Western States, seems 

 to prefer the prairie. I would suggest this peculiarity of the western 

 varieties, as one of the probable differences in the habits, between it 

 and its eastern congenor. Mr. Gentry in his Life Histories of Birds 

 of Eastern Pennsylvania, page 132-33, says " frequents the borders of 

 thickets along water 'courses . . . extremely shy and leads a secluded 

 life . . . always observed as isolated individuals." I have not the 

 least doubt that the above is perfectly correct for var. hypochrysea, 

 Ridgway ; but it differs materially from my experience with D. pal- 

 marum, in as much as they are very familiar and often go in loose 

 straggling flocks of a few individuals along the fences on the praries, 

 (Wisconsin.) In the same locality as the preceeding, we noticed a 

 couple of Seuri, but the species is uncertain ; also, Spizclla monticola 

 and Scolecophagus ferritgineits. 



Shrikes were frequently noticed along the road in the low scattered 

 trees through Nararro, Mestone and Robeson Counties. They were 

 quite common about Hempstead, where I procured typical specimens 

 of ludovicianius and excubitoroides (identified by Mr. Ridgway) in 

 the same locality and on the same day. At Austin I found a gentle- 

 man who had an enclosure within his grounds in which he kept quite 

 an assortment of the larger water fowl ; among them the most beau- 

 tiful specimen of Grits americana I ever saw. It was in perfect plu- 

 mage with a full train. His stately carriage as he slowly and with 

 majestic strides wandered -among the subtropical vegetation of the 

 garden, had a very fine effect. He was so tame that I stroked his 

 snow-white plumes without any show of dissatisfaction on his part; he 

 would occasionally turn his head sideways and utter his peculiar note 

 in an undertone — so to speak. I was told this bird was raised from 

 the nest. A few individuals of this species were noticed in Harris 

 and Brazoria Counties. G. canadensis, on the other hand, was 



