﻿FIF.I.D AND FOREST. 



Dear Sir : 



From the fragmentary extract in your Specimen sheet * of •'Orni- 

 thological Notes from Texas," I note the following : I have never 

 noted A. lagopus, here, (extreme head of Trimiby River) but have 

 one specimen of var. Sancti Johannis (Black) I do not doubt however 

 but that the typical bird will be taken here, but it is evidently not so 

 plentiful as noted by Mr. Kumlein in the "Nation " which is only 7 

 miles from here. I did not expect Elanoides forficatus, and Ictinia 

 mississippiensis, still in Texas, so late in the season as December, and 

 the question arises, do they not pass the entire Winter? In connection 

 with this, I am just is receipt of a letter from Bell County, (near Waco 

 on the Brown River) stating that the Scissor-tail fly-catcher (Af. forfi- 

 catus) passes the winter in that county. 



I have noted only the var. excubitoroidcs of C. ludoviciamts here. 

 It seems strange that I have never noted Icterus baltimore, here, even 

 during the migrations, as it must pass through this locality, from the 

 fact that Mr. Kumlein noted it South of here. 



Gainsville, Texas, Marcli 13. G. H. Ragsdale. 



FIELD RECORD. 



Earth-worms on the Pavements. — On Thursday morning 

 March 15th, great numbers of the common Eaith-worm {Lumbricus 

 tcrrestris, L.) were seen lying scattered about on the pavements of all 

 the streets of Washington. They were dead and presented a some- 

 what shrivelled appearance. They were of all sizes and lay in all 

 positions, on the brick walks and stone flaggings wherever one chanced 

 to look. As the weather was freezing cold they were of course 

 frozen stiff. I counted over a hundred, some of a very large size, in 

 walking the length of the U. S. Treasury Building, lying about upon 

 the broad flag stones that form the walks around it. It will be re- 

 membered that the weather on Wednesday was mild and rainy, and 

 during the early part of the night a heavy fall of rain occurred, fol- 

 lowed by a high wind and a fall of temperature to considerably below 

 the freezing point. We may presume that the ground, already satu- 

 rated with moisture, became so wet during the heavy rainfall that the 



* Containing in addition to prospectus &c, the first four pages of the February 

 number of Field and Forest. 



