TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 73 



early in the mornings traversing 

 the horizon in search of insects. 

 The plumage of the female is of 

 reddish-gray color with dark stripes 

 and dots along its body, wings 

 and tail, whilst the male is of 

 a light bluish-gray color and 

 is especially attractive in its 

 dotted and striped plumage and 

 its characteristic broad and flat 

 head and large mouth. It is one 

 of the very rare birds which lay 



region near San Antonio, but not. 

 protected by a nest. The queer 

 looking young resembled somewhat 

 a pair of miniature owls and they 

 were quite shy at our approach, 

 and quickly hopped away in the 

 underbrush. 



One of the most characteristic 

 features in the life habits of our 

 buUbat is the way it sits in day 

 time on some limb to rest and 

 sleep. When thus asleep or resting 





^V,*-'. '^'tr' ,^*- 



Two Young, but Pull ■GEdwN Bullbats on Mesquite Tree Branches 



thei eggs on the bare ground with- 

 out any vestige of a nest or protec- 

 tion of any kind. During a hunt- 

 ing trip I once came across one 

 such breeding buUbat with its 

 young ones — the latter crouching 

 close to each other, near a mes- 

 quite brush, in a rocky and hilly 



it spreads its long body flatly on 

 the bark of the tree — usually 

 the trunk or fork of a thick 

 mesquite limb; and, as its striped 

 grayish body color corresponds 

 with the color of such tree on 

 which it crouches, the bullbat 

 as a rule is not noticed, even 



