NORTH AMERICAN lilRUH. 253 



interwoven twigs, lined with leaves, and is built in trees or buslies, sometimes in 

 marshes. Prom five to fourteen eggs, or even more, are deposited by the several 

 birds. These are of a glaucous-blue in color, usually covered with a light chalky 

 crust. Their average size is 1.34x1.20. 



384. GKOOVED-BILLED ANI. Crotophaffu xulcirostris Swains. Geog. Dist. — 

 ■Lower Rid Grande Valley in Texas and Lower California southward to Peru. 



The Grooved-billed Ani was formerly only known from Yucatan, Central and 

 South America., Between the years 1865 and 1871 it was discovered in Western 

 Mexico, and finally added to the fauna of the United States by Mr. Gebrge B. Sennett, 

 who shot an adult male on May 19, 1878, at Lomita Ranch, on the Rio Grande, which 

 is seven miles above Hidalgo. It has since been found breeding in chaparral near 

 Brownsville, Texas, and its nest and three sets of its eggs taken there are iii the 

 Ralph collection in the U. S. National Museum. The eggs of this species range from 

 four to eight, usually five in number, and of the same color as those of the last 

 species. No peculiarity seems to be noted in the nesting of this species; no mention 

 is made of eggs being laid in one nest by several females, as is the case with C. ani, 

 and we would naturally expect the. breeding habits of both species belonging to the 

 same genus to be very much similar. Colonel Grayson states that the nest is usually 

 built in a thorny tree or bush, at a moderate height; and composed of thorns and 

 dry twigs exteriorly, and lined with fibrous roots. He describes the eggs ofl the 

 outside of the shell as rough and white, the inside green. The birds, he femarks, 

 associate in small flocks of eight or ten, and are fond ol, picking ticks qfC the cattle. 

 Mr. Charles W. Richmond states that this species is very'abun(Jant in the vicinity 

 of Blueflelds, Nicaragua. The heart of a thick thorny orange or lemon tree 'appears 

 to be their favorite situation, from four to seven feet from the ground, sometimes as 

 high up as fifteen feiet. The nests like tljose of C. ani, are very bulky, conspicuous 

 structures, composed of dead black tWiga; and tjie: cavity proper is invariably lined 

 with green leaves. T^he nest is a voluininous structure, and while in its cavity may 

 be found eggs of the original builder, other eggs, undoubtedly the product of some 

 intruder, are often found in its framework. The eggs rese'mlile those of "the Ahi so 

 closelythat the same description will answer for botji. .The average measur^ement 

 of forty eggs in the U. S. National Museum is about'''1.23x.94, the largest '1.32x.99 

 inches, the smallest 1.09x.86 inches. ' ', 



385. ROAD-BUNNER. Veococcyx raliforidanus (Less.) Geog. Dist.— Texas, 

 New Mexico, north to Western Indian Territory and Kansas; Southern Colorado, 

 westward to California; Lower California; south into Mexico. 



The Ground Cuckoo, Chaparral Cock, Snake Killer or Paisano, as it is differently 

 called, is a curious long-tailed, chicken-like bird, noted for its swiftn-ess of foot. It is 

 found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California southward, i *Iti' S6uthera Oali- 

 tornia, Mr. Shields states that this bird is abundant in the chaparral and sage bush 

 regions. Its favorite food consists of small lizards and snakes. It' nests in' low 

 trees, usually in the low branches of a cactus or in a thorfty bush; A nest before 

 me, collected in Lee county, Texas, by J. A. Singley, is a coarse structure made Of 

 sticks. It was placed in a haw- bush about eight feet from the^ ground% The-struc- 

 ture'is thick and clumsy, with but a slight depression for the eggs: The latter are 

 deposited at intervals of several days, and a perfectly fresh egg is often- foJiEd -with 

 one. on the point of hatching; or young birds of various sizes with' partially incu- 

 bated, eggs in the same nest is of common occurrence. Mr. Shields found oggs as 



