﻿FIELD 
  NOTES. 
  11 
  

  

  the 
  stacks 
  of 
  rice 
  straw, 
  fences, 
  and 
  trees, 
  or 
  disappeared 
  in 
  the 
  rice 
  

   stubble 
  or 
  fields 
  of 
  weeds. 
  Those 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  were 
  lighting 
  

   on 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  tall 
  weeds 
  along 
  the 
  fence 
  rows 
  and 
  making 
  side 
  trips 
  

   in 
  squads 
  of 
  1,000 
  or 
  so 
  to 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  fields. 
  As 
  these 
  

   flocks 
  settled 
  among 
  the 
  cotton 
  stalks, 
  it 
  was 
  probably 
  mainly 
  for 
  

   grass 
  and 
  weed 
  seeds, 
  which 
  with 
  broken 
  rice 
  comprised 
  the 
  contents 
  

   of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  crops 
  and 
  gizzards, 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  2 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  27 
  

   individuals 
  shot 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  weevils 
  is 
  of 
  some 
  significance 
  in 
  

   consideration 
  of 
  the 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  birds. 
  

  

  Western 
  savanna 
  sparrow 
  (Passer 
  cuius 
  sandioichensis 
  alaudinus). 
  — 
  

   Western 
  savanna 
  sparrows 
  were 
  abundant 
  at 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  localities 
  

   visited 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  stay 
  in 
  Texas. 
  They 
  are 
  so 
  small 
  and 
  

   inconspicuous 
  as 
  to 
  escape 
  general 
  notice, 
  but 
  as 
  I 
  walked 
  through 
  

   the 
  cotton 
  fields 
  they 
  were 
  constantly 
  darting 
  out 
  from 
  before 
  me, 
  

   running 
  to 
  right 
  and 
  left 
  to 
  avoid 
  flight, 
  or 
  flying 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  

   and 
  dropping 
  again 
  into 
  the 
  grass. 
  Out 
  of 
  18 
  shot 
  only 
  1 
  was 
  found 
  

   to 
  have 
  eaten 
  a 
  boll 
  weevil, 
  so 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  not 
  

   great, 
  even 
  considering 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  individuals. 
  

  

  White-throated 
  sparrow 
  (Zonotrichia 
  albicollis). 
  — 
  White-throated 
  

   sparrows 
  were 
  first 
  seen 
  at 
  Eagle 
  Lake 
  November 
  16, 
  where 
  they 
  

   took 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  white-crowned 
  sparrow 
  found 
  at 
  Seguin. 
  They 
  

   were 
  common 
  at 
  Wharton 
  and 
  extremely 
  numerous 
  at 
  Navasota 
  up 
  

   to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  my 
  work. 
  Their 
  favorite 
  feeding 
  grounds 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  

   thickets 
  and 
  brushy 
  borders 
  of 
  fields, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  constantly 
  

   rustling 
  among 
  the 
  weeds 
  and 
  leaves 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food. 
  Of 
  the 
  9 
  

   specimens 
  collected 
  only 
  1 
  had 
  eaten 
  a 
  boll 
  weevil. 
  

  

  Brown 
  thrasher 
  (Toxostoma 
  rufum). 
  — 
  One 
  brown 
  thrasher 
  was 
  

   seen 
  at 
  Columbus 
  November 
  15 
  and 
  one 
  at 
  Wharton 
  November 
  17. 
  

   A 
  few 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  Liberty 
  November 
  21, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  common 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  Big 
  Thicket 
  country 
  near 
  Saratoga 
  and 
  at 
  Navasota 
  

   up 
  to 
  December 
  16. 
  At 
  Navasota, 
  where 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  

   procured, 
  December 
  10 
  to 
  15, 
  they 
  were 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  

   thickets 
  and 
  brush 
  rows 
  around 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  fields. 
  Individuals 
  

   were 
  easily 
  located 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  by 
  the 
  noise 
  they 
  made 
  scratch- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  running 
  among 
  the 
  dry 
  leaves, 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  were 
  shot 
  

   in 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  unearthing 
  and 
  eating 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  Of 
  

   the 
  28 
  specimens, 
  however, 
  but 
  1 
  had 
  eaten 
  a 
  boll 
  weevil. 
  

  

  Texas 
  bobwhite 
  (Colinus 
  virginianus 
  texanus). 
  — 
  Thirty-five 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  Texas 
  bobwhite 
  were 
  collected 
  at 
  Seguin 
  between 
  November 
  

   2 
  and 
  12, 
  where 
  at 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  hunting 
  season 
  they 
  were 
  

   abundant. 
  Later 
  a 
  few 
  flocks 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Columbus, 
  Eagle 
  

   Lake, 
  Wharton, 
  and 
  Navasota, 
  but 
  at 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  places 
  they 
  were 
  

   comparatively 
  scarce 
  and 
  the 
  flocks 
  were 
  scattered 
  and 
  wild. 
  At 
  

   Seguin 
  almost 
  every 
  field 
  and 
  pasture 
  contained 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  coveys 
  

   of 
  10 
  to 
  20 
  quail, 
  which 
  were 
  generally 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  their 
  

  

  