the: WILSON BULLETIN 
A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY 
VOL. XXXIV MARCH, 1922 
OLD SERIES VOL. XXXIV. NEW SERIES VOL. XXIX 
NO. 1 
NOTES ON THE ROAD-RUNNER AT 
FORT WORTH, TEXAS * 
BY GEORGE MIKSCH SUTTON 
More or less extensive notes on my experiences with pet 
Road-runners have appeared elsewhere f; but since these only 
partly cover the ground of my experiences with this exceptionally 
interesting species, I feel it to be worth while to record some 
additional observations on the tame birds, as well as other notes, 
unpublished before, on the bird in its wild state. 
My residence in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, was 
from July, 1911, until July, 1914. During this time one of the 
most interesting birds encountered, and at the same time one of 
the most difficult to study in its wild state, was the Road-runner 
( Geococcyx calif ornianus ) . Though the bird is well known 
locally, in fact one of the best known birds in that region, it is not 
an easy bird to locate, and a number of people who volunteered 
to show me the “ Chaparral-Cocks ” failed in many attempts. 
And so it was some time before I had a chance to become in- 
timately acquainted with the birds in question. 
The country about Fort Worth offers a pleasing variety; it 
is somewhat rolling, with suggestions of bluffs in places, back 
from tlie banks of the Trinity River. Part of it is rather 
t.- 
heavily wooded with deciduous trees and occasional bunches 
of live oaks. Suggestive of more arid conditions are frequent 
bunches of Prickly Pear Cactus which sometimes cover large 
areas, and Yucca, whose charming flowered spikes are among 
the most graceful of the prairie’s features. The wooded areas 
are almost without exception along the streams, which are for 
the most part rather intermittent, due to a rather fickle climate. 
We were fortunate in living at the edge of the settlement for 
most of the time, and my notes on the wild Road-runner are 
* Thanks are due Mr. W. E. C. Todd, who has kindly offered valuable 
suggestions and criticisms. 
f Bird-Lore, Sept. -Oct. 1913, and Jan. -Feb. 1915. 
