Nov., 1903 I 
THE CONDOR 
151 
Troglodytes aedon aztecus. Western House Wren. Rather rare; a few were 
seen but none taken. 
Cistothorus palustris plesius. Western Marsh Wren. Taken at Sulphur 
Spring March 16 at which time they were abundant. 
Sitta carolinensis aculeata. Slender-billed Nuthatch. Abundant in the 
the mountains, but none seen in the valley. 
Parus wollweberi. Bridled Titmouse. Common resident in the mountains 
where they frequent the oak woods. Many were taken in the Dragoon and 
Chiricahua mountains. 
Psaltriparus plumbeus. Lead-colored Tit. Very common in the Dragoon 
mountains where it was generall}^ seen with the preceding species. 
Regulus sp. Kinglet. A few females were seen in the Dragoon and Chiricahua 
mountains. 
Polioptila caerulea obscura. Western Gnatcatcher. First seen March 17; 
occasionally met with later. 
Myadestes townsendi. Towmsend Solitaire. Found in the Dragoon moun- 
tains in winter. 
Hylocichla guttata auduboni. Audubon Hermit Thrush. One was taken in 
the Dragoon mountains April 14. \ few others were seen on the same date. 
Merula migratoria propinqua. Western Robin. Common in the Dragoon 
mountains. 
Sialia mexicana bairdi. Chestnut-backed Bluebird. Common but less so than 
the following species, with which it was associated. 
Sialia arctica. Mountain Bluebird. In winter large flocks were seen in the 
mountains and occasionally in the valley. 
Notes on the Texan Jay 
KY HOWARD I.ACKY 
O N buying a small ranch in Kerr county, Texas, in the summer of 1882, and 
stocking it with a few cows and other domestic animals, I began to spend 
my spare time in studying the habits of the wild creatures that I met, and 
at first gave nearly all my attention to the birds of the neighborhood. Not find- 
ing anyone else who took much interest in such things, I bought Coues’ Key to 
North American Birds, and with this and a shot gun I by degrees learned the 
names of most of the birds that I saw as I rode about the range. I dislike haY’ing 
to use the gun, so I made a point of making a rough skin (a very rough one indeed 
at first) of everything that I shot and could not identify. 
In 1893 I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of the “ professor” 
who was then living in San Antonio, with whom I have since taken many pleas- 
ant little excursions, and between us we got to be on familiar terms with most of 
our bird neighbors. One of the birds that I could not place was our common jay, 
now" know'n as the Texan jay (Aphelocoma trxana). 
In December, 1894, when deer hunting on the head of the Nueces river, I 
shot and skinned one of these birds and sent it to the professor. He sent it on, I 
believe, to the late Captain Bendire, and it is now the type of the species. In 
