40 Mr. H. E. Dresser on the Birds of Southern Texas. 
moras, but only shot one. In August they became more nume¬ 
rous, and about the time I left I saw them daily at the lagoon. 
Numenius longirostris, Wilson. Long-billed Curlew. 
Not uncommon near Matamoras late in July and early in 
August. In September we found them very abundant between 
Brownsville and Victoria, and more particularly so on the sand- 
plains and at the saltwater ponds near Barton's Bancho, at 
which latter place I killed five at one shot. 
During my visit to Galveston Island in May and June 1864 
I saw many there, and was told by several gunners that a few 
breed at the lake in the middle of the island. At San Antonio 
I saw and shot them during the winter months; and three speci¬ 
mens were included in the collection from Fort Stockton. 
Bill dark brown; legs greenish-grey ; iris brown. 
Numenius hudsonicus, Latham. Hudsonian Curlew. 
Found occasionally in the autumn and spring. I have two 
specimens shot near San Antonio. 
Numenius borealis (Forster). Esquimaux Curlew. 
Found near San Antonio in the spring. It is commoner than 
the preceding species, but not so common as Numenius longirostris. 
Ballus elegans, Audubon. Marsh-hen. 
Pretty common on the Brazos and Colorado Bivers, and also 
found occasionally on Galveston Island. 
Ballus yirginianus, Linnseus. Virginia Bail. 
[Shot near San Antonio on several occasions.-—A. L. H.] 
I shot a couple of these Bails at Matamoras in August 1863. 
Porzana Carolina (Linnseus). Carolina Bail. 
Not uncommon near San Antonio in October and December. 
Porzana noveboracensts (Gmelin). Yellow Bail. 
[Not uncommon at Mitchell's Lake, near San Antonio.— 
A. L. H.] 
When I visited this locality it was nearly dried up, and I 
found no Yellow Bails there; but all the gunners who resort 
thither assure me that in some seasons they are very numerous. 
Fulica americana, Gmelin. American Coot. 
Very numerous near Matamoras and Brownsville during the 
