TeHetee Ar Us De BeOeNe EG Uy le Be Til N y 
Mr. McConnell, driving his truck, guided us through the park to a place 
where the road ended at the foot of a fallen tree. We rubbed on mosquito 
repellent and started up the trail. (You don’t need anything quite as large 
as a mouse-trap to catch Texas mosquitoes.) Two Ladder-backed Wood- 
peckers were flying back and forth, a Wood Pewee was sitting on a nearby 
branch, and a little further on was a Black-chinned Hummingbird. Isabel 
Wasson was much interested in the flora as we walked along; Mr. McCon- 
nell, in his casual way, helped her identify southern species. He talked 
about the small wilderness area we were in, saying that it was cherished 
by members of the Lower Rio Grand2 Audubon Society and that they soon 
hoped to bring water into a dry resaca (river bed) which runs through it. 
Our path led us into a lowland forest with Spanish moss hanging heavy 
from the branches of red elms. Here, too, were ash and hackberry trees, 
Texas ebony and anaqua shrubs, and understory vines. 
The noisy Green Jays kept us company as we walked along the bank of 
the resaca to a Rio Grande elm from whose limb, extending over the gully, 
hung the large, globular nest of the becard. The nest was woven of Spanish 
moss and seemed to have two openings, one at the side near the bottom, the 
other on the opposite side near the top. Our guide said that the birds were 
continually weaving more moss into the nest, never quite finishing it. First 
the female becard flew in, like a flycatcher in appearance, about the size of 
a large Wood Pewee, with a beautiful rusty brown lower back, breast light 
buff, cap dark. Soon we spotted the male perched on a nearby limb. His 
blackish cap came down over the cheek, the back and tail were dark grey, 
and the beautiful rose-colored throat gave him distinction. Both birds had 
rather thick, heavy bills. (Peterson describes them as catchers of flying in- 
sects and eaters of berries.) The becards were interesting to watch, but 
their nest intrigued me because it was so out of proportion to the size of 
the birds. The birds were about 6% inches; the nest approximately 11 
inches long, 9 inches wide. 
This small wildlife sanctuary where the becards nested (there were two 
old nests not far from the new one) was a rewarding and delightful place 
to visit. As we were enjoying a final chat in the cool living room, Mr. 
McConnell called our attention to the many activities and facilities of 
Bentsen State Park. There is picnicking and boating on the Rio Grande, 
places for boy and girl scout activities, and an area for tents and mobile 
homes. Best camping time starts in January and lasts until the end of 
April. When you travel to the lower Rio Grande valley, be sure to visit 
this interesting park where you will probably find a nesting Rose-throated 
Becard. 
3027 Thayer St., Evanston, Ill. 
fi is fH 
Bird Illustrations Donated to I. A. S. 
H. J. JoHNsoN, F.P.S.A., of the Chicago Nature Camera Club, who has 
served for 15 years as Chairman of the International Exhibition of Nature 
Photography, has generously donated over a dozen halftones of outstanding 
bird photographs to the Society. These illustrations, made from the top 
slides and prints in previous exhibitions, will appear in future numbers of 
the Audubon Bulletin. The Board of Directors has sent a letter of appre- 
ciation to Mr. Johnson for his thoughtful gift. 
