Part 1

BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB: =A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology.= VOLUME VII.

=Editor.= J. A. ALLEN.

=Associate Editors.= S. F. BAIRD AND ELLIOTT COUES.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.: PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB. 1882

_W. H. Wheeler, Printer, 15 & 17 Brighton Street, Cambridge, Mass. 1882._

CONTENTS OF VOLUME VII.

NUMBER I.

PAGE. ON AN APPARENTLY NEW HERON FROM FLORIDA. By _Robert Ridgway_. 1 LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED AT HOUSTON, HARRIS CO., TEXAS, AND VICINITY, AND IN THE COUNTIES MONTGOMERY, GALVESTON, AND FORD BEND. By _H. Nehrling_. 6 ON THE SESAMOID AT THE FRONT OF THE CARPUS IN BIRDS. By _F. Amory Jeffries_. 13 NOTES ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OBSERVED NEAR WHEATLAND, KNOX CO., INDIANA, IN THE SPRING OF 1881. By _Robert Ridgway_. 15 NOTES ON THE HABITS AND CHANGES OF PLUMAGE OF THE ACADIAN OWL (_Nyctale acadica_), WITH SOME ADDITIONAL RECORDS OF ITS BREEDING IN MASSACHUSETTS. By _William Brewster_. 23 DESCRIPTION OF A NEW RACE OF _Peucæa ruficeps_ FROM TEXAS. By _Nathan Clifford Brown_. 26 ON KENNICOTT’S OWL AND SOME OF ITS ALLIES, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A PROPOSED NEW RACE. By _William Brewster_. 27 A RECONNOISSANCE IN SOUTHWESTERN TEXAS. By _Nathan Clifford Brown_. 33

RECENT LITERATURE.

Memorial Volume of Garrod’s Scientific Papers, 43; Shufeldt’s Osteology of the North American Tetraonidæ, 44; Illustrations of Ohio Nests and Eggs, 45; Shufeldt’s “The Claw on the Index Digit of the Cathartidæ,” 46; Papers on Minnesota Birds, 47; Freke on the Birds of Amelia County, Virginia, 48; Langdon’s Field Notes on Louisiana Birds, 48; Krider’s Field Notes, 49; Langdon’s Zoölogical Miscellany, 50; Hoffman on the Birds of Nevada, 51.

GENERAL NOTES.

The Tufted Titmouse on Staten Island, N. Y., 52; Nesting of the White-bellied Wren (_Thryothorus bewicki leucogaster_), 52; An Erroneous Record of the Orange-crowned Warbler (_Helminthophaga celata_) in New Hampshire, 53; On the Generic Name _Helminthophaga_, 53; _Dendræca palmarum_ again in Massachusetts, 54; _Ampelis cedrorum_ as a Sap-sucker, 54; Capture of _Plectrophanes lapponicus_ in Chester, S. C., 54; Occurrence of _Coturniculus lecontei_ in Chester County, South Carolina, 54; The Sharp-tailed Finch in Kansas, 55; Note on _Mitrephanes_, a New Generic Name, 55; Nesting of _Empidonax minimus_ and _Helmintherus vermivorus_ in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 55; Cuckoos laying in the Nests of other Birds, 56; _Melanerpes erythrocephalus_ about Boston, 57; The Barn Owl in Maine; a Retraction, 58; The Snowy Owl at Fort Walla Walla, W. T., 58; Capture of the Golden Eagle in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, 58; The Swallow-tailed Kite in Dakota, 59; A Remarkable Specimen of the Pinnated Grouse (_Cupidonia cupido_), 59; Wilson’s Plover (_Ægialites wilsonius_) in New England, 59; Capture of Baird’s Sandpiper on Long Island, N. Y., 60; An Addition to the Maine Fauna, 60; Capture of _Larus leucopterus_ near Boston, 60; The Great Black-backed Gull (_Larus marinus_) from a new Locality, 60; The Snake-bird in Kansas, 61; Capture of the Sea Dove 150 Miles from the Sea, 61; Additions to the Catalogue of North American Birds, 61; Notes on Some Birds of the Belt Mountains, Montana Territory, 61; Remarks on Some Western Vermont Birds, 63.

ERRATUM 64

NUMBER II.

ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS LATELY MADE BY MR. F. STEPHENS IN ARIZONA. By _William Brewster_. 65 NOTES ON THE OS PROMINENS. By _Frederic A Lucas_. 86 A LIST OF BIRDS FROM THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, OBSERVED DURING THE SUMMER OF 1881, WITH BRIEF NOTES. By _O. P. Hay_. 89 IMPRESSIONS OF SOME SOUTHERN BIRDS. By _William Brewster_. 94 NOTES ON SOME OF THE RARER BIRDS OF SOUTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK. By _Montague Chamberlain_. 104

NOTES ON THE SUMMER BIRDS OF THE UPPER ST. JOHN. By _Charles F. Batchelder_. 106

RECENT LITERATURE.

Dr. Coues’ New Check List and Dictionary, 111; Nests and Eggs of Ohio Birds, 112; Professor Macoun’s Report of Exploration, 113; Knowlton’s Revised List of the Birds of Brandon, Vermont, 113; Krukenberg on the Coloring Matter of Feathers, 114; Minor Ornithological Papers, 115.

GENERAL NOTES.

Description of a Nest of the Water Ouzel, 118; The Short-billed Marsh Wren in New Hampshire, 118; Early Arrival of the Yellow Rump in Southern Maine, 119; Late Stay (probable Wintering) of _Dendrœca pinus_ in Massachusetts, 119; The Hooded Warbler in Western New York, 119; Breeding of the Pine Grosbeak (_Pinicola enucleator_) in Lower Canada, 120; _Coturniculus lecontei_, _C. henslowi_, and _Cistothorus stellaris_ in Florida, 121; _Ammodramus caudacutus_—a somewhat Inland Record on the Atlantic Coast, 122; The White-throated Sparrow in Winter near Worcester, Mass., 122; _Peucæa ruficeps eremœca_, 122; The Canada Jay at Portland, Maine, 122; The White-throated Swift breeding on Belt River, Montana, 122; Capture of the Golden Eagle (_Aquila chrysaëtus canadensis_) near Columbus, Ohio, 123; The Little Blue Heron in Maine, 123; Baird’s Sandpiper on Long Island, N. Y.—a Correction, 123; _Pelidna subarquata_ on the Maine Coast, 124; The King Rail in New England, 124; Purple Gallinule (_Ionornis martinica_) in Rhode Island, 124; Note on the Habits of the Young of _Gallinula galeata_ and _Podilymbus podiceps_, 124; _Rhynchops nigra_—an Early Record for the Massachusetts Coast, 125; Notes on the Habits of the Kittiwake Gull, 125; _Sterna forsteri_ breeding off the Eastern Shore of Virginia, 126; Note on the Foot of _Accipiter fuscus_, 126; Supplementary Notes on two Texas Birds, 127; Addenda to the Preliminary list of Birds ascertained to occur in the Adirondack Region, Northeastern New York, 128.

ERRATA 128

NUMBER III.

THE COLORS OF FEATHERS. (_Plate I._) By _J. Amory Jeffries_ 129 ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS LATELY MADE BY MR. F. STEPHENS IN ARIZONA. By _William Brewster_ 135 NOTES ON THE SUMMER BIRDS OF THE UPPER ST. JOHN. By _Charles F. Batchelder_ 147 A SKETCH OF THE HOME OF _Hylocichla aliciæ bicknelli_, RIDGWAY, WITH SOME CRITICAL REMARKS ON THE ALLIES OF THIS NEW RACE. By _Eugene P. Bicknell_ 152 SHORT NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF BAYOU SARA, LOUISIANA. By _Charles Wickliffe Beckham_ 159 LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED AT HOUSTON, HARRIS CO., TEXAS, AND IN THE COUNTIES MONTGOMERY, GALVESTON, AND FORD BEND. By _H. Nehrling_ 166

RECENT LITERATURE.

Bailey’s Index to Forest and Stream, 175; Chamberlain’s Catalogue of the Birds of New Brunswick, 176; Krukenberg on the Coloring Matter of Feathers, Second Part, 177; Stejneger’s Nomenclatural Innovations, 178; Ingersoll’s Birds’-Nesting, 179.

GENERAL NOTES.

Note on _Mimus polyglottus_, 180; The Nest of the House Wren, 180; Remarkable plumage of the Orchard Oriole, 181; The Nest and Eggs of _Perisoreus canadensis_, 181; Notes on the Plumage of _Nephæcetes niger borealis_, 182; Plumage of the Young of _Eclectus polychlorus_, 183; An Owl’s Egg laid in Confinement, 183; _Buteo brachyurus_—a Correction, 184; The Turkey Buzzard in New Hampshire, 184; Rapacious Birds in Confinement, 184; Note on _Mareca americana_, 185; Destruction of Birds by the Cold Wave of May 21st and 22d, 185; More Definite Statistics needed in regard to the Abundance of Birds, 186; Remarks on Five Maine Birds, 189; Maine Notes, 190; Stray Notes from Lookout Mountain, Tenn., 191.

ERRATA 192

NUMBER IV.

ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS LATELY MADE BY MR. F. STEPHENS IN ARIZONA. By _William Brewster_ 193 NOTES UPON THE OSTEOLOGY OF _Cinclus mexicanus_. By _R. W. Shufeldt_ 213 LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED AT HOUSTON, HARRIS CO., TEXAS, AND IN THE COUNTIES MONTGOMERY, GALVESTON, AND FORD BEND. By _H. Nehrling_ 222 NOTES ON SOME BIRDS COLLECTED BY CAPT. CHARLES BENDIRE AT FORT WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON TERRITORY. By _William Brewster_ 225 LIST OF BIRDS ASCERTAINED TO OCCUR WITHIN TEN MILES FROM POINT DE MONTS, PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, CANADA, BASED CHIEFLY UPON THE NOTES OF NAPOLEON A. COMEAU. By _C. Hart Merriam_ 233

RECENT LITERATURE.

The Coues Check List and Ornithological Dictionary, 242; Gentry’s Nests and Eggs of Birds of the United States, 246.

GENERAL NOTES.

_Dendræca palmarum_ at Sing Sing, N. Y., 249; Nest and Eggs of _Setophaga picta_—a Correction, 249; The Summer Tanager (_Pyranga æstiva_) in New Brunswick, 249; The Evening Grosbeak in New York, 250; The Black-throated Bunting in Florida, 250; Distribution of the Fish Crow (_Corvus ossifragus_), 250; The Swallow-tailed Kite (_Elanoïdes forficatus_) taken in Southern Michigan, 250: _Garzetta candidissima_ at Nantucket, Massachusetts, 251; The Snow Goose (_Chen hyperboreus_) at Sing Sing, N. Y., 251: Note on the Long-tailed Duck, 251; _Lomvia arra brünnichi_ and _L. troile_ in New England, 251; Rare Warblers in Massachusetts, 252; The Unusual “Wave” of Birds during the Spring Migration of 1882, 252; Birds new or rare in the District of Columbia, 253; Notes on some Birds and Eggs from the Magdalen Islands, Gulf of St. Lawrence, 253; Second Addendum to the Preliminary List of Birds ascertained to occur in the Adirondack region, Northeastern New York, 256; List of Additions to the Catalogue of North American Birds, 257.

INDEX 259

BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. VOL. VII. JANUARY, 1882. NO. I.

ON AN APPARENTLY NEW HERON FROM FLORIDA.

BY ROBERT RIDGWAY.

The following facts in relation to an apparently hitherto unnoticed large Heron found in Southwestern Florida, I am kindly permitted to lay before the readers of the Nuttall Bulletin, by Mr. Charles W. Ward, of Pontiac, Michigan, who spent several weeks at the breeding grounds of the bird in question, and was thus enabled to make many very interesting observations on its habits, etc. Mr. Ward’s memoranda are especially interesting in connection with the question of _Ardea occidentalis_ Aud. and _A. würdemanni_ Baird, but unfortunately the matter, in the light of the evidence which he adduces, becomes involved in greater obscurity than before.

Under date of September 3 (1881), Mr. Ward writes as follows:—

“My observations of the Herons during the past season do not correspond with those of Mr. N. B. Moore, as recorded on page 232 of your article[1], in regard to their feeding habits. I found them generally living in communities, roosting, nesting, and feeding together, like Pigeons, and often observed flocks of the Little White, Reddish, and other Egrets, feeding together like Teal Ducks. Two specimens of _A. occidentalis_ were seen feeding quietly within twenty feet of one of the Herons procured by me [_A. wardi_, nobis]. They were feeding on a mud bar at low tide. I was once concealed in the low brush near a small pool watching three Louisiana Egrets chasing minnows, when two of them making for the same minnow squared off for a knock-down, while the third coolly appropriated the prize, leaving the combatants situated like complainant and defendant at the close of a law suit. In all my observations of the Herons I have seen nothing to lead to a conclusion that one of these birds held any particular antipathy against its own species while feeding. In the many squabbles between Herons on their feeding grounds the encounters occurred quite as often between different species as members of the same species. It may be that during the breeding season they are more friendly than at other times. In order that you may understand my opportunities for observing these birds, I enclose a rough map of Mound Key and surroundings, my camping place from January 20 till April 10. As you will see by the figures marked ... it was in the midst of their feeding grounds, these places being mud- and sand-bars, bare at low tide. Regarding the Reddish Egret, among many thousands of them I saw only one in the pure white plumage, and no white young; but one of my dark specimens has white feathers on the head and in the tail, while one of the secondary quills has the outer web chiefly white. My companion of last winter’s Florida trip reports that he saw no Reddish Egrets with white except on the secondaries.

“Regarding the large Herons [_i.e._, _A. wardi_], I am much inclined to think them a geographical variety ... the specimens being very uniform in color.... I examined some thirty nests at least, fifteen of which contained young, all being dark colored, _with one exception_. These birds are common in Southwestern Florida, and their nests are frequently found along the coast. From all the information at my command, connected with my own observations, I am almost convinced that the bird in question is separate and distinct from _A. occidentalis_ and _A. würdemanni_, and the fact that Audubon found the former in immense numbers among the mangrove islands of Eastern Florida is strong evidence that he happened in the vicinity of one of their rookeries. As you will observe by examining the diagram of my camping place and noting the rookeries of large Herons ... these birds were quite common in that vicinity, while I saw only a few specimens of _A. occidentalis_. The white bird found in the nest with the blue might have come there from an adjoining empty nest, some 30 or 40 feet distant, as it could easily have done, being nearly full-grown. This surmise is strengthened by the circumstance that I saw a large white Heron on the island marked ‘*,’ and my companion killed a similar, if not the same, specimen on the large island marked ‘2,’ which he threw away, supposing it to be a common White Egret [_Herodias egretta_]. These I now believe to have been _A. occidentalis_; the other [_H. egretta_] was then laying its eggs, while the description of _A. occidentalis_ corresponds to my recollection of the bird he killed. At the time, I was not familiar with the description of _A. occidentalis_.

“In the Little Blue Heron [_Florida cærulea_] and Reddish Egret (_Dichromanassa rufa_), where dichromatism appears to be an established fact, each species presents different phases and mixtures of both colors, especially the Little Blue, which shows almost every variety of curious markings of blue and white; while in the Reddish Egret, one specimen shows white on the head, tail, and wings, and others reported by Mr. Adams show white on the wings.

“As before said, I believe the bird to be a geographical variation of _A. herodias_, residing permanently and breeding in South Florida. I think that further search and observation will develop more evidence concerning _A. occidentalis_ and _A. würdemanni_, which may result in confirming your theory of their being one and the same species. You will pardon my opposing your opinion, but my convictions are so strong that only the finding of white birds with blue young and more cases of blue parents with white young, or adults showing mixtures of both phases, would overcome them.”

Assuming that the large white birds observed by Mr. Ward were really a white phase of the dark-colored birds obtained by him, and which were so numerous in the locality, it certainly appears strange that so few of the former were seen. The case of the Reddish Egret, which he cites, affords, however, an exact parallel, and it is now considered established beyond question that “Peale’s Egret” (_Ardea pealei_ Bonap.—a pure white bird) is merely a white phase of this species. As to the comparative rarity of these large white birds, in the locality where observed by Mr. Ward, militating against any theory of their specific identity with the dark-colored birds, it should be remembered that in the case of nearly every dichromatic species of bird this condition is more or less variable with locality. A pertinent example may be cited in the case of _Demiegretta sacra_, a Heron of wide distribution in the Far East. This species inhabits a considerable number of islands in the Polynesian group, and it has been noticed and recorded by naturalists who have visited that region, that on some islands all or nearly all the birds of this species are dark colored, on others all or nearly all are white, while on others still there may be a more equal proportion of the two phases. It may be remarked that the two phases in this species are even more distinct in coloration than in the case of _Dichromanassa rufa_, the colored phase being darker than in the latter species. Upon the whole, even admitting the possibility of the white young bird seen by Mr. Ward having of its own volition taken up its abode in a nest containing dark-colored young, I am strongly inclined to believe that it belonged to the same species with the latter, the question of its parentage (_i.e._, whether its parents were white or dark-colored birds) being a comparatively unimportant consideration, as affecting the main question. But in adopting the view of their specific identity a problem arises which in the light of our present knowledge appears unsolvable, and which may be briefly stated thus:—

The large “blue” Herons obtained by Mr. Ward are, in every respect as regards size and proportions, identical with _Ardea occidentalis_ Aud. and _A. würdemanni_ Baird; in coloration they agree exactly with the latter, except only in the pattern of the head and tint of the neck, which are precisely as in _A. herodias_. The bird in question is apparently “dichromatic,” having a white phase; hence, assuming that _A. occidentalis_ and _A. würdemanni_ are dichromatic phases of one species, it necessarily follows that white individuals of the bird in question would be _absolutely indistinguishable from white examples of A. occidentalis_! Still, in view of the fact that the colored phase differs from _A. würdemanni_ in its most essential feature of coloration, _i.e._, the pattern of the head markings, it seems impossible to unite them, unless it can be shown that the type of _A. würdemanni_ does not represent the perfect colored phase of that species.[2] There are hence several hypotheses which might be plausibly argued upon theoretical grounds, and which may be stated as follows: (1) That _A. occidentalis_, _A. würdemanni_, _A. wardi_, and _A. herodias_ all belong to a single species, which reaches its extremes of variation in the first- and last-named; (2) That these names include three distinct races or species: _A. herodias_, which is never white; _A. occidentalis_, which is dichromatic (having separate white and colored phases), and _A. wardi_, also dichromatic, its white phase indistinguishable from that of _A. occidentalis_, and its colored phase distinguishable from that of the same species (_A. würdemanni_) by the different pattern and color of the head and neck alone; and (3) that there are two species, _A. occidentalis_ and _A. herodias_, which in Florida hybridize on an extensive scale, producing the intermediate specimens which have been distinguished as _A. würdemanni_ and _A. wardi_.

Of these hypotheses I have, after careful consideration of them all, concluded to adopt the second as being most consistent with known facts, and accordingly propose for the bird in question the name

=486* Ardea wardi= _Ridgw._ WARD’S HERON.

With the following characters:—

CH.—Colored phase exactly like _A. würdemanni_ (= dark phase of _A. occidentalis_?), but with the head colored as in _A. herodias_. Differing from _herodias_ in much larger size (culmen 6.50–7.00 inches, tarsus, 8.50–9.00 inches), lighter general coloration, and (in dried skin) light brown instead of black legs. Dichromatic; the white phase being indistinguishable from that of _A. occidentalis_ (?).

_Adult_ ♂ (No. 82,329, U. S. Nat. Mus., Oyster Bay, Florida, March, 1881; Chas. W. Ward): Head white, with the sides of the crown and entire occiput (including the lengthened plumes) deep black;[3] neck lavender-gray (much lighter than in the type of _würdemanni_), the fore-neck white thickly streaked with black for the lower two-thirds; jugular plumes chiefly white, their lengthened tapering portion entirely so. Upper surface uniform bluish plumbeous, the lengthened scapular plumes hoary whitish or pale silvery gray. Upper breast uniform black; abdomen and lower breast white, rather indistinctly streaked with dark gray; anal region mixed black and white, in longitudinal dashes (the black rather predominating); crissum immaculate pure white. Tibiæ uniform light cinnamon; edge of the wing (especially near the bend) deeper cinnamon, but this much mixed with white toward the bases of the quills; lining of the wing, axillars, sides, and flanks, uniform plumbeous. Bill, apparently, entirely olivaceous-yellow; naked portion of tibiæ very pale brown (evidently yellowish or flesh-colored in life); tarsi light brown (olivaceous in life?), darker in front; toes light brown. Wing, 20.50: culmen, 6.75; depth of bill through nostril, 1.10; tarsus, 8.75; middle toe, 5.10; naked portion of tibiæ, 5.50.

Mr. W. H. Collins, of Detroit, who kindly presented the specimen described above to the National Museum, has sent me measurements of two other specimens, one in his own possession, the other mounted for Mr. Ward. As may be seen below they agree closely in dimensions with the type, their measurements being, respectively, wing 20.00–20.50; culmen 6.50–7.00; depth of bill through nostril, 1.25; tarsus, 8.75–9.00; middle toe, 5.25–5.45; naked portion of tibia, 5.75–6.00.

LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED AT HOUSTON, HARRIS CO., TEXAS AND VICINITY AND IN THE COUNTIES MONTGOMERY, GALVESTON AND FORD BEND.

BY H. NEHRLING.

1. =Turdus migratorius=, _L._ ROBIN.—Very common in the woods from November to April. Very shy and retiring during their stay; only a few have been observed in the larger gardens of Houston. Feeds abundantly on the berries of the holly (_Ilex opaca_) and the myrtle-holly (_Oreophila myrtifolia_). About the 15th of April all have departed for the North.

2. =Turdus mustelinus=, _Gmel._ WOOD THRUSH.—Arrives from the North early in October when the aromatic berries of the _Magnolia grandiflora_ are ripe, on which they eagerly feed. On account of this food the flesh is very delicate and large numbers are killed by pot hunters, who call them “Grassets.” In the winter months they appear not to be common and inhabit swampy thickets and bottom woods.

3. =Turdus fuscescens=, _Steph._ WILSON’S THRUSH.—Only a few observed during the fall migration.

4. =Turdus swainsoni=, _Cab._ OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.—Not rare during the migrations.

5. =Mimus polyglottus=, _Boie_. MOCKINGBIRD.—A very abundant resident. Only a few remain to winter, in protected localities; the majority migrate further south. They arrive from their winter quarters early in March and are by the end of that month again common. Nest-building commences usually in the middle of April. Many are killed by farmers and gardeners on account of their fondness for ripe figs and grapes. Besides insects, they feed eagerly on the berries of the poke (_Phytolacca decandra_), the elder (_Sambucus canadensis_), and the Mexican mulberry (_Callicarpa americana_). In winter the berries of the myrtle-holly (_Oreophila myrtifolia_) and those of the mistletoe (_Phoradendron flavescens_) are their principal food.

6. =Mimus carolinensis=, _Gray_. CATBIRD.—I first observed a single specimen of this bird April 25, 1879. It was then my opinion that this bird must be a very rare migrant, as I did not meet with another that year. It was this year (1881), May 5, when I wandered through the thick underbrush in the woods on Spring Creek that I heard the peculiar cry of the Catbird, and a few minutes after I discovered the nest, which was built in a young oak sapling, about ten feet above the ground. They are not the familiar and confident birds of the Northern States, but extremely shy and retiring in their habits. They kept a good distance from me when I took the nest.

7. =Harporhynchus rufus=, _Cab._ BROWN THRUSH.—Common during the winter months in the thick underbrush of the woods near Spring Creek, in the northern part of Harris County. Very silent and extremely shy.

8. =Sialia sialis=, _Hald._ BLUEBIRD.—A very abundant winter sojourner and a common summer resident; but not so abundant as in the Northern States, and not so familiar. Commences to breed as early as February 15. I found a nest March 6, which contained newly hatched young. A nest discovered April 29 contained four pure white eggs.

9. =Regulus calendula=, _Licht._ RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and

10. =Regulus satrapa=, _Licht._ AMERICAN GOLDEN-CRESTED KINGLET.—Both are common during the winter months, when, in company with Titmice, they inhabit the pine woods near Houston. Are to be observed during the whole winter in the mountain cedars (_Juniperus occidentalis texanus_), which are common in the gardens of the city.