Part 19

100. MYIARCHUS CRINITUS _Cab._ GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.—Common summer sojourner, even in Houston, where it sometimes breeds in bird-boxes, but more commonly in knot-holes of the cedar and sycamore (_Platanus occidentalis_) and in old Woodpeckers’ holes. Their loud whistling cries are almost always to be heard from early April till the latter part of August; departs for winter quarters early in October. It is not a shy bird, but knows well how to escape danger. They are, with Kingbirds and other species, very busy during the time the _Magnolia grandiflora_ is in bloom, about which millions of various insects abound.

101. =Sayornis fuscus= _Bd._ PHOEBE BIRD; PEWEE.—Common in winter, from December to March, especially in the gardens of Houston. The common notes I heard were quite different from their familiar _pewee_, sounding like _tsip, tsip, tsip, zewee_. None remain to breed.

102. =Sayornis sayus= _Brd._ SAY’S PEWEE.—This Pewee I have observed only in April, on the borders of thickets and in the shrubbery near woods, and always singly.

103. =Contopus virens= _Cab._ WOOD PEWEE.—Common summer sojourner in open woods, particularly in the “post oak,” where its loud characteristic notes can be heard throughout the summer. Although this bird is common, I did not succeed in finding a nest. Arrives early in April; departs early in October.

104. =Empidonax acadicus= _Bd._ ACADIAN FLYCATCHER.—Common summer resident, and the only one of this attractive genus that breeds in this part of Texas. They are common in all the woods, particularly where a beautiful light green lichen (_Usnea barbata_) hangs from the trees. In all the deciduous woods of Harris County, and also in the mixed bottom woods near Spring Creek, they are common, but I was not so fortunate as to discover the nest, although I always kept a diligent lookout for it.

105. =Empidonax trailli= _Bd._ TRAILL’S FLYCATCHER.—Common during migrations, but none, I think, remain to breed.

106. =Empidonax minimus= _Bd._ LEAST FLYCATCHER.—Common during migrations in April and October.

107. =Trochilus colubris= _Linn._ RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.—Very common summer sojourner. I observed them from early April to the middle of October. Very abundant when the _Wistaria chinensis_, _Lonicera japonica_, _Gardenia florida_, _Pittosporum tobira_, _Cydonia japonica_, etc., are in flower.

I have several times seen another species of Hummingbird, but I did not succeed in securing it.

108. =Chætura pelasgica= _Bd._ CHIMNEY SWIFT.—On August 20, 1880, I saw numbers on the borders of woods near Spring Creek. During May, June and July I have seen only a few pairs.

109. =Antrostomus carolinensis= _Gld._ CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW.—Common during the breeding season in dry woods, with much undergrowth. Arrives late in April from its winter quarters; the time of departure I do not know. They remain silent during day-time, and commence their peculiar cries soon after dusk of evening. The eggs are laid on the bare ground in dry places, and are commonly well hidden by thick shrubbery. In the dry woods near Spring Creek they are common, but not in the wet wooded tracts near Houston.

110. =Chordiles popetue= _Bd._ NIGHTHAWK.—Seen in very large numbers. I saw thousands during a cloudy, rainy day in the early part of May, near the borders of woods. They all soon disappeared.

111. =Chordiles acutipennis texensis= _Ridgw._ TEXAN NIGHTHAWK.—A regular but somewhat rare summer sojourner. Differs from the preceding in many respects. They are more retiring in their habits; they also sail very low over ponds and pools of water, where myriads of insects, especially mosquitoes, abound. Four to six are often seen together, flying quite near each other. I never heard them utter a sound, and do not know where they breed, but I think they have their nests on the shrubby borders of woods, where they are most commonly to be observed when flying. They are readily distinguishable from their near relatives, our familiar northern Nighthawk, by their peculiar, low, and quiet sailing, and also by their smaller size.

112. =Campephilus principalis= _Gray._ IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.—Very rare; I have found it only in the large and dense pine forests in the northern part of Harris County and in Montgomery County far from human habitations. Very shy and not easy to approach.

113. =Picus villosus= _Linn._ HAIRY WOODPECKER.—Frequently seen during winter, but only a few times during the breeding season.

114. =Picus scalaris= _Wagl._ TEXAS WOODPECKER.—This beautiful little Woodpecker is quite numerous in all wooded districts; it comes often during winter into the gardens of Houston, and is then very unsuspicious. I can give no particulars about its nesting habits, as I have never found a nest.

115. =Picus pubescens= _Linn._ DOWNY WOODPECKER.—Common; breeds in all wooded districts, but is by no means so abundant as I have found it to be in Wisconsin.

116. =Picus borealis= _Vieill._ RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER.—The _Picus querulus_ of Wilson is resident in all the large pine woods; it is very shy, restless, and noisy. The male is very wary during the breeding season, and every pair has its own limited breeding range. I discovered a nest in an old high pine stump, but it was out of reach. These birds are not rare in heavily wooded districts. I never have seen one in the deciduous woods.

117. =Sphyropicus varius= _Bd._ YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER.—Winter resident from November to March, and then not uncommon. Always seen singly.

118. =Hylotomus pileatus= _Bd._ PILEATED WOODPECKER.—Common resident in all the wooded tracts, in the “post oak” as well as in the bottom and pine forests. A very noisy species; its drumming is almost as loud as that of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. It is not a shy and retiring species, but, on the contrary, is very often seen near farm houses. Especially abundant where during the previous winter or spring many trees have been cut down; these they search for worms, and very soon have all the bark hammered away from them. They often excavate a hole for their nest in a post oak, in a sycamore, and also in elms, often at a considerable height. The cavity is from 10 to 20 inches deep and so large that a man can easily put his hand into it. The eggs, from four to six, are of a brilliant white color. Only one brood is raised, and the young follow their parents till late in the fall.

119. =Centurus carolinus= _Bonap._ RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.—Another very common Woodpecker. Its loud, harsh croaks, sounding like _crirrk_, are almost continually to be heard in the woods. Prefers deciduous woods. It is resident throughout the year, and is not shy or of retiring habits, but often visits the larger gardens. In the winter months I have often observed them on the ground searching for insects, but it can not walk as easily as _Colaptes auratus_. Breeds usually on the borders of woods, and raises only one brood yearly.

120. =Melanerpes erythrocephalus= _Sw._ RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.—The most abundant of its family in and near Houston; breeds commonly in the city in sycamores, water and swamp oaks, and in magnolias along Buffalo Bayou. Very confiding and tame; hammers often on houses and stables, on church towers, telegraph posts, etc. Two broods are raised each season. I have seen, late in August, young just from the nest. Once I discovered the nest in a sycamore in a street, about fifteen feet from the ground, the tree standing only a few yards from a house. Resident throughout the year. Many are killed by negro boys with so-called “nigger-shooters,” and not only this species, but also numberless other birds are thus destroyed by them.

121. =Colaptes auratus= _Sw._ GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER; “FLICKER.”—Rare during the breeding season, abundant in the winter months. Frequently seen in pairs and small companies of from four to ten, and even more. Spends its time during this season mostly on the ground, where it searches for food. The first companies arrive late in October, and they steadily increase in numbers till December, when they are exceedingly abundant. They begin to migrate northward late in February.

122. =Ceryle alcyon= _Boie_. BELTED KINGFISHER.—Seen only occasionally. In the western part of Texas, where the rivers and creeks have clear water, the bird is evidently more common.

123. =Coccyzus americanus= _Bonap._ YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.—Common summer sojourner; breeds abundantly in the thickets on the edges of woods, and is in this part of our country a very unsuspicious bird, as it is not only often seen in gardens, but sometimes breeds in them, in pomegranate bushes, in _Banksia_ and Cherokee-rose thickets, etc. The first nests I found late in April, the last, July 5. This, a typical nest for this region, was placed in a young sweet-gum tree (_Liquidambar styraciflua_), about ten feet above the ground, and was almost hidden among _Smilax laurifolia_, with which the tree was overgrown. It was built of sticks, fragments of leaves, Spanish moss and a few grass-stems lined with the leaves of the loblolly pine (_Pinus tæda_). It contained two eggs, one somewhat advanced in incubation, the other quite fresh. I think two broods are, in many cases, reared each season.

124. =Coccyzus erythrophthalmus= _Bd._ BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.—Common during the middle of April, but I do not think that any remain to breed.

125. =Strix flammea americana= _Coues_. AMERICAN BARN OWL.—More or less common in all suitable localities. Breeds usually in hollow stumps, but last year (May 6, 1881) I discovered a nest in the side of a high bank of a “gully” near Spring Creek. The nest was about two feet from the entrance and nearly horizontal; a few feathers were the only lining. Eggs, three in number, dirty white.

126. =Brachyotus palustris= _Gld._ SHORT-EARED OWL.—Not uncommon late in autumn and during winter near thickets and marshes, where many little birds associate, on which it feeds almost entirely. Very shy, and not easily secured.

127. =Syrnium nebulosum= _Gray._ BARRED OWL; “HOOT OWL”; “BOTTOM OWL.”—Very common, especially in all the bottom woods and in the thick woods bordering Buffalo Bayou. Their curious notes are heard every night from the dusk of evening till dawn, and also in dark cloudy and rainy days. These notes are easily imitated, and often three or four of the birds may be thus attracted. During night time they come fearlessly near farm houses, and, with their loud, laughing, unearthly sounds, make a terrible noise. I have often heard four or five at one time near a house. Their flight is easy and quick. In Texas where the hens, turkeys, etc., roost on trees, this Owl is very destructive. They do not kill old poultry, but like half-grown chickens, and soon depopulate a whole poultry-yard. The nest is usually built high up in trees, mostly in pin oaks (_Quercus palustris_) and elms, sometimes also in pines, of strong twigs and sticks, without a lining. They also use old Crow’s and Hawk’s nests, which they repair a little.

128. =Scops asio maccalli= _Ridgw._ TEXAN SCREECH OWL.—This little Owl seems to be quite common. If they are disturbed, they hide in the hollow of a tree or stump. All their movements are exceedingly quick and elegant, and the flight gliding and noiseless. I have never had an opportunity to examine a nest.

129. =Bubo virginianus= _Bonap._ GREAT HORNED OWL.—Common; resident; breeds. Nests abundantly in all the large woods; especially common in dense bottom woods. Their loud cries are to be heard not only during the nights, but also in the day-time, when the weather is cloudy and rainy. They are very destructive to the poultry; they, like the Barred Owls, come near the farm houses and commence their ludicrous cries about nine o’clock in the evening; they utter their cries only during the breeding season; later they are almost silent. The flight is very quick and easy. The nest is placed from thirty to seventy feet from the ground in the top of a large forest tree; it is composed of sticks and twigs, and is sometimes lined with a bunch of Spanish moss, but this may be accidental.

130. =Speotyto cunicularia hypogæa= _Ridgw._ BURROWING OWL.—This little Owl is every year increasing in numbers. Breeds in the higher prairies, and also in waste fields, in holes. They also breed in the burrows of the salamander, a species of _Geomys_, probably _Geomys pinetis_. I have not seen their eggs.

131. =Falco mexicanus polyagrus= _Coues_. PRAIRIE FALCON.—This noble bird is resident on the borders of woods near prairies, but it is by no means a common bird. Its flight is graceful, but always low; its food is said to consist especially of Prairie Chickens and domestic fowl.

132. =Æsalon columbarius= _Kaup_. PIGEON HAWK.—Common in fall and winter, as soon as the large flocks of Blackbirds and different Finches appear from the north, among which it makes great havoc. None remain to breed. They disappear quite early, usually in the first days of March.

133. =Tinnunculus sparverius= _Vieill._ SPARROW HAWK.—Common in fall and winter, but never observed during the breeding season. This bird also does great harm among our small birds.

134. =Polyborus cheriway= _Cab._ CARACARA EAGLE; MEXICAN EAGLE; “MEXICAN BUZZARD.”—Regularly distributed, but in this part of Texas is not so common as farther in the interior. It is a very showy bird, and the flight is extremely elegant and quick. Although it is very shy and not easily to be approached, it often builds its nest in trees not far from farm houses. The farmers say they are as harmless as Turkey Buzzards. The nest is usually from twenty-five to thirty feet above the ground and is built of sticks, sometimes lined with bits of cotton and Spanish moss; the cavity is shallow. Often the birds, commonly single individuals, are to be observed with Vultures feeding together on carrion.

135. =Elanoïdes forficatus= _Ridgw._ SWALLOW-TAILED KITE; FORK-TAILED KITE.—Abundant summer sojourner from the first part of March to October. A beautiful bird, and one of the most characteristic species of this locality. Especially abundant in the bottom woods near prairies or fields. Nest very high in slender trees in the river and creek bottoms; it is built of sticks and Spanish moss. I never had an opportunity to collect eggs of this bird as the nests, in almost every case, were out of reach. In August and September the birds are often seen in cotton fields, where they feed on cotton worms and other insects. They are particularly fond of small snakes, such as _Leptophis_, _Rhinostoma coccinea_, lizards (_Anolius carolinensis_ and _Ameiva sex-lineata_). I never have seen them take a bird or a small quadruped.

136. =Elanus glaucus= _Coues_. WHITE-TAILED KITE.—This rare and beautiful bird I have seen several times sailing over cotton fields. Its flight is easy and graceful, but not rapid; sometimes it stops a few moments and then descends with great velocity to the ground to capture a lizard or a snake. It is not shy, and is easily recognized by its white tail.

137. =Ictinia subcærulea= _Coues_. MISSISSIPPI KITE.—Not a common summer resident, and very shy and retiring in its habits. It is generally found in the same localities with _Elanoïdes forficatus_. Its sailings are extremely beautiful and sometimes the bird is so high in the air as to be almost invisible. Like the Swallow-tailed Kite, it is often seen about cotton fields, where it feeds on the cotton worms and on small snakes and lizards. I have a few times seen the nest high up in the top of gigantic pines, pin oaks and sycamores, entirely out of my reach.

138. =Circus hudsonius= _Vieill._ MARSH HAWK.—Common resident in the marshy prairies in the northern part of Harris County; also common near the sugar-cane fields on the Brazos. It is very destructive to all the smaller prairie birds, but it also feeds on snakes, frogs and lizards. I never found a nest.

139. =Accipiter cooperi= _Bonap._ COOPER’S HAWK.—This very common and impudent robber is the most destructive of the Raptores to the barnyard fowls; in a short time all the young chickens, turkeys, and ducks are killed by it. It is so bold as to seize the poultry before the farmer’s eyes, and in only few cases can the bird be punished, as it is very difficult to shoot. The flight is easy, very quick, and usually low. Nests found in April had already half-grown young. They were similar to Crows’ nests, built of twigs in the tops of middle sized trees, and lined with bunches of _Tillandsia_.

140. =Accipiter fuscus= _Bonap._ SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.—Common in winter.

141. =Buteo pennsylvanicus= _Bonap._ BROAD-WINGED HAWK.—Not uncommon during the winter months, and a few remain to breed, nesting in the high trees near the rivers and creeks.

142. =Buteo swainsoni= _Bonap._ SWAINSON’S HAWK.—Not uncommon during the breeding season; often seen on the prairies near woods. Many are killed, as they commit great havoc among the poultry. The nest is built in the tallest trees, in an almost inaccessible position.

143. =Haliaëtus leucocephalus= _Savig._ BALD EAGLE; WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.—This is not a common bird, but is known to breed in certain parts of this region. They build their nests in the tallest trees of the river bottoms. Two young, taken out of a nest in the spring of 1880, became very tame pets.

144. =Cathartes aura= _Illig._ TURKEY BUZZARD.—Very abundant, and resident throughout the year. Nests on the ground.

145. =Catharista atrata= _Less._ BLACK VULTURE; CARRION CROW.—Common but not abundant; about one-twentieth as common as the Turkey Buzzard. Breeds on the ground in the grassy prairies.

146. =Ectopistes migratoria= _Sw._ PASSENGER PIGEON.—Occasionally common during the migrations. In September and October, 1881, I saw immense numbers in the post oak woods, where they were feeding on acorns.

147. =Zenaidura carolinensis= _Bonap._ MOURNING DOVE.—Very abundant, and resident throughout the year. In very cold winters many migrate farther south. They raise, at least in this part of the country, three broods yearly. On the prairies the nest is not unfrequently placed upon the ground.

148. =Chamæpelia passerina= _Sw._ GROUND DOVE.—A rare summer sojourner. Have never seen more than two together.

149. =Meleagris gallopavo= (=americana= _Coues?_). WILD TURKEY.—I can not state with certainty whether the Wild Turkey under consideration is the _Meleagris gallopavo americana_ or _M. gallopavo_, but I think it is the first-named variety. I have found the bird abundant in all the heavily wooded districts, especially common in the thick woods with much underbrush near Spring Creek. Eggs are often put under a tame hen, but the young are not easily domesticated; as soon as they are grown they become very wild, and many go off again to their favorite woods. Early in May I have seen the mother bird with about a dozen young ones, but they were so extremely wild that they suddenly disappeared among the almost impenetrable thickets of blackberries (_Rubus villosus_) and Smilax (_Smilax laurifolia_ and _S. lanceolata_). When the pecans are ripe, they assemble in flocks of from ten to twenty and even thirty, and feed particularly on these nuts. Later in the season they feed on several kinds of acorns, and in winter when food becomes scarce, they eat the berries of the myrtle-holly (_Oreophila myrtifolia_) and other berries.

150. =Cupidonia cupido= _Bd._ PRAIRIE HEN.—Common resident on all the flat grassy prairies. Is becoming scarcer every year.

151. =Ortyx virginiana= _Bonap._ AMERICAN QUAIL; “BOB WHITE.”—Very abundant resident. Two broods are raised yearly. They are exceedingly tame and confiding, breeding sometimes in close proximity to the habitations of men. In winter from fifty to one hundred are usually seen in cotton and sugar-cane fields.

(_To be continued._)

=Recent Literature.=

BAILEY’S INDEX TO FOREST AND STREAM.[81]—The newspaper thus indexed as to the bird-matter contained in its first twelve volumes has always given much space to ornithological articles, which have become of late years more valuable from a scientific standpoint than newspaper pieces generally are, being authenticated by the signatures of the writers instead of some silly pen-name, and being on the whole scarcely below or not below the grade of the bird notes that one finds in periodicals of professed technical character. No one who has had any experience in hunting for what he wants through the scantily indexed pages of a weekly issue can fail to appreciate the good office Mr. Bailey has rendered us all; and every one upon whom the bibliographical blight has descended knows what an immense amount of industry that curse entails. The author has our hearty sympathy in the latter, and our best thanks for the former. His work is more than a mere alphabetical list of names, followed by reference figures; for it includes, as the title says, a summary of each article indexed—often giving just the points wanted, thus rendering it unnecessary to look up the reference. The Index also includes authors’ names, and among these the authorship of many pseudonyms and initial-signatures are for the first time properly exposed. The summation of the bird-matters seems to be quite complete, and is certainly extensive, in the cases of some common game birds occupying several pages. We presume the work is not free from faults and errors of all sorts, because nothing of the kind can be; but we have found it more reliable than its mechanical execution would lead one to expect. Considering how great a favor Mr. Bailey has conferred upon the publishers, and how much good his Index will do the paper, by “setting it up” in the estimation of working ornithologists higher even than it was before, his work might have been better dressed.—E. C.

CHAMBERLAIN’S CATALOGUE OF THE BIRDS OF NEW BRUNSWICK.[82]—As many of our readers are doubtless aware, Mr. Montague Chamberlain has been engaged, for some time past, in investigating the bird fauna of New Brunswick, and an interesting result of his labors is now before us in the form of a catalogue of the birds of that Province. This paper, which forms by far the most important one in the publication of which it is a part, comprises some forty-three pages which are divided into two sections; “Section A” being restricted to “species which occur in St. John and King’s Counties”; while “Section B” embraces “species which have not been observed in Saint John or King’s Counties but which occur in other parts of the Province.”

The former division treats of a region to which the author has evidently paid special attention, and the text, being mainly based on his personal observations or investigations, includes many interesting and several important notes and records. From these we gather that the rather marked Alleghanian tinge which is known to pervade the bird-fauna of the entire coast region of Maine, as far as Eastport and Calais, extends still further eastward. Thus the Catbird, White-eyed Vireo, Towhee Bunting, Cowbird, Meadow Lark, Baltimore Oriole, Carolina Dove, Least Bittern, Florida Gallinule, and a few others scarcely less characteristic of the more southern fauna, have been found within the area treated by the present paper, but all are marked as rare, and the greater number as merely accidental visitors. Many of the more important records have already been published elsewhere.

The annotations in this section are often full and always interesting. The author writes clearly and simply and his style is characterized by a modest frankness that is very attractive. We fear, however, that some of his views respecting the distribution of races are hardly orthodox. Thus he thinks that “two races of Loon spend the summer in New Brunswick, and breed here. They have plumage of similar colors and markings, but one is smaller than the other, being some six inches less in length. The larger bird is common on the lakes and rivers in all sections of the Province, seldom seeking the salt water until the rivers freeze over, while the smaller is rarely found away from the sea shore”; and again that a light form of the Ruffed Grouse “resembling the descriptions given of _umbelloides_” occurs with typical _umbellus_ and that it is “not improbable that both the Brown and Gray varieties are represented here, with numerous hybrids”; a condition of affairs which, if true, is certainly deplorable.