Page:Notes on the Ornithology of Southern Texas.djvu/4

Rh I desire to express my indebtedness to Dr. T. M. Brewer and Mr. K. Ridgway for their assistance in many ways, and for their notes, which add so much to the value of the present paper.

1.

January 1, 1877.

2.

Occurs rather sparingly during the winter months.—(, Ibis, 1865,475.)

3.

This fine songster is a common resident, frequenting shady thickets and rarely seen in the open. In habits, it scarcely differs from the Eastern var. rufus, and the large number of nests found here were quite as well built as those found in Few England. The usual number of eggs is three, often two, more rarely four: the ground-color varies from greenish to reddish-white, more or less thickly sprinkled with reddish and brownish dots and spots. One set is sparingly covered with large clouded blotches, giving the eggs an appearance unusual in this genus. Fifty-two eggs average 1.08 by .82, the extremes being 1.13 by .86 and .97 by .75. In some adult specimens, there is a decided tendency to whitish tips to the outer tail-feathers, as in var. rufus.—(H. rufus longirostris,, B. Rio Grande, 3.)

4.

This Thrush is about as common as the preceding species, and is resident. They are not often seen together, however, as this bird prefers more open and sunny localities, especially sparse chaparral, where the prickly pear grows. Here it passes much of its time on the ground, running rapidly about in search of small land-shells and insects. I cannot confirm the praises of the song of this bird given by Couch and Heermann: it seems to me to be one of the most silent of the song Thrushes. Its alarm note is a sharp whit-whit. The nests are usually placed among the fleshy joints of the prickly pear, or in some of the many thorny and almost impenetrable bushes found in Southern Texas: they are often seen in the dense prickly hedges that surround most Mexican jacals. They are, as a rule, readily distinguishable from those of the Texas Thrasher and Mocking-bird by the almost invariable lining of yellow straws, giving a peculiar appearance to the nest. They are also more compactly built, are well cupped, and often have the edges well guarded by thorny twigs. The eggs are usually four in number: the ground-color is a deep greenish-blue (more rarely pale yellowish), rather sparsely sprinkled over the entire surface with very fine brown dots. They average 1.13 × .80: extremes 1.18 × .83 and .94 × .72.—(, Ibis, 1865, 482.—, B. Rio Grande, 4.)

5.

A very common resident. By the 20th of May, many pairs have eggs