Gainesville, Texas.
A Georgia paper says that before the war there was a bird in the south
that fed exclusively on cockle-burrs. At a certain season of the year
these birds would sweep down on the fields and when they departed not a
burr remained. The smell of burnt and burning powder for four years
seems to have been too much for the burr-eaters. Since then not a bird
of the kind is to be found in the south; but the burrs are here yet.
Early Finds.
I think I will enter the lists in competition for “earliness.” I opened
the ball on January 30th, 1886, by taking a set of three of the Great
Horned Owl, incubation advanced. Who can beat it?
The following are the earliest takes of each species named during 1885.
March 27th, Pileated Woodpecker, Cardinal Grosbeak; April 2nd,
Turkey-Buzzard, Black Vulture, Tufted Titmouse; April 7th, Carolina
Chickadee, Kildeer; April 10th, Swallow-tailed Kite; April 11th, Texan
Screech Owl, Carolina Dove; April 15th, Red-bellied Woodpecker; April
17th, Yellow-throated Vireo; April 20th, Common Crow, Wild Turkey; April
27th, Mockingbird; April 28th, Carolina Wren; May 4th, Yellow-billed
Cuckoo, Dwarf Cowbird; May 8th, Lark Finch, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher,
Texas Orchard Oriole, Yellow-winged Sparrow; May 9th, Black-throated
Bunting, Painted Bunting, Summer Red-bird; May 11th, Texan Quail, Blue
Grosbeak; May 18th, Meadow Lark; May 22nd, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; June
3d, Bronzed Grackle; June 8th, Boat-tailed Grackle; June 19th, Kingbird,
the second set that I have taken in Texas during six years’ collecting.
J. A. Singley,
Giddings, Texas.
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
(milvulus forficatus (Gm.) swains.)
This beautiful bird is one of the commonest summer residents of North
Texas. They usually arrive from the south about the 15th of April in
small flocks or pairs, and always make themselves known by their loud
and noise-some voices. This bird has a very peculiar way when flying, of
stopping—as it appears—in the air, and then making a straight shoot
upward to the height of fifteen or twenty feet, and instantly darting
downward to about a level with where it started. This is always repeated
two or three times before taking their onward flight. While making this
tumble as it were, it always gives loud, quick screams, and is very
conspicuous by the display it makes in opening and closing the tail like
scissor blades. It is a very active, dashing and noisy bird; also very
showy and graceful. The general color is a hoary-ash, almost white
below, with a scarlet crown patch, and a bright scarlet on the sides at
insertion of wings. The wings have a blackish cast with whitish
underparts, and various parts of the body are tinged with a rich salmon.
Most of the tail feathers are black or dusky, while some of the longer
ones are mostly white or rosy; these feathers are long and narrow,
sometimes reaching a foot in length. The above description is that of a
male now lying before me. The female averages smaller, and the tail is
much shorter, while the color of the plumage is duller than that of the
male.
They begin to nest about the 10th of May, and fresh eggs may be found as
late as June 25th. The nest and eggs resemble those of the kingbird very
much, and it is almost impossible to distinguish them from each other,
unless they are well identified; but, as a general thing, the
scissor-tails’ eggs have larger and more conspicuous blotches than those
of the kingbird. During the summer of ’85 I found nests of the kingbird
and scissor tail in the same tree, and the nests and eggs were
identically the same; so to make sure of the identity, I had to wait
until both birds had occupied their own nest.
Their favorite nesting places are in the scrubby postoak and mesquite
bushes growing on our broad prairies. The nests are usually placed in
forks at from six to thirty feet from the ground, and constructed of
various materials, such as weed-tops, wool, cotton, rootlets, paper,
rags, etc., and lined with fibrous roots, wool, cotton, etc.
The number of eggs laid are usually four or five in number, of a
rounded-oval shape, the color being white, boldly blotched or marked
with reddish-brown, and obscure lavender shell markings, chiefly at the
larger end. The size of the eggs averages about .67 by .85.
E. C. Davis.
—THE—
Sunny South Oologist