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.