From March 9 to June 4, 1947, the Lea-Edwards Expedition observed
and collected birds in several parts of M6xico. Activities centered in
southwestern Chiapas {Hacienda Monserrate in the mountains of the
district of Cintalapa), west-central Veracruz (Rio Atoyac. near Paraje
Nuevo), Michoacan (Lake Patzcuaro and its basin), and southern
Tamaulipas. Reports on the birds recorded in Chiapas and in Michoa-
can are to be published elsewhere. Specimens collected in Veracruz are
in the Sutton collection, awaiting final identification. The following
paper concerns only the final period, during which the expedition
{joined for that period by Sutton) visited E1 Salto, San Luis Potosi
(May 13 to 16); Pano Ayuctle (Pumpkin Ford), along the Rio Sabinas
near G6mez Farias, Tamaulipas (May 16 to June 2); the Mesa de
Llera, Tamaulipas (June 2); and Linares, Nuevo Le6n i June 2 to 4).
E1 Salto, San Luis Potosi has been mentioned only infrequently in
scientific literature. It is a beautiful waterfall on the Rio Naranjo, not
far from the Tamaulipas border. It can be reached by turning north
from Mxico highway 170 at a point about 18 miles west of Antigua
Morelos, Tamaulipas. The 8-mile stretch of unimproved road between
the highway and the fall is said to be negotiable at all seasons. The
river was low at the time of our visit, but a considerable volume of
water plunged over the precipitous linestone cliff which we estimated
to be 175 feet high. Immediately below the fall the river was, in effect,
a series of intensely blue pools, over the level rims of which the water
spilled. Some miles downstream another fall was audible, though not
visible, from the road. Between the falls the riverbanks were low, for
the most part, and lined with trees (among them gigantic cypresses and
sycamores), shrubbery and vines. Below the lower fall there was a
gorge. Although the countryside away from the river was semi-arid.
certain areas supported palm groves. The broad valley a few miles
below the fall was densely forested with palms.
The land above the upper fall (El Salto proper) was widely cultivated
and surprisingly flat. Just before plunging over the cliff the river sep-
arated, ahnost deltawise, into several channels which meandered through
a lush patch of forest. The cliffs about the fall fairly teemed with bird-
life. Two Peregrines, Falco peregrinus Tunstall. apparently had an
eyrie on a ledge above the falls. Flocks of Military Macaws, Ara mili-
taris (Linnaeus), came and went, alighting frequently on great rocks
which jutted from the fall itself or on a ledge not far from the falcons'
eyrie. Mornings and evenings hundreds of Collared Swifts, Strepto-
procne zonaris (Shaw), circled about. We were thrilled as we watched
those which swooped into the yawning caverns back of the cataract.
The coastal plain and foothills of the G&nez Farias region of Ta,nauli-
pas have been described in detail by Sttt.on and Pettingill (1942) an.d
Eaton and Edwards (1948). Our canp-site on the Rio Sabinas was
the same as that used by Eaton and Edwards in 1946. During our stay
the weather was warm and bright for the most part, though there were
occasional heavy showers, especially at night. We noted that clouds
ahnost constantly covered the higher mountain slopes to the west, but
these clouds did not actually envelop us. In this respect our experience
differed from that of the Cornell University-Carleton College Expedi-
tion, which was based at the Rancho Rinconada, a few miles down-
strea,n frmn Pano Ayuctle, in the early spring of 1941.
The Mesa de Llera is about 35 miles south of the city of Victoria.
Frmn a walled-in lookout at its top (elevation about 1700 feet) near
kilometer mark 656 (north frmn M6xico, D.F.) on the Pan American
highway, one can survey the vast, semi-arid, mesa-dotted plain stretch-
ing off to the east. The mesa-top is partly open grassland, partly brush-
land. In some of the denser thickets grows a scattering of wild pine-
apple (Bromelia pinguin), a plant which is luxuriant along the Rio
Sabinas. Great clumps of cactus are a feature of the Mesa's vegetation.
During our brief visit on June 2 we found the nest and eggs of the
White-bellied Wren, Nannorchilus leucogaster (Gould), a discovery
which has been fully reported elsewhere (Sutton, 194B).
Linares, Nuevo Le6n, is on the Pan American highway near the west
edge of the flat, dry coastal plain. The Pablillo and Comacho Rivers
provide water for the many citrus orchards of the vicinity. Along these
streams some of the trees are large, but elsewhere the vegetation is
xerophytic (see Sutton and Pettingill, 1943).
The following list is principally of species whose nesting habits are
little known; but a few species are included because published state-
ments concerning their breeding ranges are not quite accurate. All the
specimens mentioned are in the Sutton collection.
1. Heterocnus mexicanus (Swainson). Mexican Tiger Bittern. A nest of
the Tiger Bittern found by Lea along the Rio Sabinas on May 1, 1941, was on an
almost horizontal cypress branch about fifty feet above the water. Lea saw one
adult bird on the nest and another as it flew to the nest. Pettingill photo,graphed
one of the adults as it walked along the branch toward the nest. which was ap-
parently a broad platform of large dead sticks (see Sutton and Pettingill, 1942: 7).
We did not find a nest in 1947; but on May 25 Lea observed interesting court-
ship behavior. Hidden in shrubbery along the bank of the Sabinas, he watched
one bird fly down the river followed presently by another. The latter alighted
on a cypress branch not far above him, stood motionless for a time, then, with
beak pointed straight up, slowly stretched its neck and body vertically, until the
bright greenish yellow, featherless skin of its throat, and the bold barring of its
neck plumage, were plainly visible. Slowly and rhythmically it moved its head
and neck back and forth, at the same time giving a few low croaks. After restsm-
ing a normal position for a time, it wriggled its neck slowly, raised its crown
feathers, and fluffed out its long, heavy neck plumage. During this part of he
display it did not utter a sound. Lea observed this performance several times
before the bird continued its flight downstream.
2. Cochleaflus cochleaflus (Linnaeus). Boat-billed Heron. Lea took an
adult specimen of this tropical species along the Rio Sabinas in 1941 (Sutton
and Pettingill, 1942: 8). In 1947 we observed a group of two adult and two
young ones repeatedly alortg a short stretch of the Sabinas River near Pano
Ayuctle, May 16 to June 2. Often we saw them perched separately on low snags
or cypress 'knees' sunning themselves or preening. Favorite perches they some-
times shared with cormorants, Phalacrocorax olivaceus (Humboldt). The young
birds were obviously small-billed and dull-colored in comparison with the adults.
We noted n,othing indicating the existence of a colony but believed that at least
one pair had bred in the vicinity.
3. Ictinia plumben (Gruel(n). Plumbeous Kite. We saw this kite daily
along the Rio Sabinas throughout our stay. Edwards found two nests, each in a
large cypress near the river. The first, discovered May 17, was upstream from
Pano Ayuctle a hurdred yards or so. It was about 70 feet from the ound on
an upward sloping branch. We often saw one parent on the nest and the other
in the very top of a tall dead tree n.ot far away. Ordinarily docile, this pair occa-
sionally circled above us, calling dee-see, dee-see in a high voice. These notes of
protest reminded Sutt,on of the phee-phew given by protesting Mississippi Kites,
Ictinia misisippiensis (Wilson), on that species' nesting ground in western Okla-
homa (see Condor, 41: 49). On May 17 and 18 we could see the heads of two
rather well developed young birds sticking up over the nest.
The other nest, discovered May 28, was about 99 feet from the ground and we
did not learn what it contained. It was a cluarter of a mile downriver from camp.
In a field-sketch of the perching kite drawn by Sutton on May 22, the tips
of the folded wings extend and cross well beyond the tip of the tail. The feathers
of the forepart of the crown are elevated into a sort of crest directly above the e-e.
4. Falco albigularis Daudin. Bat Falcon. A pair of these falcons probably
had a nest in a cavity in a large dead tree downriver from Pano Ayuctle half
a ,mile. On May 22 Sutton stood under this tree watching the male and female
perched above him. Neither squealed in protest nor dived at him. The testes
of a male taken on June 1 by Lea were only slightly enlarged.
5. Columba flavirostris Wagler. Red-billed Pigeon. We saw a few of these
pigeons along the Rio Naranjo, May 13 to 15, but they were much commoner
along the Rio Sabinas, May 16 to 31. Their song was a windy oooooo, up-cup-a-coo,
up.cup-a-coo, up-cup-a-coo. They often gathered in considerable flocks when
drinking. In display flights, the males circled on slowly beating wings.
Edwards found a nest in a large cypress near the Sabinas on May 16. It was
about 30 feet from the ground. We did not learn what it contained.
On May 21 Sutton found a nest with one egg in a small tree about six feet
from the ground and 15 feet from t,he river at the edge of heavily shaded woods
downstream a few rods from camp. The incubating bird flapped and fluttered
noisily, and occasionally growled, when leaving the nest. The egg started to hatch
on May 24, but on the 25th we found the partly hatched young one dead in the
nest.
6. Amazona autumnalis (Linnaeus). Yellow-cheeked Parrot. This parrot
is common along the Rio Sabinas. It looks very muc'h like the Red-crowned
Parr. ot, A. viridigenalis (Casein), which fact probably accounts for the failure
of the Cornell University-Carleton College Expedition to, list it in 1941. We saw it
repeatedly near Pano Ayuctle, May 24-30, 1947. kca collected a male (testes
slightly enlarged), May 27, and Sutton collected a female ovary considerably
enlarged), May 30.
7. Coccyzus americanus (Linnaeus). Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Noted daily
along the Rio Sabinas May 17 to June 1. On May 23 St:tton collected a female
in whose oviduct was a full-formed, though soft-shelled. egg. On May 24 Edwaila
found a newly finished nest, just ready or eggs, but the birds deserted it.
On June 2 we encountered a breeding pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoos in dry,
brushy woodland on the t.op of the Mesa de Llera. Here, as along the Sabinas,
the species seemed to share its habitat with Coccyzus minor. On June 3 we saw
several Yellow-billed Cuckoos at Linares, Nuevo LeSn.
8. Coccyzus minor (Gruel(n). Mangrove Cuckoo. We saw and heard this
cuckoo repeatedly along the Rio Sabinas May 17 to 27. Its song was an odd
ca, ca, ca, goo, goo, goo. On May 19 Sutton collected a female which would have
,-tarted egg-laying in a day or ,o. On May 20 Lea collected a female with full-
formed egg in the oviduct. All birds which we saw May 19 to 27 appeared to be
paired. We d, id not, however, find a nest.
On June 2 we encountered the species again in thin, dry woods on the very top
}f the Mesa de Llera. The tallest trees of this habitat were 20-25 feet high.
Sutton collected a female with f,ll-formed egg (measuring 33.0 x 23.4 mm.).
Eaton and Edwards (1947} discovered the Mesa de Llera breeding ground of
this species in 1946. The male they collected on June 17 of that year, and the
three Tama,lipas specimens collected by us in 1947, represent the race conti-
hentails van Rossera. Range statenents pertaining to Coccyzus minor in Mxico
should make clear the fact that the bird is not confined to the coast. Furthermore,
insofar as interior Tama,lipas is concerned, "Mangrove Cuckoo" is certainly
a misnomer.
9. Campylopterus curvipennis (I,ichtenstein). Singing Hummingbird. Peters
i1915: 18) gives the range of the northernmost race of this species as "southeast-
ern Mdxico from San Luis Potos/to Vera Cr,z and Oaxaca," but the bird actually
ranges northward into Tamaulipas at least as far as the G6mez Farias region,
where the Cornell University-Carleton College Expedition recorded it several times
and collected one specimen in 1941 IS.tton and Pettingill. 1942: 17).
On May 15. 1947, j,st above E1 Saho, Sutton collected a male which was feeding
abo,t a flowering tree. Its testes were only slightly enlarged. On the same date,
several hundred yards below the fall, Edwards fo, nd a nest (tw,o eggs) in a huge
cypress growing at the river's edge. The incubating bird was quite approachable
and never attacked ,s. On being frightened off, it rose rather slowly through
the branches of the cypress. then darted across the river or back into the woods.
The nest was about two feet above the water on a slender, leafless {thongh living),
downward projectig branch about three feet mt from the bank. It appeared
to be without s,pport other than that afforded by the main branch, but actually
it was built on a short horizontal t;ig which wa hidden by the fonndati,on. The
cup proper, which as nea! and compact. extended ,pward from the snpporting
horizontal twig abo,t 12 inches. but the mass of to,sled plant fibers and dead
cypress leaves f the pseudo-foundation extended downward another 4/,2 inches.
The nest had an over-all diameter of 17/ inches. b,t the cup was ahnost exact17
an inc,h across l inside measurement) and % inch deep. The upper half of the
o.tside of the cup was decorated with bits of green moss and a few pale grayish
blue lichens. The c,p was deeply lined with b,ffy white plant fuzz. The eggs,
which were almost fresh, measured 14.9 x 9.9 and 14.4 x 9.8 mm.
We had several opportunities to observe the incubating bird at very close range.
We were struck by its motionlesshess, by the largeness of its eyes, and by the
great length of the protr,ding tail and wing-tips.
10. Chloroceryle amazona (Latham). Amazon Kingfisher. We recorded
this species freq,ently along the R[o Sabinas throughout our stay there. On
eeral occasions e saw a male and female flying together past camp. This pair
had a nest no far upstream about six feet above the water in a high bank.
The entrance to the burrow was darkened by luxuriant vegetation which hung
over the bank. A pair f Blue-crowned Motmots, Momotus momota coeruliceps
IGouhll, had a nest mt far away, in the same bank.
We several tines aw a kingfisher, with a large fish in its bill, near this nest.
On one occasion Lea saw a bird enter the nest. On another ocasion he heard
the clamor of the y, ung ones back in the burrow. The testes ,of a male specimen
collected by Lea .n May 27 ;ere so,mewhat enlarged tabont 4 x 6 mm.). The
wing of this specimen meas,res 136 ram.; the tail. 79; the culmen, 71. It differs
frmn the type of C. a. mexicana Brodkorb (with which we have directly compared
it l in that there is a tiny spot of white in the supraloral region.
Chloroceryle amazo,a has been recorded from numerous localities in Veracruz
lsee Ridgway. 1914. Bull. U.$. Nat. Mus. No. 50, ,part 6. p. 425), but not
heretofore from Tamattlipas.
11. Dryocopus lineatus {Linnaeusl. Lineated Woodpecker. On May 17
$,tton discovered a newly excavated nest of this species in a huge ear-tree
(Pithecolobium) not far from the Rio Sabinas. It was about 40 feet from the
grond, near the end of an almost horizontal dead stub, out about 20 feet from
the main trunk. The early morning sun, which struck the nest-entrance squarely,
made the red crests of the birds fairly blaze. The pair continued to live in [he
vicinity until about May 20, though we did not see them at the nest on that date.
Instead we saw a female Coppery-tailed Trogon, Trogot elegans Gould, enter
the cavity. We did not, however, see a trogon there again.
12. Phloeoceastes guatemalensis i Hartlaub). Guatemalan Ivory-billed Wood-
pecker. We encountered this species only along the Rio Sabinas. Its call-note
was a sharp keck or kack. b,t it most characteristic "sound" as an incisive
double-rap on dead wood.
On May 29. in woods well back from the Rio Sabinas, Sutton was scolded
so loudly by a pair that he thought he must be in tile immediate vicinity of a nest.
He was surprised, on investigating, to find three birds about him, one of them
a young one. He collected this bird, a female in almost complete juvenal feather.
The whole top of the head was glossy black, the only clear red plumage being
that of the lower part (f the crest. The fore part of the face l which is gleaming
red in the adult female) was dark grayish brown. irregularly flecked with red.
The eyes were light yellow. The bill was noticeably short, and almost wholly
gray.
13. Xiphorhynchus flavigaster Saainson. Ivory-billed Woodhewer. Noted
frequently along the Rio Sabinas May 17 to June l. It was common among the
large cypresses near the water and also in brushy woodland well back from the
river. Its s,ong was a descending series of 7 to 10 loud whistles. Its usual alarm
note was a terse wheedle or ]eedle. We several times encountered pairs which
seemed disturbed by our presence. On May 23 we were energetically scolded
by a bird which flew from tree to tree around us, occasionally singing. It opened
its bill wide whe:ever it called. and when singing moved its head closer and closer
to the tree trunk as the song progressed.
A nest which a Mexican showed Edwards held two eggs on May 25, three
the following day, It was about 45 feet from the ground in a cavity between
a strangling fig "root" and the trunk of a huge cypress. The two trees grew
at one end of a narrow island in the river. The opening to the cavity was long,
narrow {not quite two inches wide at its widest point), vertical, and graduall
tapered above and below (see photo). The alest proper was about three inches
deep (with inch-deep cup) and was composed entirely of small, squarish flakes
of bark which nust have been gathered with considerable care. We never saw
the bird on the eggs, for it slipped quietly off when we were within a few feet
of the tree.
We collected tile three eggs on June 1, rolling them from tile nest with a
whittled-off stick. One bird scolded continuously while we were at the nest,
but its mate did not appear. The eggs were pt, re white and only slightly glossy.
They measured 27.8 x 21.7, 29.3 x 21.4, and 28.4 x 21.3 min.
14, Myiodynastes luteiventris Sclater. Solphur-bellied Flycatcher. This
distinctly migratory flycatcher (see Dickey and van Rossem, 1938: 354) was fairly
common along the Rio Naranjo May 13 to 16. Two pairs had nests near camp
at E1 Salto, one about 25 feet above the ground in a hole near the top of a dead
palm a quarter of a mile back from the river, the other in a hollow stu'b about
30 feet above ground in a large dead tree near camp. We saw a good deal ,of this
latter pair. The male sang a gentle pre-dawn song which sounded something
like pi-wee shuttle, pi-wee shuttle, repeated deliberately over ad over (see Skutch,
in Bent, 1942: 105). The note of protest was a sharp weece, wheece, or his-eece.
From May 17 to June 2 we noted M. luteiventris repeatedly along the Rio Sabi-
has. We heard the early morning pi-wee shuttle song almost daily; heard the
his-eece or weece callnote; and also heard other gallnotes, including a well-defined
cheer or chu-eer; ,a sharp beck, pip, quip, or puck; and a downward-inflected tseu
or' chew. Some of these other callnotes may have been given by that morpho-
logically similar species, Myiodynastes maculatus, which also breeds along the
Sabinas, but which the Cornell University-Carleton College Expedition failed
.
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Nest of Ivory-billed Woodhewer in cavily between cypress trunk and 'root' of
strangling fig, Rio Sabinas, southern Tamaulipas, May 28, 1947. Photo by
Robert B. Lea.
to list in 1941. To be quite frank about the matter, we never ascertained which
callnotes were wholly distinctive for one species or the other. Careful work
needs to be done with these two birds, especially in areas where their ranges over-
lap. Carriker (1910: 691) says that their habits "are the sane" in Costa Rica;
but according to T. K. Salmon (see Sclater and Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. London,
1879, p. 514), "Myiodynastes audax" (: Myiodynastes maculatus nobills Sclater)
of Colombia places its nest "in the fork of a tree or high bush," whereas we know
that M. luteiventris nests in a cavity.
On May 22, in heavy woodland along the Sabinas, Lea collected a female
luteiventris with ova almost ready to lay. He did not, however, find a nest in the
vicinity.
On May 23, Sutton chanced to see a Myiodynastes fly from a natural cavitl
about 15 feet from the ground in a dead stub (seven inches dbh) much too infirm
for climbing. The stub stood in brushy woodland well away from the river,
not far from a much-used trail. The incubating bird was shy and undemonstrative,
but a second bird (presumably the male) was aggressive in protest. This bird's
principal callnotes were beck, pip, quip and tseu.
Sutton visited this nest daily from May 24 to 30, hoping to identify the birds
without collecting them, and to assist Edwards in photographing them. He con-
tinued to obtain fleeting glimpses of one bird as it darted from the nest, and
to hear the above-mentioned callnotes from another bird. but he did not identify
these birds wholly to his satisfaction partly because, having actually collected
M. maculatus in the vicinity (on May 22), he surmised that that species also
was nesting thereabouts.
On May 26, Lea discovered a luteiventris nest about 25 feet from the ground
in a large dead stub near the river. It was in a cavity, but we did not ascertain
how far below the entrance the nest proper was. Edwards photographed the birds
at the nest entrance several times May 28 to 31.
On May 30, Sutton collected a male luteiventris near the nest he had discovered
on May 23, but failed to collect, or even to see, the incu,bating bird. While testing
the strength of the nest-stub he broke it off, but caught it 'before it toppled, let it
down gently, and found three undamaged eggs lying in a slight bed of bark-chips
leaf stems, and slender twigs in a shallow knot-hole. The bird had never entered
a cavity of any sort--it had merely sat in, or on, the cavity and had thus been
able to see out in several directions while incubating (see Bent, 1942, p. 102).
The eggs, which contained large embryos, were creamy buff in ground color.
handsomely m. arked with reddish brown, chiefly about the larger end. They
measured 25.1 x 19.0, 25.9 x 18.9, and 25.5 x 18.0 min.
Interested in learning how these eggs compared with authentic eggs of Myio-
dynastes luteiventris swarthi van Rossera, we sent them to Dr. Herbert W. Brandt,
who found them to be "more ,pointed and somewhat smaller than," but otherwise
similar to, eight eggs (two sets of four each) taken by him in the Huachuca
Moun. tains ,of Arizona. In a letter to Sutton, dated July 15, 1949, he calls atten-
tion to the interesting fact that in Arizona the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher "nests
almost entirely in the sycamores at around 5000 to 7500 feet in the canyons;
but does not go beyond the limit of the walnut trees that furnish it with their
peculiar construction material [i.e., the petioles of the walnut leaves]."
15. Myiodynastes maculatus (Miiller). Streaked Flycatcher. This little
known bird was tairl common along the Rfo Sabinas May 16 to June 1. We did
not, h,owever, learn anything about its pre-dawn song, alarm notes, nesting habits,
or specific habitat requirements.
On May 22, in heavy woodland along the river, Lea took a male specimen
(with much enlarged testes) as well as a female luteiventris ireferred to above).
On the same date, in brushy woodland several hundred yards away from the river,
Su, tton took a male maculatus (with much enlarged testes. Both these speci-
mens represent the northern race, insolens Ridgway.
16. Elaenia viridicata (Vieillot). Azara's Elaenia. On May 18, Lea col-
lected a male specimen of this flycatcher along the Sabinas between Pano Auctle
and the Rancho Rinconada (the area in which the Cornell University-Carleton
College Expedition operated in 1941). Its testes measured about 4 x 5 mm.
It neither sang n.r called while Lea was after it. It perched on a low fence-wire
in a shady place not far from the river.
The specimen is close to a nearly topotypical male of E. v. placens Sclater (col-
lected along the Rio Atoyac, near Potrero, Veracruz) in the Sutton collection; but
be borders of the yellow crown-patch are less distinctly black, and the whole bird
is a trifle larger. The Potrero specimen measures: wing, 64 min., tail, 62; the
Rio Sabinas specimen: wing, 68, tail, 65.
17. Xanthoura yncas (Boddaert). Green Jay. We did not see this species
at E1 Salto, but we saw or heard it daily along the Rio Sabinas, May 17 to June 2.
It was rather secretive throughout this period.
On May 17 Sutton found a nest at the edge of a partly cleared area in well-
shaded woods near the river. It was on a horizontal branch, 12 feet above the
sloping bank of a small, dry tributary to the Sabinas, and was partly protected
by a thorny frond of bamboo. The female sli.pped off quietly and flew some dis-
tance into the woods, but promptly returned, scolding lotidly, when we "squeaked."
The wall of the nest was so thin that the four eggs were faintly visible from under-
neath. We visited this nest repeatedly. On May 21 Sutton saw the male and
female at the nes together, but he did not see them change places. The eggs
halched between May 27 and 31. On June 1 we examined the young birds, finding
them to be entirely without down or feathers. Tim skin was olive-green all over.
On 5lay 23 Lea found a nest and three eggs in a thicket not far from the river.
It had been built on several nearly horizontal small branches close against the
trunk of a slender sapling and was about 5t,/2 feet from the grotind. h was loosely
constructed of slender twigs and rootlets, and had no lining. The eggs were
w,ry pale grayish blue, almost white. finely flecked with brown, chiefly at the
larger encl. The nest was about 15 yards from the active nest of a Crimson-collared
Grosbeak. Iqbodothrmpis ce/aeno (Lichtenstein).
Edwarck- observed and photographed the activities at this Green Jay nest from
a blind. When lie entered the nest-thicket, one or both jays scolded him, but
the incubating bird usually did not leave the nest until he approached it closely,
and it promptly returned to the eggs shortly after he entered the blind. While
on the nest it was not, so far as he could tell, disturbed in the least by movements
and noises within the blind.
On May 26 lea collected an adult male ;hich did not have a brood-patch.
On May 28 a Mexican showed Lea another Green Jay nest containing 3 eggs.
18. Turdus grayi Bonaparte. Gray's Robin. In general appearance and be-
havior this bird calls to mind Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, but its pale blue eggs
are spotted and blotched with light brown, and at least one of its callnotes is
quite dissimilar to any given by migratorius. We observed it repeatedly at E1
Salto. along the Rio Sabina,, at the _Mesa de Llera, and at Linares.
The ong, which is melodious, is similar to that of migratorius, but is lower
pitched, less loud, somewhat shorter, and often has double-phrases. A bird which
sang near camp at Pano Ayuctle invariably included some such phrase as kimmel-
/;irareel at r near the end. The custoinary alarm note is a low kuck-kuck, cup-cut
or pup-pUl), suggestive of that of migratorius, but never preceded by the shrill
scree or screep which migratorius gives when sc}lding a cat or person. A dis-
tinctive note given by graff is a clear plu-ree or pee-yoo-rah which puzzled us
greatly umil we actually saw the bird producing it. We occasionally heard this
note along the river in the quiet of the noon-hour, but it was especially charac-
teristic of evening twilight.
nest fot,nd by Edwards along the Rio Naranjo on May 1.5 was in rather open,
'well-shaded woodland about 40 feet from the ground, on an epiphyte close to the
sloping main Irunk of a tall tree. We did not ascertain what was in this nest,
but saw a bird go to it several times.
On May 19. along the Rio Sabinas. we happened to see a Gray's Robin fly
straight to its uest about 25 feet from the ground in a slender cypress on the bank
just cpposite from camp. It perched for some minutes on the rim, eyeing the
contents. From _May 29 to 31 both parents made trip after trip to our camp,
gathering mouthfuls of caterpillars from the ground. With the binocular we could
see the heads of at least three young birds in the nest on May 31.
A nest found by Sutton on May 24 contained three eggs. It was about eight
feet from the ground in a narrow patch of ,brushy woodland several hundred yards
from the river. It was in the principal fork o[a medium-sized tree .and was well
shaded all day. The incubating bird sat very close, almost allowing itsel, f to be
touched, We did not collect this nest, but its walls seemed to be firm, as if partkf
made of mud. When we last inspected ,_'t, on May 28, it contained one very young
bird and two unhatched eggs.
19. Vireo olivaceus flavoviridis (Cassin). Yellow-green Vireo. We observed
this bird daily. We found eight nests--four along the Rio Naranjo (May 14 to 16)
and four along the Rio Sabinas (May 25 to June 2). The following table presents
data concerning these nests:
Date and locality
1. Ma 14, 1947
E1 Saho,
San Luis Potosl
Yellow-green Vireo Nests
Condition
finished, but clutch
probably not com-
plete, since bird was
not incubating
2. May 15, 1947 unfinished
E1 Salto
3. May 16, 1947 finished, but clutch
E1 Salto probably not com-
plete, since bird was
not incubating
4. May 16, 1947 unfinished
E1 Salto
5. May 25, 1947 4 eggs: 3 obviously
Rio Sabinas, somewhat incu-
Tamaulipas bated; 1 translucent
6. May 29, 1947 unfinished
Rfo Sabinas
7. June 1, 1947
Rio Sabinas
finished; number of
eggs not ascertained
finished; number of
e,,s not ascertained
8. June 1, 1947
Rio Sabinas
Site
about 40 feet directly above bed
of small stream in open woods
near river; near end of horizontal
branch of cypress (Taxodium)
about 20 feet above trail through
open woods near river; near end
of horizontal branch of unidenti-
fied leafy tree
about 40 feet above partly cleared
ground in woods near river; near
end of horizontal branch of un-
identified leafy tree
about 25 feet directly above trail
through open woods near river;
on horizontal branch in crown of
unidentified leafy tree
5,/ feet from ground close to
main upright stem of small Ran-
did in woods well away from
river
about 40 feet above edge of cane
field; on horizontal branch of
unidentified leafy tree
about 18 feet from ground near
trail through thickish woods well
back from river; on horizontal
branch of unidentified leafy tree
about 20 feet from ground in
partly cleared woods well back
from river; on horizontal branch
of unidentified leafy tree; about
20 yards from Nest 5 (see above)
Careful observation of the Yellow-green Vireo has convinced us that it is a race
of Vireo olivaceus Linnaeus. Our reasons for so believing are these:
1. Adult birds have distinctly red irides. This we observed repeatedly in the
incubating birds at nest 5 (see above), but especially in a female captured in a
net and painted direct from life by Sutton on May 15.
'..
-..
Nest of Yellow-green Vireo in sapling Randia along the Rio Sabinas, in south-
ern Tamaulipas. May 28. 1917. Photo by Robert B. Lea.
2. Songs are so much like those of I/. o. olivaceus that transient individuals of
the nominate race probably uld not 'be .identified on the basis of song alone.
Flavoviridis sings throughout the middle of the day in the manner of the well
known Red-eye. Only the males sing, and they may sing while incubating.
though we did not actually observe this. Some of the song-phrases of tavoviridis
impressed us as being briefer than those of the Red-eye.
3. Notes of alarm and protest are similar to those .of the Red-eye. On May 14
we squeaked up pairs of birds which chattered without giving the characteristic
nasal quee or ye-an of the Red-eye; but on May 15 we happened to be observing
a pair of tavoviridis when a Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana (Linnaeus), flew into
their nest-tree, and the vireos immediately began giving the quee or ye-an note.
4. Flavoviridis 'squeaks up' readily. Pairs are often the very first .birds to re-
spond. Their manner is identical to that of the Red-eye at such times. The}-
lift their crests, lower their heads, spread and lower their tails, and crouch as
they move among the branches with bills slightly parted, usually keeping close
together as pairs see Sutton, 1949, p. 17).
5. Nests are very much like those of the Red-eye in shape, situation and con-
position. They are slightly larger and may more frequently be lined with rachilla-
skeletons and stems of grass than with .strips of shredded bark. A series of nests
should be collected for direct comparison with nests of //. o. olivaceus.
6. The eggs are very similar to those of the Red-eye.
7. The young in juvenal plumage differ from the adult just as the young Red-
eye differs from the adult, in being light brown above, especially on the crown
and back. A specimen in the Sutton collection (taken July 1, 1948, along the
Rfo Sabinas) is in almost complete juvenal plumage.
8. Flavoviridis is. at least in Tamaulipas and E1 Salvador, distinctly migratork. '
(see Sutton and Pettingill, 1942: 26,; and Dickey and van Rossem, 1938: 472-473.
Dr. Wetmore, who believes that /tavoviridis is a full species, is wholly correct
in stating that there is no "indication of intergradation [with olivaceus] in a
series of tavoviridis . . . from Tamaulipas" (1943: 308). Neither is there, so far
as we have been able to discover, any intergr.adation between Florida examples
of the Scrub Jay, lphelocoma coerulescens fBsc), and examples representing
the easternmost of the various western races of that species.
Further discussion of nest 5 (see able above) is in .or. der. Sutton discovered
this nest by flushing the bird accidentally as he walked through the woods. He
visited it daily from May 25 to June 1; saw the birds change places on May 28:
bttt never actually saw a bid singing on the nest. The incubating bird ,per-
mitted very close approach, especially on May 30 and 31. Several pairs must
have had nests in the immed. iate vicinity, for three or four males sang there&bores
almost continuously from well 'before sun-up until dark. The nest was robbed
by some predator during the early afternoon on May 31.
We collected this nest June 1). Its greatest outside diameter was about
3% inches, its greatest outside depth 3% inches. The cup pro,per was 2 inches
in diameter and 1% inches deep. The nest was suspended from a slender (
inch diameter forked twig at the point where this .twig branched off the main
upright stem ( inch diameter). It was composed of dry grass stems and blades.
shredded bark, moss, leaf skeletons, and worn grass-blades, bound together wi&
cobwebbing. The lining was of fine grass panicle-skeletons (rachillas and a
trace of shredded bark. Leaves sheltered the cup. The sapling Randie stood in
a spot which was well shaded all day. (See photo.)
20. Icteria virens (Linntaeus). Yellow-breasted Chat, On June 3 near the
suth edge of the city of Linares, Nuevo LeSn, in a grove of young orange trees
along a much used highway, Edwards encountered a singing male Chat. After a
brief search through a hedge growing between the grove and a large cane field, he
found the nest, which contained four somewhat incubated egs. It was in the very
heart of the shrukbery, about two feet above the ground and two feet from the
active nest of a Blue Grosbeak, Guiraca caerulea (Linnaeus). We collected the
male Chat, finding that it belonged to the race auricollis Bonaparte (wing 77 mm.;
tail, 83; exposed culmen, 14).
21. Icterus cucullatus Swainson. Hooded Oriole. Nowhere did we fin. d this
species common, though we o'bserved it along the main highway in San Luis
Potosf, Tamaulipas and Nuevo Lern. On June 1, along the Rio Sabinas, Sutton
collected a subadult male which had much enlarged testes. On that da.te he saw
an adult male closely following a nestsbuilding female. ß
On June 3, at a tourist court in Linares, Nuevo Lern, we found a 'Hooded
Oriole's nest about 15 feet from the ground on the under side of a .palm fan.
Directly beneath .the nest, on the grass, was the unbroken 'but scratched egg of a
Red-eyed Cowbird, Tangavius aeneus (Wagler). In the nest were two oriole eggs,
one of which was bashed in slightly, and two Red-eyed Cowbird eggs, one white,
the other very pale blue. The shell of the white egg was considerably scratched
and gouged, as if by the sharp beak or claws of a bird.
22. Tanagra lauta Bangs and Penard. Bonaparte's Euphonia. We saw this
tanager repeatedly along the Naranjo and Sabinas Rivers. One of its most char-
acteristic callnotes was a rapidly given pidgel-eece. Other callnotes were a con-
versational chi-bib-bib-bib-bib, which reminded us of certain notes of the Gold-
finch, Spinus tristis (Linnaeus); a rough, hurried tuck-a-tuck or chuck-a-chuck;
a clear weet, which was not unlike that of the Hooded Oriole; and a full-throated
queer or gleer. Its song was short and explosive, calling .to mind that of a W,hite-
eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus (Boddaert).
In fall and winter Tanagra laura goes about in small companies, feeding largely.
on mistletoe berries. During latter May of 1947, however, most birds which we
saw went about in pairs. On May 15 and 16, at E1 Salto, we watched two females
gathering nest material, principally Spanish moss (Tillandsia). We followed one
bird to its bulky, domed-over nest, which was in a large epiphyte, about 30 feet
from the ground, in a huge cypress standing several rods back from the river.
T.he male accompanied the female wherever she went, but did not gather material
noi' assist with the actual building. Once the female carried in a long, dark
strip of bark which flattered and flapped conspicuously. From time to time
another male bird came to the nest, and this intrusion invariably led to an aerial
wrangle which was most entertaining to watch. The fighting birds fluttered and
darted about in great excitement. On one occasion (May 15) three males and
two females were at the nest together, and a considerable altercation developed
before the intruders were driven off.
A nest Which we found May 20, along the Rio Sabinas, was about 50 feet from
the ground in an airplant and clump of Spanish moss. We repeatedly observed
the birds at this nest May 20 to 28, but never climbed to it. Often we saw the
female, closely followed by the male, going to the nest. The female flew .directly
to the entrance and went in immediately. The male never alighted at or near the
nest, but darted off to one side.
23. Thraupis abbas. (Lichtenstein). Yellow-winged Tanager. We saw and
heard the Yellow-winged Tanager along the Rio Sabinas daily from May 20 to
June 2. As a rule it stayed high in the cypress trees. Its song, a not very musi-
cal series of whistled chirps, reminded us somewhat of ,that of the Olive Sparrow,
Arremonops rulivirgatus (Lawrence). One song to which we listened for some
time descended in pitch toward the end.
A ,bird which we watched pulling bark or moss from a high 'branch on May 20
may have been gathering nest material. A female taken by Lea on May 29 had
a well defined brood-patch .and much enlarged ovary. The testes of a male taken
by Sutton on June 2 were much enlarged (11 x 5 mm.).
24. Habia rublea (Vieillot). Red Ant Tanager. Stephen W. Eaton "saw four
or five ant tanagers on the mountain in dense bamboo thickets under tall forest
trees" near the Rio Sabinas on August 7, 1946, but ,he did not i, dentify the !birds
as to species (Eaton .and Edwards, 1948: 112). In view of the fact that Lea
collected a male specimen of H. rubica on the mountain two miles west of the
Sabinas on May 29, 1947, the birds seen by Eaton may well Ihave been rubica, for
to the best of our knowledge the Habia inha'biting the brtshy woodland at river-
level in 1947 were all gutturalis.
The Lea specimen just referred to was probably breeding or about to breed
(testes 4 x 4 mm.). It was subadult, presumably, for one tertial an.d sever. al
rectrices were green rather than red in tone. We have identified the bird .provi-
sion,ally as H. r. rubicoZdes (Lafresnaye), ;hough a strictly comparable male at
hand, a specimen from Guatemala with partly green tail, is decidedly more pinkish
(less orange) in general tone both above and below. The wing of the Tamaulipas
specimen measures 92 min., the tail 82.
25. Habia gutturalis (Sclater). Rosy-throated Ant T, anager. This ant tan-
ager was first recorded from T. amaulipas long ago, 'but it has not, apparently,
hitherto been listed from other localities than Tampico an.d Alta Mira. In the
tangled woods just east of the Sabinas, we encountered it almost daily, May. 18
to June 1. It went about in small conpanies. Often we heard its chattering or
sc.olding in the distance. Its song was short, rhy,thmical and very ridh-toned,
with a quality which suggested the song of Rhodothraupis celaeno. It stayed
near the ground in thick parts of the woods. To find it we had to make our
way through the ,horny 'wild pineapple', vines and brush. Sutton took an adult
male on May 25 and two females on May 27. These females were 'members of
the same close-knit flock, yet both were obviously laying eggs. The behavior of
the birds strongly suggested that they might have been nesting semicolonially.
26. Saltator atriceps (Lesson). Black-headed Saltator. We saw or heard
only a few of these Saltators along the Rio Naranjo, May 13 to 15. Along the
Sabina,, on the other hand, the species was common. Its characteristic callnotes
were cheek, chu-eek, and churr, delivered in a loud, strident voice. These notes
were sometimes combined into an exceedingly noisy chicker, chacker, chucker,
ur-ur-ur-ur-ur, the last syllables so rapidly repeated as to become a rough trill.
Several pairs lived near camp at Pano Ayuctle. We found three nests--bulky,
sprawling, hin-walled, rather deeply cupped structures, in vine-covered shrubbery
a few feet from the ground. We observed these nests from May 17 to 28, while
they were being built. On the 28th all were finished and ready for eggs, but
they appeared to have been deserted. Possibly egg-laying had not yet started.
27. Saltator coerulescens Vieillot. Grayish Saltator. We hear. d the loud,
clear cht;ck, chucker-pree soag of this species on May 16 in brushy woodland
between the main highway and the Rfo Sabinas, but thought at the time that
we were listening to a Cardinal, Richmondena cardimlis (Linnaeus). Other-
wise, we encourtered ,the Grayish Saltator only on the .opposite side ,of the river,
in tangled shrubbery along the edges of the cultivated tracts. Sutton collected
a male on May 19 and Lea collected 2 males on May 24. In all these the testes
were much enlarged. Oddly enough, this species was not listed by Sutton and
Pettingill (1942) nor by Eaton and Edwards (1948).
28. Rhodothraupis celaeno (Lichtenstein). Crimson-collared Grosbeak. We
recorded this species along the Naranjo, along the Sabinas, and at Linares. The
song was a rich, melodious warble sung from the shrubbery or ;heart of a tree,
never from an exposed position such as the top of a bush. A characteristic note
was a high, thin squeal. We did not .hear any note of alarm or protest comparable
to the sharp chip of the Cardinal.
On May 20, along the edge of a neglected orange grove not far from Pano
Ayuctle, Edwards found a nest containing three eggs. It was about six feet from
the ground in a tangle of vines and shrubbery; was partly sheltered by a slender
dead tree which had half fallen over; and was, in general, like that of a Cardinal,
but bulkier. The eggs were pale grayish blue, spotted all over wkh light ,brown.
They resembled Cardinal eggs but looked blunter and considerably larger. We
did n,ot collect them because we wanted to obtain motion pictures of e parent
birds. (See photo).
From May 21 to 31 Edwards spert much time in .a ,blind near the nest. The
male bird was obviously solicitous of ;he female, but Edwards never actually saw
the male at the nest. On May 24 there were only two eggs in the nest (we have
no idea what happened to the ot,her). The remaining ;wo eggs ,hatched, respec-
tively, .on May 26 and 27. he young were orange-skinned, with red mouth-
lining. Their dorsal down was fairly thick and very ark, Edwards saw the
female feeding ;he young. On June 1 when we last visited the nest, onlt; one
young bird was in it. he other probably had been destroyed by a predator.
SUTTON, LEA, Eowaaos, Notes on Mexican Birds
Bird-Banding
April
29. Guiraca caerulea (Linnaeus). Blue Grosbeak. From May 20 to June 1,
along the Rio SabinEs, we observed at least two Blue Grosbeaks repeatedly. One
of these was a strbadult male which sang hundreds of times near camp May 23
to 27; was joined by a female on May 27; and thereupon stopped singing except
for short periods in the morning. This pair probably nested in shrubbery along
the edge of a cane field.
While traveling north on June 2, we saw a fully adult male near the village of
Encino and another near E1 Refugio (kilometer 631. At the Mesa de Llera, Lea
collected an adul.t male (with much enlarged testes which we have identified as
inter/usa Dwight and Griscom (wing, 92 min.; tail, 72; CUbhen, 17). The brown
of the lesser wing coverts was much more chestnut in tone than that of the tips
of the greater coverts.
At LinEres, Nuevo Ledn, on June 3, Edwards discovered a singing subadult
male Blue Grosbeak along the edge of an orange gi'ove. After a brief search
through the hedge bordering the grove, he flushed a female from a nest conkMn-
ing three somewhat incubated eggs. 2qhe nest was 3J.', feet from the ground and
about two feet from the nest (4 eggs) of a Yellow-breasted Chat (see above).
LITERATURE CITED
BENT, ARTHUR CLEVELAND.
1942. Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and
their allies. U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 179.
CARRIKER, M. A., JR.
1910. An annotated list of the birds of Costa Rice including Cocos Island.
Ann. Carnegie Museum, vol. 6, nos. 2 to 4.
DICKEY, DONALD R. and A. J. VAN ROSSEg.
1938. The birds of E1 Salvador. Field Museum Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., vol. 23.
EATON, STEPHEN W. and ERNEST P. EDWARDS.
1947. The Mangrove Cuckoo in interior Tamaulipas, Mexico. Wilson Bull.,
vol. 59: 110-111.
1948. Notes on birds of the Gomez Farias region of Tamaulipas. Wilson
Bull., vol. 60: 109-114.
PETERS, JAMES LEE.
1945. Check-list of birds of the world. Harvard Unixersity Press, Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Vol. 5.
SUTTON, GEORGE MKSCH.
1948. The nest and eggs of the White-bellied Wren. The Condor, vol. 50:
101-112.
1949. Studies of the nesting birds of the Edwin S. George Reserve. Part 1.
The Vireos. Misc. Publ. Univ. Mich. l,lus. Zovl., 74.
SUTTON, GEORGE MIKSCH and OLIN SEWALL PETTINGELL, JR.
1942. Birds of the Gomez Farias region, southwestern Tamaulipas. The Auk,
vol. 59: 1-34.
1943. Birds of LinEres and GaleaRE, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Louisiana State
Univ. Mus. Zool. Occas. Paper no. 16.
WETMORE, ALEXANDER.
1943. The birds of southern Veracruz, Mexico. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol.
93: 215-340.
Museum o/ Zoology, An 4rbor, Michigan; Dept. Zoology, Univ'. Kentcky, Lex-
ington, Kentucky; and Swedish Covenant Hospital, 5145 Y. Cali/ornia Ave.,
Chicago, Illinois.