Nov., 1916 MEETING SPRING HALF WAX/ 2t5 At our first luuch camp beyond Sauz Ranch a thunderstorm overtook us just as the Texan had lit the fire. He had gathered his firewood painfully, complaining, "There's plenty of that little bresh, but its mighty thorny I can tell you!" and loath to have to gather a second batch, when the rain began, slipped the bake oven over his fire. Fifteen or twenty minutes later when about two inches of rain had fallen and his fire was out, the old man, staffcling in the water remarked, facetiously, "A little more and this would have been a right smart rain" While waiting for the roads to dry off a ?little we walked around among the bushes where the Thrashers and other birds were singing and the White- winged Dove was hooting like an Owl. In the cactus we found nests of Curve- billed Thrasher and Cactus Wren, while the Bullock'Oriole, Chat, Yellow Warbler, Summer Tanager, Bewick Wren, Roadrunner, Shrike, and the small Texas Woodpecker added interest to the hour. In going on we realized that we were nearing Mexico, for at a roadside store, where strings of- garlic hung on the wall, we got two dollars of Mexican money for one of United States coin. Thirty-five miles from the Mexican line we forded Rio Coloral, formerly one of the mouths of the Rio Grande. Here we found Spotted Sandpipers, a flock of White-winged Doves, a Fish Hawk catching fish, and a Mockingbird with a nest in a blooming tuni cactus. In this, the land of the Mocldngbird, one of the birds would often start a moonlight chorus, birds of other kinds joining in as they awoke, the Cassin Sparrow being among the nocturnal choristers. These nocturnal concerts which have been described by other field workers, were among the most delightful features of our life in the open. In the thick- ets beyond Rio Coloral we found the Sennett OriOle and the handsome Green Jay, a Mexican bird just ranging up into southern Texas. Fresh deer tracks were also seen. Twenty-three miles from Mexico we camped for a night near a Mexica? hackell where we got centi?n.o leche, saw women carrying big milk cans on their shoulders and Sefiors in. pointed hats and Seforitas in black rebozas. In sight of camp Jack rabbits nibbled grass. and ambled about trustingly. A Caracara flew by, at which, to our amusement, a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher dashed after him and pouncing down, rode on his back till they were out of sight. Texas Woodpeckers and Orioles were in evidence, and Cowbirds fed around the mules. But our camp was named Parauque Camp for the Parauque, a new bird to me, a Mexican bull bat that comes up into southern Texas and whose hoarse pa-rau'-que called us hurriedly from our camp fire. Out in the mes- quites it would fly from one bare spot to another catching insects like a Poor- will. The next day there was one long stretch of white daisies framed by mes- quite, daisies smaller and with finer petals than the eastern flower but effect- ive in the mass when turued toward the sun. In the main it was a day of blooming cactus, splendid masses of it in f/filer bloom than we had found it before; a day that gave new meaning to the word cactus to me. Never again would it stand for spine-covered grotesque forms of vegetation. Does the desert bloom like a rose? No, it blooms like a cactus! Nature strews your path with thorus, it is true, but only to ensure the flowers, big generous blooms of gorgeous hues, bright lemon, soft saffron, dull orange, magenta, and glow- ing crimson. Seven species there w?re along our way. Lowly ground clusters
