142 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 233 



nia, where Hanna (1928, p. 161) and Stoner (1937) recorded four 

 parasitized nests, and artemisiae in the following instances: in 

 Colorado, where Sclater (1912, p. 405) noted one nest with an egg of 

 the parasite and where Acken and Warren (1941, p. 575) recorded 

 another near Bear Creek on July 19, 1898; in Idaho, where Bendire 

 collected a parasitized set of eggs on June 21, 1871; in Montana, 

 where B. Bailey (1914, p. 143) collected a similar clutch of mixed 

 eggs; and in Washington where Decker found the lazuli bunting to 

 be a cowbird victim (Jewett, Taylor, Shaw, and Aldrich, 1953, 

 p. 594) and where King (1954, pp. 150-154) found two parasitized 

 nests in Whitmore County, 



Varied Bunting 



Passerina versicolor (Bonaparte) 



The varied bunting is a very slightly laiown bu"d ; it is included as a 

 victim of the southwestern race of the brown -headed cowbird, M.a. 

 obscurus, on the basis of only two records. R. D. Camp collected a 

 set of 2 eggs of this bunting with 1 of the cowbird in Cameron County, 

 Texas, on June 4, 1927; the set later became part of the J. Hooper 

 Bowles collection, A second record, the date and localit}'^ of which 

 are unknown to me, is based upon a parasitized set of eggs in the 

 collection of J, C, Braly of Portland, Oregon. These records refer to 

 the typical race of the varied bunting. 



Painted Bunting 



Passerina ciris (Linnaeus) 



The painted bunting is a fairly frequent victim of the brown- 

 headed cowbird and, in some areas, it appears to be a very common 

 host. About 50 records have been noted from Oldahoma, Texas, and 

 Mississippi. In southern Texas, the parasite is the small race of the 

 cowbird, M.a. obscurus; in Oldahoma and Mississippi, it is the eastern 

 race, M.a. ater. Two races of the painted bunting are involved: 

 P.c. pallidior in southern Texas; P.c. ciris in Oklahoma, northern and 

 central Texas, and Mississippi. 



Mr. R. W. Quillin wrote to me many years ago that this bird is one 

 of the commonest victims of the cowbud around San Antonio, Texas. 

 According to him, the bunting does not tolerate the imposition of the 

 parasite as well as some other birds do and, in about eight cases out 

 of ten, the buntings desert their nests when a cowbird lays in them. 

 When the bunting has completed or nearly completed its set of eggs 

 is the time that it will usually tolerate the addition of the strange egg. 



Parmalee (1959), pp. 1-18) has added greatly to our knowledge of 

 the situation, particularly in southern Oldahoma. Out of 45 nests 

 found in 1957, 13 were parasitized and all but 4 of these were de- 



