76 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 pakt i 



Nebraska, and southward to northeastern Baja California, north- 

 western Duroyo, and central Texas. 



In southern Arizona, Henshaw (1875) found it to be "a very well 

 represented species. It does not appear to visit the mountainous 

 districts at all, but was found on the heavily brushed streams from 

 the time they made their appearance at the base of the mountains, 

 till, as is usually the case in this region, the waters finally disappeared 

 in the thirsty sands of the plains below, the luxuriant vegetation which 

 encloses the banks ceasing when the stream sinks." We found it in 

 the willows and other vegetation along the Irrigation ditches in the 

 San Pedro valley. 



In New Mexico, according to Mrs. Bailey (1928) its "cheery song 

 can be heard from orchards, groves, bosques, mesquites, thickets, and 

 sunflower patches." 



In 1958, Robert M, Stabler sent Taber the following notes on two 

 successive nestings by the same pair of blue grosbeaks on his ranch 3 

 miles north of Colorado Springs, Colo.: 



"Both nestings were in a plot about 200 yards north of an arroyo 

 containing a flowing stream and adjacent to a dusty road heavily used 

 by gravel trucks. The vegetation was mainly composed of: Skunk- 

 bush (Rhus trilobata), wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis), gold- 

 weed (Verbesina encelioides), Kansas sunflower (Helianthus annuus), 

 horseweed {Iva xanthifolia) , and tall tansy aster (Aster bigelovii). 



"The first of the two nests was 64 feet from the road, the second 

 was 58 feet NNW of the first, not far from the center of the area. 

 Other birds known to nest in the same plot are: Sage thrasher (Oreo- 

 scoptes montanus), lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus strigatus), 

 and Brewer's blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephala) . A pair of Brewer's 

 nested only 10 feet from, and concm-rently with, the fh-st nesting 

 of the grosbeaks. 



"The first nest was discovered at 6:30 p.m. on June 8. Its rim 

 was 31.5 inches from the ground and was securely fastened to both 

 Rhus and Symphoricarpos. With an inside diameter of 2.5 inches 

 and a cup depth of 2.0 inches, it was quite substantially built of small 

 twigs, rootlets, and strippings of inner bark. Several lengths of 

 hemp string were included. Near the periphery there was some 

 newspaper, numerous pieces of cellophane, and several large dried 

 leaves. The cup was lined with very fine rootlets, tendrils, and both 

 black and white horse mane or tail hairs. 



"When found it contained one freshly laid egg. Daily observations 

 between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. revealed one pale blue, unspotted egg 

 added on each of the three days following discovery, the clutch being 

 completed on 11 June. The female was flushed from the nest at each 

 of the above four checks. On June 22 the first egg hatched, another 



