EASTERN PAINTED BUNTING 145 



Brewster could have made this statement will always remain a mys- 

 tery, but his lead has been followed by others. Frank M. Chapman 

 (1912) quotes C. J. Maynard as follows: "[It] is always shy and 

 retiring, seldom appearing in the open, but remaining in the dense, 

 thorny undergrowth * * *. Whenever the birds perceive an in- 

 truder they retire into the depths of these fastnesses, and it requires 

 considerable beating to drive them out * * *. The adult males are 

 especially shy, and seldom show themselves. Even while singing they 

 remained concealed, and * * * it was with the utmost difficidty that 

 we caught sight of the authors of the harmonious strains." Chapman 

 evidently gave full credence to this pronouncement, which must have 

 been based on a phenomenal local condition and which is at variance 

 mth the usual facts. Frederick Hebard (MvS.) states that "They 

 never ascend to the top of a tree or the end of a branch but sing from 

 a perch about halfway up and halfway out from the trunk." 



Such positive statements are characteristic, but almost alwaj-s come 

 from northern observers, whose observations most likely are spotty 

 and intermittent. Contrast them with statements of those who 

 either live in the bird's range or have spent much time there. Howell 

 (1932) says that "When singing, the males seek a perch near the top 

 of a small tree." Eugene E. Murphey (1937) says of the bird at 

 Augusta that it is its custom "to perch on the top of some small bush, 

 high grass stalk or weed to sound its beautiful song." Pearson (1942) 

 describes the singing perch as "from some exposed twig." Now these 

 are vastly different statements from those of Brewster, Maynard, and 

 Hebard. In a lifetime of intimate contact with the nonpareil, I can 

 only say that they represent the actual facts in the bhd's behavior. 

 Undoubtedly the above observers must have seen something to justify 

 their opinions, but their descriptions not only are not characteristic 

 but are the direct opposite. 



Exposed and elevated perches (from 3 to 30 feet) are the rule. As 

 to the song ceasing "at the slightest noise" (Brewster, 1882b), this is 

 far from the case. As already mentioned, the birds sing freely from 

 telephone and light wires in absolutely open situations, and often 

 along city streets. Traffic flow does not affect it at all. I have often 

 watched nonpareils singing from a perch distant from any cover while, 

 a few yards beneath, children played, dogs barked, and other clamor 

 went on. 



Quite a remarkable characteristic of the bird is its marked pugnacity. 

 For a small passerine species, it is certainly a "scrapper." Unlike 

 most avian combats which consist of little more than feints and threats, 

 nonpareil battles are frequently bloody and often fatal. They mean 

 business. They usually occur diu-ing mating and in territory defense, 

 but they are not limited to these tunes. Multiple fights are not 



