152 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part i 



Murphey (1937) states that it leaves the Augusta (Ga.) region in 

 "late October." 



In North Florida, Howell (1932) gives last dates for Fernandina as 

 October 20; Daytona, October 22; New Smyrna; November 7; and 

 Sombrero Light, November 11. At Fort Pierce, Miss Bates (MS.) says 

 that the earliest fall appearance (south of the breeding range) is 

 August 7, adding that "the early fall migrants pass on rapidly." 

 From early August on, however, she has the birds more or less continu- 

 ally at her place through faU and winter. Florida is the only state in 

 which it winters with regularity, and that occurs very locally and in 

 the southern portion. Illustrative of Miss Bates's observances from 

 August through the remainder of the year are: August 10, 15, and 29; 

 September 26; October 10 and 19; November 19; and December 6. 

 From January to April she has birds in varying numbers constantly. 



My own experience with nonpareils in winter in Florida embraces 

 the Lake Okeechobee area (Okeechobee City, N.E. corner of the lake, and 

 Clewiston, S.W. corner) where I conducted the Audubon Wildlife 

 tours for several years. In each of these towns the species was ob- 

 served regularly at several feeding stations from January through 

 the rest of the winter months. 



In 1960, the Audubon tours were shifted to Naples on the south- 

 west coast, nearer the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Nonpareils were 

 present in Naples the entire winter. In the beautiful Caribbean 

 Gardens of Naples, this species frequents the close vicinity of cages 

 housing parakeets and finches to pick up seeds scattered therefrom, 

 and, at times, as many as a half dozen can be seen any day from Jan- 

 uary through March. Several privately maintained feeding stations 

 in the town itself harbor nonpareils the entire winter. Therefore, the 

 species really is a common, though perhaps local, wintering bird in 

 Florida from Lake Okeechobee southward. 



In Texas, Williams (MS.) gives departure dates at Cove (near 

 Galveston) as from September 17 to October 19. The latest Texas 

 departure is more than 2 weelts earlier than the latest South Carolina 

 date. 



Winter. — Alexander F. Skutch contributes the following: 

 "Painted buntings arrive in Guatemala early in October. During 

 the winter months they are found throughout the length of Central 

 America as far south as western Panama, but are more abundant 

 in the north than in the south, and on the Caribbean side of Costa 

 Rica appear to be absent. Although on Nov. 15, 1930, I met a 

 single male at 8,500 feet in the mountains above Tecpan, Guatemala, 

 he had probably not yet settled down for the winter; certainly 

 while in Central America the great majority of painted buntings 

 spend this season between sea-level and 5,000 feet. A. W. Anthony 



