116 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 pakt i 



H. S. Swarth (1904) describes its migration through the Huachucas 

 of Arizona as follows: "During the spring migration this species 

 appears * * * not in great numbers, but still in tolerable abundance; 

 but its stay is an exceedingly short one, more so than any other of the 

 migrating species. In 1903, the first noted was on April 14; for about 

 a week they were quite plentiful, and then abruptly disappeared. In 

 1902, I observed a few along the San Pedro River on April 17th; a 

 day or two later they began to appear in the mountains, and by the 

 third week in April had all gone on." E. C. Kinsey (letter, 1955) 

 states that "some 30 years ago during the early April migration period 

 male lazulis could be seen, literally in successive waves numbering 

 hundreds of individuals slowly working their way north, * * * The 

 males migrate separately, preceding the females from 10 days to 3 

 weeks." Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1874b) also mention seeing 

 flocks of males in the spring before the females arrived. I saw a 

 similar group of 11 migrant males in a small brushy draw 5 miles 

 northwest of Santa Barbara on May 11, 1951. 



Territory. — The lazuli bunting appears to follow the territorial 

 pattern typical of many migratory song birds. The males regularly 

 arrive first, take up territories in suitable breeding areas, proclaim 

 their presence by singing from a series of conspicuous song perches 

 within the chosen areas, and defend them. Soon each is joined by a 

 female who observes the boundaries of the territory and takes part in 

 defending the area from other pairs. 



The size of the territory has not been clearly established. J. 

 Grinnell and T. I. Storer (1924) on May 23, 1915, at Pleasant Valley 

 in Yosemite observed 24 males during a 4-hour census. These 

 "singing males were spaced about 100 to 200 yards apart along the 

 Merced River and tributary ravines." This spacing corresponds to 

 that I observed for five singing males on a brush- and mustard- 

 covered slope at Santa Barbara, and also to that observed at the 

 Hasting's Natural History Reservation near Carmel, Calif. 



Chattin's observations at the Hasting's Reservation include two 

 records of territorial dispute, both on May 28, 1940. The first in- 

 stance mvolved two male buntings which fought and chased one 

 another through the bushes and live oaks a few to 10 feet above the 

 ground. Both gave chipping notes and also some short twitters. 

 Twice one male sang from the top of a 6-foot live oak after it had ap- 

 parently chased the other bird away. In the other instance, a male 

 and a female lazuli bunting approached a bunting nest that was under 

 observation. As they worked their way along in fallen branches and 

 wild rose bushes, the female, which was 6 to 10 feet ahead of the male, 

 lit in a wild rose bush 4 feet from the nest. The female on the nest 



