VARIED BUNTING 133 



C. Merrill (1879), referring to the Brownsville, Tex., region, says, 

 "This beautiful species seems to be rather abundant in this vicinity, 

 frequenting the mesquite-chaparrel." Phillips and Thornton (1949) 

 reported it as a bird of the mesquite-salt cedar association in Presidio 

 County, Tex. Thornton (1951) found it in the mesquite-creosote 

 bush association, and PuUch (1963) observed birds in the Chisos 

 Mountains in a "fairly dense stand of vegetation, together with a 

 few cottonwoods (Populus sp.)" and again in the Big Bend National 

 Park in "typical seep willow (Baccharis glutinosa)-sQ\t cedar (Tama- 

 rix gallica) -mesquite (Prosopis juliflora and Sophora secundiflora) 

 habitat, along with a few cottonwoods," and "in a typical mesquite- 

 catclaw {Acacia greggii) wash with scattered aUthorn (Koeberlina 

 spinosa) and sumac {Rhus sp.), bordered with creosote bush {Larrea 

 tridentata) ." Land (1962), \\Titing of birds found in the arid Motagua 

 valley of Guatemala, says, "Recorded in July and September in 

 scrubby woodland. Males were singing on territory in July." 



Many years ago the varied bunting was reported as being abundant 

 in the Brownsville region. Griscom and Crosby (1926), reporting on 

 the birds of that region in the early 1920's, listed it as a fairly common 

 summer resident; however, at present it seems to be rare in that area, 

 probably because much of the original brushy habitat association of 

 this species has now been converted to farm land. In recent years 

 most reports of this bunting have been from the semidesert areas of 

 Brewster, Presidio, Terrell, and Crockett counties of western Texas. 



Nesting. — ^Van Tyne and Sutton (1937) reported that on May 29 a 

 nest ready for eggs was found in a dense tangle along Mara villas Creek 

 near Marathon, Tex. Allan R. Phillips wrote WendeU Taber that 

 he found a "nest on 1 August 1954 about 3 feet up in the dead lower 

 twigs of a 'bachata' bush {Condalia lycoides) on the northwest side, near 

 Huasabas, Sonora. The nest was constructed of coarse old grayish 

 grass-like blades (?bark or weeds) bound with cobwebs? to two distinct 

 but nearly vertical twigs, and, unsupported from below, was well 

 lined with fine brownish-buffy grasses, the lining projecting above the 

 top of the nest. The nesting tree and others of the same kind up to 

 10 or 12 feet in height provided good shade. There were two pin- 

 feathered young several days old. The female came from the north- 

 east side three times to feed the young, the male finally came with 

 food and departed with a fecal sac. In approaching, both parents 

 came in low through the bushes." 



Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1905) state that among the memoranda 

 of Mr. Xantus, made at Cape St. Lucas, they found the following in 

 connection with this species: "nest and three eggs * * * obtained May 5 

 on a mjn'tle hanging down from very high perpendicular bluffs,* * * 



