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



selects some prominent perch in the vicinity of the nest from which 

 he announces the occupation of his territory and utters his rather 

 sweet song. PhilHps notes that both parents assist in feeding the 

 young. 



Enemies. — Apparently the varied bunting is not an infrequent host 

 of the cowbird in some localities. Herbert Friedmann (1963) states, 

 "R.D. Camp collected a set of 2 eggs of this bunting with 1 of the 

 cowbird in Cameron County, Texas, on June 4, 1927 * * *." 

 There is another set of four eggs and one of the dwarf cowbird in 

 the collection of the Oregon State College, taken by II . D. Camp on 

 the same date. Of the 13 available records of the varied bunting 

 nesting in Cameron County, two — slightly over 15 percent —include 

 cowbird eggs. Such a small number, however, may not be repre- 

 sentative. 



Other races. — The western race, Passerina versicolor pulchra Ridg- 

 way, is resident in southern Baja California north to Comondu; in 

 winter, rarely to southern Sonora and Sinaloa. Ridgway (18S7a) 

 described this race as similar to the eastern race but "rather smaller, 

 or with shorter wing and tail; adult male with red on occiput brighter, 

 purple of throat less reddish (never decidedly red), flanks brighter 

 plum-purple, and rump more purplish-blue or lavender * * *." 

 William Brewster (1902) states that the females of this race differ 

 considerably by being decidedly grayer, especially on the under parts 

 and on the sides of the head and neck. 



The intermediate race, Passerina versicolor dickeyae van Rossem, 

 was described in 1934 and has been accepted by the A.O.U. Committee. 

 This race is a rare local summer resident in southern Arizona (Babo- 

 quivarae and Santa Catalina mountains) and breeds south through 

 central and eastern Sonora, southwestern Chihuahua south along the 

 Pacific slopes to Colima. It wmters from southern Sonora and south- 

 ern Chihuahua south to Colima and Nayarit. Van Rossem (1934b) 

 describes this race as "Similar in size to Passerina versicolor pulchra 

 Ridgway, of southern Lower California. Females and young males 

 prevailingly rufescent brown instead of grayish brown (as in versicolor) 

 or brownish gray (as in pulchra). Adult males very similar to adult 

 males of pulchra, and distinguishable only in series by the greater 

 extent and brighter hue of the red nuchal patch." 



The third race, Passerina versicolor purpurascens Griscom, has been 

 described from the arid Motagua valley of Guatemala. These birds 

 are generally similar to those of southern Texas and northeastern 

 Mexico, but they are much smaller, and darker and duller in overall 

 coloration. 



