GREEX-T AILED TOWHEE 551 



April 20, 1946, and it was still there when I left on May 7. It sought shelter 

 from the almost constant wind under the many carapaces of the green turtle 

 (Chelonia mydas) which lay scattered about near the fishermen's camp. Although 

 the salt marsh near-by supported a population of Savannah Sparrows (Passer- 

 culus sandwichensis), the towhee made no attempt to search for food in that area. 

 Conversely the Marsh Sparrows infrequently entered the vicinity of the camp. 



Evidence of this species' propensity to return to its nesting ground 

 or birthplace is presented in notes from northern Arizona by Allan R. 

 Phillips (MS.), who states that "our latest captures of definitely 

 breeding birds in 1935 were on September 17-21 (birds recaptured 

 in May-July 1936); but a bird banded Sept. 29, 1935 got into a trap 

 not in operation on May 19, 1936 and evidently froze overnight, 

 probably being also a breeding bird here. All October birds captured 

 here failed to return, being probably migrants." 



Territory. — No information is available on the territory size of 

 the greentail and its interspecific relations. One of the chief co- 

 occupants of its scrub habitat in California mountains is the fox 

 sparrow (J. Grinnell and H. S. Swarth, 1913; W. M. Pierce, 1921; 

 H. W. Clark, 1932). A. K. Fisher (1893), in reporting on the Death 

 Valley Expedition, states that in "May and June Mr. Nelson found 

 [this species] common among the sage brush on the Panamint and 

 Grapevine mountains, where it was associated with Brewer's sparrow." 

 Other fringillid species observed sharing its breeding habitat — 

 and which might well compete with the green-tailed towhee — are 

 the rufous-sided towhee and the lazuli bunting (V. M. Tanner and 

 C. L. Hayward, 1934). That the fox sparrow in particular may be 

 something of a competitor is indicated by the following observation 

 (H. W. Clark, 1932) : "An interesting case of conflict between birds 

 occupying nearly the same ecologic niche was observed at Black 

 Butte. Here I found a number of individuals of the Green-tailed 

 Towhee * * * singing from the same places used by the Fox Sparrows. 

 One morning there was quite a spirited battle between a Fox Sparrow 

 and a towhee over the possession of a small red fir. After several 

 sallies at the towhee, the sparrow finally allowed him to remain in 

 the same tree, and the two sat close together in the upper twigs and 

 sang alternately for some minutes." 



Nesting. — The green-tailed towhee nests on or near the ground. 

 Some 27 records indicate that heights of nests range from ground level 

 to 28 inches, the average height being 16 inches. Of these nests, 11 

 were placed in or at the base of sagebrush, 7 were in waxberry, and 4 

 were in snowbush. There are two records of nests associated with 

 scrubby oaks, including Quercus gambelii, and one instance each of 

 association with chokecherry, juniper, and gooseberry. Although 

 nests are often well concealed in brushy growth, this is not always true. 

 Thus, J. Grinnell (1908) , in writing on this towhee in the San Bernardino 



