18 BULLETIN 17 6, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



near the head of Cochise Stronghold and made a morning flight that often 

 carried them directly out over the plains to the east. 



In feeding, the large bands usually broke up into smaller parties. In winter 

 such flocks at times came down to perch on broken sandstone ledges where 

 they clambered about or basked in the sun. In Rucker Canyon toward eve- 

 ning flocks often flew down to the river to drink before passing on to their 

 roost. In the Chiricahua Mountains during late fall and winter the birds came 

 down into the foothills to an altitude of between 5000 and 5500 feet though 

 earlier they were confined to the higher basins. 



The birds were noisy and their coming was heralded by their loud calls that 

 were said to be readily audible at a distance of more than a mile. Like parrots 

 elsewhere they were said to show much fear of hawks (though it seems strange 

 that a bird with so powerful a bill and so muscular a body should show such 

 fear) ; when a red-tail or a hawk of some other species appeared they rose in 

 flocks and circled in the air, doubling the volume of their ordinary screeching 

 calls. 



He was told by F. Hands that "as cold weather came during the 

 fall some of the birds disappeared. • Others remained during the en- 

 tire winter, although at one time the ground was covered by six 

 inches of snow for over two weeks and the birds were forced to seek 

 their food on the ground where this covering had blown partly 

 away." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico 

 (casually) and the mountainous area adjacent to the tableland of 

 Mexico. 



The range of the thick-billed parrot extends north to (casually) 

 southeastern Arizona (probably near Mowry, Pinery Canyon, Co- 

 chise Head, and Paradise) ; (casually) southwestern New Mexico 

 (Animas Mountain) ; eastern Chihuahua (Ciudad Chihuahua) ; and 

 Veracruz (Perote). East to Veracruz (Perote and Jalapa). South 

 to central Veracruz (Jalapa) ; Mexico (Popocatapetl) ; and southern 

 Durango (Canyon Rio San Juan). West to Durango (Canyon Rio 

 San Juan, Cuidad Durango, and Arroyo del Buey) ; western Chi- 

 huahua (Guadalupe y Calvo, Jesus Maria, and Colonia Garcia) ; and 

 southeastern Arizona (Nogales and probably Mowry). 



Wliile the range as outlined includes the entire region over which 

 the species is known to occur, it has actually been found breeding 

 only in the Mexican States of Chihuahua and Durango. At irregu- 

 lar intervals flocks that sometimes are of large size travel northward 

 and invade the mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona. Such 

 invasions took place in 1900, 1904, and 1917. 



Egg fZa^^es.— Mexico : 10 records, May 10 to August 25 ; 7 records, 

 Auorust 11 to 25. 



