282 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



The utterances of female Bullock's Orioles while in defence of territory and in 

 association with males in every way are comparable to the songs of males and 

 may be considered as true territorial songs. The song of the female is similar to 

 that of the male in rhythm, pitch, and quality except as regards the concluding 

 notes of the song which in the female are slightly harsher in quality, range over 

 lesser intervals of pitch and show important modifications of the rhythm as 

 compared with those of the male. Before or during nest building the songs of 

 females on occasion may be even more abundant than the songs of the 

 males * * *. 



The songs of the two females were not identical. * * * The songs of the two 

 males always were extremely similar one to the other. The females sang re- 

 peatedly from the ground whereas the males with one or two exceptions 6ang only 

 while in the trees. The females sang in the trees near their respective males. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — California and Nevada to northwestern Mexico. 



Breeding range. — The lesser Bullock's oriole breeds from central- 

 western and southern California (Santa Rosa, San Jacinto Mountains), 

 southern Nevada (opposite Mohave, Arizona) and central-western Ari- 

 zona (Colorado River Valley); south to northern Baja California (San 

 Rafael, Colorado Delta) and northwestern Sonora (Colonia, San Luis). 



Winter range. — Winter range largely unknown ; possibly sparingly 

 in southern California (Los Angeles) and Arizona (Parker), probably 

 in central-western Mexico, south to Guerrero (Chilpancingo) ; migrants 

 taken in Sonora (San Javier, Tesia, Guirocoba), and Arizona (north 

 to Camp Verde, rarely to Wupatki National Monument). 



EUPHAGUS CAROLINUS CAROLINUS (Miiller) 



Continental Rusty Blackbird 



Plate 21 

 HABITS 



To most of the residents of the United States the rusty blackbird 

 is known only as an abundant spring and fall migrant, for its breeding 

 grounds are north of our border, though a few breed in northern New 

 England and the species winters abundantly in the Southern States. 

 Its breeding range extends northward to the limits of trees in northern 

 Alaska and Canada and southward to the central portions of British 

 Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario; it extends across our 

 northern border into northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and, 

 New York. Frederick C. Lincoln (1935) says that "in the Stikine 

 River Valley of northern British Columbia and southwestern Alaska" 

 the rusty blackbird is one of several eastern species that have ex- 

 tended their breeding ranges to within "20 to 100 miles of the Pacific 

 Ocean." 



