COOPER'S SUMMER TANAGER 509 



for they skillfully avoided contact with the stinger end of their victims 

 by breaking off that end. They accomplished this by catching the 

 bees across the middle of the body and, upon alighting on a branch or 

 other perch, breaking off the protruding end of the abdomen by giving 

 it a 'swipe' on the perch. * * * All summer long, the top of nearly 

 every hive was sprinkled with the abdomens of bees, and since just 

 as many fall upon each equal area of uncovered ground throughout 

 the apiary, it is very evident that the toll was very great." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southwestern United States to central Mexico. 



Breeding range. — Cooper's summer tanager breeds from south- 

 eastern California (Colorado River Valley from Needles to Potholes), 

 southern Nevada (Colorado River opposite Fort Mojave), central- 

 western, central, and southeastern Arizona (Fort Mohave, Aquarius 

 and Juniper Mountains, the Tonto Basin, Clifton), southwestern, 

 central, and southeastern New Mexico (Cooney, Los Pinos; probably 

 Carlsbad), western Texas (Frijole, Davis Mountains, Brewster 

 County), and northeastern Coahuila (Sabinas); south to northeastern 

 Baja California (Cerro Prieto), central-northern and southeastern 

 Sonora (Rancho la Arizona, Magdalena, Opodepe, Guirocoba), 

 northern Durango (Rio Sestin), southeastern Coahuila (Sierra de 

 Guadalupe), and central Nuevo Le6n (Cerro de la Silla, Allende, 

 Montemorelos. 



Winter range. — Winters in southern Baja California (San Jose" 

 del Cabo), southern Sinaloa (Mazatlan), Michoacan (Los Reyes, 

 Mount Tancitaro), Morelos (Morelos) and central Guerrero (Chil- 

 pancingo) . 



Casual records. — Casual in southwestern California (Santa 

 Barbara, Hueneme, Pasadena, San Clemente Island). 



