CANYON BROWN TOWHEE 623 



have never been seen fighting among themselves. One exphmation 

 for this is that the birds are so miobtrusive and shy that they are 

 seldom seen by their neighbors, much less molested. The pair some- 

 times explores or wanders into the domain of its next-door neighbor, 

 both in winter and when tending its moving offspring, yet the trespass 

 is never challenged. Thus the territory does not seem to be a "de- 

 fended area," nor is it made conspicuous by advertising song, with 

 the following two exceptions : 



The unpaired male in late winter and spring makes himself and his 

 area conspicuous by constant song, but this seems to be to advertise 

 for a mate rather than to proclaim his boundaries to his neighbors. 

 However, should he sing too close to the neighbor, say within 100 

 yards, the neighboring male will jump on a tree and sing a few songs 

 in reply. These usually suffice to impel the unmated bird farther 

 away at his next change of song-perch. The second exception is a 

 brief few minutes of actual advertisement at dawn in spring and 

 summer, when all the males, mated and unmated ahke, sing just 

 after waking. 



Canyon towhee pairs simply have strong inclinations to stay at 

 home and to shun company. Although we might criticize them for 

 being antisocial, still their peaceful means of maintaining the necessary 

 space for security, food, and nesting seems worthy of emulation. 



Courtship. — As canyon towhees probably mate for life (perhaps 

 only 2 or 3 years at best), there is seldom the opportunity to observe 

 the first meeting of two new mates, though it is conceivable that this 

 might take place in fall when groups of young, having become inde- 

 pendent of their parents, scatter and cross paths. Judging from the 

 actions of "old married couples," it is likely that the new pair-bond 

 is ceremoniously ushered in with the usual duet of squeals, uttered 

 while the male is perched in a bush a few inches higher than the female. 

 It can also be imagined from the incessant singing of the unpaired 

 male in spring, that should a female appear in response to his song, 

 the same ritual would follow, and that the singing would come to an 

 abrupt halt. 



The male canyon towhee works hard and all year round at making 

 his marriage a success, as if the pair were on a permanent honeymoon. 

 While the female feeds along the ground, he watches from a perch in 

 a bush or low tree over her. He solicitously flies to a new lookout 

 post above her when she moves farther away, and when she flies, he 

 too flies to meet her and to join in the ritual duet of squeals mentioned 

 above. When both birds feed on the ground the male stays within a 

 few inches of his mate, and he raises his head more frequently to look 

 about. At the approach of a person he flies up to a perch and watches, 



646-737 — 68 — pt. 2 3 



