618 U.S. NATIONAL ]VIUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part 2 



new female that had been banded as a juvenal 6 years earlier in 

 June 1929, appeared on the territory and, though no evidence of 

 nesting was noted, remained in occupancy with the male throughout 

 the winter. Her first nest was found Apr. 14, 1936, 7 feet up in a 

 buddleia on the opposite side of the yard. This nest fledged its young 

 and on May 2 the female was found sitting on a new nest 4 feet up 

 in a small Crataegus, from which she also fledged her brood. Late 

 that autumn her dried remains were found among the broken egg- 

 sheUs in a thrid nest she had built 20 feet up in a eucalyptus. She was 

 thus 7 years old when she died. No records of the male's nesting 

 activities or mate were obtained in 1937, though he remained on the 

 territory throughout the year. The last time he was taken, in mid- 

 March 1938, he had a new mate, a female banded as a juvenal in 

 June 1935. She built her nest in a small acacia, from which she fledged 

 a single young on Apr. 11, 1938. 



The reactions of this male and his various mates to other brown 

 towhees intruding on their territory varied at different times of the 

 year. In the fall and winter they showed no resentment when pairs 

 from adjoining territories joined them at the feeders, but ate with 

 them peacefully. On Mar. 2, 1935, "he and his mate were eating 

 on the ground at the corner of the house in company with the pair 

 holding the adjacent territory to the vv^est. The four birds were in 

 perfect harmony. The following November, December, and January, 

 the color-banded pair holding the territory to the east were frequent 

 visitors as well. There was no fighting. From these and later ob- 

 servations we concluded that this peaceful behavior was due to the 

 fact that the pairs were settled for the season, that they knew each 

 other and, certainly at this time of year, our resident pair did not 

 regard neighboring mated territory holders as a threat." 



Most territorial clashes were noted during the nesting season, and 

 they usually involved comparatively strange birds. Whenever one 

 of these managed to enter a trap on his territory, the male always 

 attacked it viciously. "On May 1, 1936, a towhee entered the trap 

 near his nest. At once there was the sound of fighting and commo- 

 tion. The trap was of 1-inch poultry wire, and the trapped bird 

 kept putting his head through the mesh, where our male could and 

 did inflict severe injuries. By the time I reached the trap the in- 

 truder was bleeding badly and in such a serious state that after read- 

 ing his band number I released him at once. He did not fly, but ran 

 across the yard, our male after him, looking cm-iously like two rats 

 rather than birds. When he disappeared under an old barn our male 

 returned and seemed to regard the incident as closed. We had 

 banded the intruder as a juvenile July 24, 1935, and this was his 

 only repeat record. The continued and violent attacks on trapped 



