LOUISIANA AND TEXAS SEASIDE SPARROWS 843 



hopping from branch to branch rather slowly and deliberately, "within 

 one to three feet of each other. Low chut notes were given regularly 

 by Red, sparmgly by UB. Yellow visited the bush briefly. For a 

 moment she spread her wings slightly, fluffed out her feathers, and 

 then flew to the vicinity of the nest. Red and UB remained in the 

 bush perched about a foot from each other and continued to call. 

 There was no special display. At times, Red, the more agitated 

 bird, assumed what seemed to be an "uncomfortable" position, as 

 when straddled between two separate twigs, one foot stretched out 

 laterally to each. After about five minutes Red flew to a tiny man- 

 grove 12 paces away, and UB promptly sang several times. Red 

 continued to give chut notes and once started to sing but "swallowed" the 

 song. Soon he moved farther away, and shortly UB also left the 

 bush and went off in another direction. 



Alost of the sites marking the approximate boundary of the territory 

 were Red's song posts. Some of the peripheral points to the south 

 the female estabhshed as she flew to various spots, mostly in open 

 marsh, to forage for herself and the newly hatched young. 



Observations on April 30 and May 1 indicated considerable relaxa- 

 tion of Red's and Yellow's territorial boundaries, for UB had moved 

 in from the south and west and was now frequenting about one-third 

 of the pair's former home range. Red and Yellow were now asso- 

 ciating with bob-tailed young, which were able to fly short distances. 

 UB, still apparently unmated, sang frequently. Red much less so. 

 At times, though, the two males sang at about the same rate, the 

 songs tending to alternate. Around midday, April 30, UB began 

 pursuing Red over large parts of the territory. The repeated pursuit 

 flights gave the impression that UB was "taking over." But Red 

 was not being dominated completely. 



About 7:20 a.m. the following day I found Red and UB hopping 

 about in salt grass only two or three feet apart. They presently 

 engaged in a brief but apparently inconclusive aerial battle just above 

 the grass tops. Shortly after this scuffle. Red was singing in a man- 

 grove clump close by while UB sang some 60 paces away not far 

 from the former nest site. A little later, about 8:00 a.m., I saw the 

 two males once again close together toward the southern part of the 

 territory in low grass and on the ground. Their mutual attitude was 

 manifestly hostile. Though no particular displays were observed, 

 another brief "upfluttering" battle carried them above the grass tops. 

 Neither seemed to give ground in this encounter. Soon afterward 

 UB left and flew to the vicinity of the old nest. A little later I saw 

 Red chasing UB, again in the southern part of the territory. Two or 

 three times on April 30 I saw Red carrying strands of nest material. 



