134 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



As soon as the females arrive mating begins and battles take 

 place daily between the males, which are always extremely pug- 

 nacious. In an adult male taken June 24, 1891, nearly every 

 feather on the top of the head was missing, undoubtedly lost in 

 these encounters. This particular specimen is abnormal or rep- 

 resents a rare plumage, for the throat, jugulum, and eye ring 

 are bright yellow instead of red. On many occasions I have 

 seen males engaged in combat which did not cease until one was 

 killed. I have repeatedly caught them while fighting, and a male 

 which I examined shortly after a fight had both eyes completely 

 closed. 



This species is easily caught in trap-cages in the months 

 of April and May. A decoy bird is placed in a cage and the lat- 

 ter is then placed near some hedge where Nonpareils are present. 

 As soon as a male perceives a bird of his species in the cage, he 

 at once makes for it and is caught. Large numbers used to be 

 taken in this manner. They become tame almost at once, and 

 seem to prefer hemp seed as an article of food when in captivity . 

 This species is very abundant along the coast, frequenting open 

 country where there are hedgerows and scattered trees. Hun- 

 dreds can be seen in a single day during April, May, June, and a 

 portion of July. In autumn, especially October, however, the 

 adult males are rarely seen, being very shy and seldom showing 

 themselves for more than a few seconds at a time. At this sea- 

 son the birds resort to places where a species of grass grows in 

 low, wet lands and bears innumerable seed, upon which they 

 feed. The adult male in autumn is much darker than in spring 

 and the head is marked with purplish bronze. This species sheds 

 the tarsal scales as well as the surface of the bill in autumn. 

 It remains until November 4. 



The nest is composed of weeds, skeletonized leaves, and grasses, 

 lined with fine grass or horse hair, and is placed in low bushes, 

 in the branches of tall trees, and often in bunches of Spanish 

 moss, where it is completely concealed. This beautiful bird 

 breeds in numbers in the city of Charleston. The eggs are three 

 or four in number, white or bluish white, speckled, spotted or 

 even blotched with reddish brown. They measure .75X-55. I 

 have taken eggs on May 18, June 1 1 , and as late as July 15. Three 

 broods are raised each year and sometimes even four as I have 

 seen very young birds as late as September 16. 



The Nonpareil winters in Mexico, Central America and Cuba. 



