1914] Grinnell: Mammah and Birds of flic Colorado Valleij 181 



Sonoran species was preparing to breed in the river bottom : none were 

 seen outside of the willow and arrowweed associations, and here, 

 especially in clumpy tracts of willow, the males were present and in 

 full song, spaced out over the appropriate territory as if settled for 

 the nesting season. Females were doubtless present also, but only one 

 was .seen, probably because of their extremely retiring mood during 

 the season of courtship. 



The eight specimens secured (nos. 1344-4— 1-34.51 ) all on the Cali- 

 fornia side of the river at the three stations aViove named, together 

 with one more (no. 4132) taken by J. G. Cooper at Fort Jlohave, May 

 6. 1861. are all of the large-billed race inhabiting southern Arizona. 

 They differ markedly from the race summering in central and .southern 

 California west of the Sierran divide, in much larger and more tumid 

 bill. (See Grinnell. 1911. p. 163). 



Passerina amoena 'Say) 

 Lazuli Bunting 



First seen, one of each se.x. April 11. twenty miles above Picacho; 

 next, a few examples April 24 and 25. five miles above Laguna; then 

 April 29 at Potholes, and almost daily thereafter at all points to the 

 vicinity of Pilot Knob where last seen May 8. In all cases the birds 

 were observed in the riparian bottom, usually in willows close to the 

 river. There was no evidence of breeding, and the proliabilities are 

 that the lazuli bunting occurs in the region merely as a transient. 

 Four examples were preserved, nos. 13390-13393. 



There is a specimen in the IMuseum (no. 4157) taken ]\Iay 20, 

 1861, by J. G. Cooper at Fort IMohave. Two of the five specimens 

 have larger bills than any breeding bird at hand from the Pacific 

 slope of California. This might be interpi-eted as being a parallel 

 to the case with the black-headed grosbeaks, the Colorado River bunt- 

 ings being migratory to the Great Basin region. The material at 

 hand, however, is insufficient to elevate the supposition to even a 

 probability. And apparently there is, besides, a wide range of varia- 

 tion of the characters in question. 



Calamospiza melanocorys Ste.ineger 

 Lark Bunting 

 On March 8, on the Califoi'nia side opposite The Needles, a flock 

 of a dozen lark buntings alighted in the tops of some tall willows close 



