THE NONPAREIL OR PAINTED BUNTING. 



{Passerina ciris.) 



Nor did lack 

 Sweet music to the magic of the scene : 

 The little crimson-breasted Nonpareil 

 Was there, his tiny feet scarce bending down 

 The silken tendril that he lighted on 

 To pour his love notes ; 



— William Henry Timrod, "The Mocking-Bird. 



Painted Finch and Mexican Canary 

 are also names which have been given to 

 this gaily colored bird of our southern 

 States. While it is a near relative of our 

 well-known indigo bunting or indigo 

 bird, it has a much more limited range. 

 It winters in Mexico and Central Amer- 

 ica and during the summer months passes 

 northward as far as North Carolina, 

 southern Illinois, and Kansas. The 

 plumage of the male Nonpareil is indeed 

 most brilliant, but, as Mr. Ridgway has 

 said, it can hardly be called beautiful for 

 "there is an entire lack of harmony in its 

 tints." He adds: 'The name Painted 

 Bunting is therefore peculiarly appropri- 

 ate, the juxtaposition of uncompliment- 

 ary colors — green, blue, and red — ■ 

 strongly suggesting the inartistic 'daub- 

 ing' of a juvenile would-be artist." The 

 female Nonpareil does not possess the 

 gaudily colored plumage of her mate. 

 She is a plain matron as befits the work 

 at their home which she alone performs. 

 Above, her feathers are bright olive- 

 green ; below, they are white, tinged with 

 a greenish yellow. Her wings and tail 

 are dusky and edged with olive-green. 



The natural habitat of the Nonpareil 

 is in the low woods in the vicinity of 

 large bodies of water and on the banks 

 of large streams. The males especially, 

 seldom appear in the open but remain 

 within the shadows of the foliage of 

 dense undergrowths. Frequently their 

 song is the only indication of their pres- 

 ence. "Their notes very much resemble 

 those of the indigo bird, but lack their 

 energy and are more feeble and concise." 

 Because of their song and the brilliancy 

 of their plumage, the Nonpareils are 

 greatly admired as pets. It is a common 



cage bird in many southern districts, and 

 especially in the homes of the French 

 inhabitants of New Orleans and its 

 vicinity. They seem to thrive and soon 

 become accustomed to captivity and will 

 sing very soon after being caught. 

 Because of their shyness it is difficult to 

 catch the adult birds alive. They are, 

 however, quite extensively trapped by 

 various methods. Audubon has described 

 one method : "A male bird, in full 

 plumage, is shot and stuffed in a defens- 

 ive attitude, and perched among some 

 grass seed, rice, or other food, on the 

 same platform as the trap-cage. This is 

 taken to the fields, or near the orangeries, 

 and placed in so open a situation that it 

 would be difficult for a living bird of any 

 species to fly over it without observing it. 

 The trap is set. A male Painted Finch 

 passes, perceives it, and dives towards 

 the stuffed bird, brings down the trap, 

 and is made a prisoner. In this man- 

 ner, thousands of these birds are caught 

 every spring; and so pertinacious are 

 they in their attacks, that even when the 

 trap has closed upon them, they continue 

 pecking at the feathers of the supposed 

 rival." 



In his "Bird Migration in the Missis- 

 sippi Valley," Mr. W. W. Cooke gives 

 the following excellent account of the 

 breeding habits of the Nonpareil from 

 the pen of Mr. H. F. Peters, of Benham, 

 Texas : "The Nonpareil is one of my 

 pets, and as I have five or six pairs breed- 

 ing in my yard every year, I have a good 

 opportunity to watch them. They arrive 

 here at Benham from the tenth to the 

 twentieth of April, the males coming 

 some ten days or more before the females. 

 The males spend their time playing and 



•.MM 



