220 
fully in Comanche County, southern Kansas (The Auk, Vol. II, 1885, 
p. 276). 
In the fall of 1884 the last male Nonpareil was seen at San Angelo, 
Tex., July 29, while a female and young were seen September 6. In 
1883 they were seen as late as September 14. 
In the spring of 1885 the first came to Houma, La., April1; San An- 
gelo, Tex., April 9; Bonham, Tex., April 17; and Gainesville, Tex., 
April 19. The following account of the breeding habits of the Nonpa- 
reil, from the pen of Mr. H. IF. Peters, of Bonham, Tex., will be interest- 
ing to Northern readers who are unacquainted with the bird: 
The Nonpareilis one of my pets, and asI have five or six pairs breeding in my yard 
every year I have a good opportunity to watch them. They arrive here at Bonham 
from the 10th to the 20th of April, the males coming scme ten days or more before the 
females. The males spend their time playing and frolicking until the arrival of the 
females, when the playing turns to courting and fighting. It is both interesting and 
amusing to watch the male trying to attract the attention of the female. He will hop 
down on the ground, spread his wings and tail, strut around and cut all sorts of 
capers. The first time I saw it done I thought be was wounded, and started towards 
him to pick him up, but soon learned my mistake. They are not very quarrelsome 
birds; and soon commence to pair. At this period the male is very attentive, but 
after nest building has commenced he is quite another bird. He helps to find the 
place to build, and appears to be very particular about it, but as soon as it is decided 
upon he retires from business. He never works; he is a little dude, too finely 
dressed to do any labor. I have frequently seen him sitting a few feet above the 
nest, singing unconcernedly, while his mate would be struggling with a yard or 
two of twine, or a piece of old rag to weave into the nest. I have never seen the 
male help in nest building, or in feeding the young while in the nest, but have. 
seen him feed the young after they were fledged. A cat caught « female when the 
young were nunfledged, and I watched ber mate to see if he would raise the young. 
He never fed them once. He let them die, and went off and found another mate who 
raised a family of young not more than 6 feet from the other nest. While the female 
is very gentle and tame, frequently coming to the door in search of material for the 
nest, and food for the young, the male is shy and keeps at a distance. When the 
young are full grown he troubles himself no more about them. The middle of August 
he leaves wife and family and goes south to his winter home, The female and young 
remain until the second week in October. 
602. Sporophila morelleti (Bonap.). [252.] Morellet’s Seed-eater. 
A tropical American bird, coming north to the Lower Rio Grande 
Valley in Texas, where it is not uncommon (Merrill; Sennett). 
604. Spiza americana (Gmel.). [254.] Dickcissel; Black-throated Bunting. 
A rather southerly species,. passing north to latitude 45° in the Mis- 
sissippi Valley, and wintering entirely south of the United States. Mr. 
J. A. Allen found a few in western Dakota, near latitude 47°, in the 
summer of 1873. It breeds abundantly in southeastern and western 
Minnesota and eastern and middle Kansas. J.C. Hvoslef writes June 
18, 1887, from Lanesboro, Minn., “ Spiza americana is now one of our 
most common birds.” In eastern Texas it breeds abundantly in all 
the prairie districts (Nelrling). In the spring of 1884 the first noted 
was seen at Gainesville, Tex., April 15. No more was heard of the 
