220 



full}* in Comanche County, southern Kansas (The Auk. Vo^ II, 1885, 

 p. 27G). 



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., April 1 ; 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. F. Peters, of Bonham, Tex., will be interest- 

 ing to Northern readers who are unacquainted with the bird: 



The Nonpareil is one of ray pets, and as I 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 some 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 he 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 buildiug, or in feediug the young while in the nest, but have 

 seen him feed the young after they were fledged. A cat caught a female when the 

 young were unfledged, and I watched her mate to see if he would raise the young. 

 He never fed them once. He let them die, and went off and fouud 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.j. [252.] MorelleVs Seed-eater. 



A tropical American bird, coming north to the Lower Eio Grande 

 Valley in Texas, where it is not uncommon (Merrill; Sennett). 



604. Bpiza americana (Grael.). [254.] Diekcissel; 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. O. Hvoslef writes June 

 18, 1887, from Lranesboro, Minn., " Spiza americana is now one of our 

 most common birds." In eastern Texas it breeds abundantly in ail 

 the prairie districts (Kehrling). In the spring of 1884 the first noted 

 was seen at Gainesville, Tex. ? April 15. E"o more was heard of the 



