244 Habits of Palmer s Thrasher. [zoe 



ently as domestic as the chickens with which it freely associated. 

 Occasionally it would become too obtrusive and draw upon itself 

 the belligerent attention of its more powerful companions, but when 

 struck at, like the proverbial fiea, it was never there. A dozen 

 times an hour, and off and on I watched it for nearly half a day. 

 I expected to see it killed, but its remarkable quickness always 

 stood its friend. One pestiferous old hen would run up to within 

 striking distance, then slowly crane her neck in the direction of the 

 impudent little intruder, which also as suddenly assumed a like posi- 

 tion, and for a moment they would stand defiantly eyeing each 

 other, when, almost too quick to be seen, the hen would deliver her 

 blow, but only to find the enemy two feet away with its head cocked 

 first on one side and then on the other, apparently enjoying the 

 dangerous sport. It answered readily to the name of Dick, and 

 was particularly fond of a mixture of chili and corn meal, and when 

 its attention was called to a cup containing some, it would be up in 

 an instant, and if the vessel was covered with the hand would at- 

 tempt to force its mandibles between the fingers. Failing in this, 

 it would watch eagerly for any opening it could take advantage of. 

 It had a penchant for digging holes in the ground; the harder the 

 earth the greater its apparent delight. This odd feature, however, 

 is common to the palmeri family at all seasons of the year, but more 

 particularly, I think, while breeding. They press their tails firmly 

 against the ground, after the matter of the woodpecker; if the earth 

 be dry and sandy, a perfect fusilade ol dirt is kept up. The force 

 of the blow is downward and towards the body, but occasionally to 

 clean the sand out they strike several sideward blows, and dirt flies 

 for a foot in all directions. In the early spring they are commonly 

 seen with a hard lump about the size of a pea, attached firmly un- 

 derneath the point of the lower mandible, and as the lump is of 

 adobe, which at times is found a considerable distance from their 

 resting places, it is evident that this digging is done for a purpose. 

 During the winter months they leave the mesas for the more shelt- 

 ered bottoms where they frequent the brush fences, pomgranate 

 and willow hedge rows bordering the ploughed fields, and then, 

 literally, they are in mud to their eyes. 



Palmer's thrasher may never be classed as a musical prodigy, but 

 nevertheless among Arizona birds he is rivalled only by that king 

 of American songsters, Mimus polyglottos. Morning, noon and 



