514 Birds of Colorado 



12th (Henderson), while on the western slope it was taken by W. C. 

 Ferril at Grand Junction, May 17th (Smith). The only definite breed- 

 ing record is that of Nash, who found a nest containing two young 

 and a Cow-bird, near Pueblo, June 22nd (Cooke). Cary found it fairly 

 common in the McElmo canon in June, and along the Dolores River 

 in July. 



Habits. — ^The Gnatcatchers are active and highly- 

 strung little birds, always on the move, cocking up their 

 tails and twisting their heads about ; they have their 

 home chiefly among shrubby bushes on the hill-sides or 

 among mesquite or other cover on the plains ; they feed 

 on small insects, which they catch on the wing, darting 

 from a fixed perch like a Flycatcher. 



The nest is cup-shaped, made of shreds of bark, lined 

 with finer shreds and feathers, and is generally placed 

 in a bush a few feet from the ground. The eggs are 

 marked wdth reddish-brown and purplish, most heavily 

 round the larger end. 



Family TURDIDiE. 

 This family comprises the Thrushes, a large family 

 of birds, especially distinguished by the spotted plumage 

 of the young birds. Other special features are — bill 

 slender, more or less straight, nostril never concealed 

 by bristles ; wing with ten primaries, the outer one 

 spurious or quite short ; tail always shorter than the 

 wing, generally considerably so ; tarsus booted, i.e. 

 covered in front with one long shield. 



Key of the Genera.* 



A. Tail long, nearly equal to the wing and double rounded ; plumage 



grey with a double wing-bar. Myadestes, p. 515. 



B. Tail always distinctly shorter than the wing. 



a. Plimaage chiefly blue. Sialia, p. 526. 



b. No blue in plixmage. 



* Betts ("Auk," 1910, p. 218) has recently recorded the Varied Thrush (Txoreus 

 fimviiM ) from Colorado. He states that he saw but did not obtain a single example 

 on December 5th, 1909, at Gregory Cahon, near Boulder. 



