PALMER'S THRASHER 397 



repair as it requires, for the rearing of young in the breeding season, 

 and for sleeping quarters the rest of the year." It will be noted that 

 his roosting observations were made in January, that no signs of court- 

 ship were seen until February 14, and that nest-repairing did not 

 begin until 2 days later. 



Additional evidence on this method of roosting is furnished by 

 Josiah H. Clark (1898), who says: "In one instance I saw a series of 

 five half completed nests built around the central stalk of a cholla 

 cactus and resting on the branches that grew out from the main stalk ; 

 they were all connected, and made a platform 2 feet in diameter, and 

 only about a foot and a half from the ground. It was built during the 

 winter and used only for a roosting place. The nest that was used as 

 a breeding place was built 5 feet away in the top of a small cholla." 



Voice. — As a singer Palmer's thrasher is somewhat inferior to 

 Bendire's and decidedly inferior to the mockingbird and even the 

 brown thrasher. Mr. Stafford ( 1912) writes : "The song of this species 

 suggests that of the eastern Thrasher, but lacks its variety and separa- 

 tion into distinct phrases, and is more in the nature of a loud, inter- 

 rupted carol, clear, and melodious. Its two or three note call is sharp 

 and startling, like the 'sing' of a whip stroke echoing upon itself. 

 These, together with low trills and Wren-like chatters, uttered at times 

 when the birds are together, were the only notes I heard ; and the song 

 is not to be confused with the feverish, rollicking music of the Ben- 

 dire's {Toxostoma hendirei) — a bird nearly as common in this region 

 as palmeriy 



Mr. Brown (1892) says : "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. Morn- 

 ing, noon and evening, perched on the topmost branch of a cholla, he 

 is always in tune, and while his notes may perhaps be less varied than 

 his more favored kinsman, it is none the less bold and commanding, 

 and but for the ubiquity of his rival in song would be in demand as a 

 cage bird." 



Mrs. Bailey (1923) writes: "The three-syllabled liquid tee-dle-lah 

 was heard commonly all winter and the loud strident call occasionally, 

 and on the morning of January 12, while the ground was still covered 

 with white frost, a soft low song was heard coming from one of the 

 birds sitting fluffed up in the cold. The song was heard again on 

 January 19 and February 3, and on March 4, one was heard singing 

 loudly from the peak of a tent at Continental." 



Field marks. — Palmer's thrasher might easily be confused with 

 Bendire's ; both have the typical thrasher build, long and slender, with 

 a particularly long tail, and a rather long bill ; both are dull, earthy 

 brown on the upper surface, matching the desert floor, and faintly 

 spotted on the breast; there are no conspicuous, distinguishing marks 



