PLATEAU THRASHER 399 



The nests of both birds are the same, made of thorny twigs ; in fact, nothing 

 grows there without thorns on it, so they can get nothing else. These sticks 

 are 6 to 10 inches long, and formi the outside of the nest, which is lined with 

 wire grasses ; sometimes horse hair is used in place of the grass, or with it. 

 The nests are externally about 10 inches in diameter and 8 inches deep; in- 

 ternally about 3% inches, both in diameter and depth. * * * 



The new nest of both birds is generally near the old one, usually in the same 

 cactus, and sometimes the old nest made over. 



Sometimes the nest is completed 2 or 3 weeks before the eggs are laid. 

 Then again, if the nest and eggs are taken the birds will have another nest 

 and eggs in from 12 to 15 days, and the new nest is usually about 50 feet from 

 the one taken, but if the first nest is not disturbed the nc'w nest will usually 

 be about 5 feet from the old one. 



Of 58 nests of this thrasher, "40 were in cholla cactus, 16 in nopalo 

 cactus, and 2 in pahna trees." 



Eggs. — Three eggs seems to be the usual number ; of 10 sets, of which 

 he gives the measurements, 8 were sets of three, 1 of two, and 1 of four. 

 The eggs are apparently indistinguishable from those of Palmer's 

 thrasher, showing similar variations in colors and markings. The 

 measurements of 50 eggs in the United States National Museum aver- 

 age 27.3 by 19.8 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes meas- 

 ure 30.8 by 20.8, 28.2 by 20.8, 23.4 by 18.8, and 24.4 by 18.0 millimeters. 



Plumages. — ^Van Tyne and Sutton (1937) report that the natal down 

 on a young nestling, taken from a nest, "was Chaetura Drab above and 

 whitish on the chin and ventral tracts, the lining of the mouth was 

 Yellow Ocher." The sequence of molts and plumages is doubtless 

 similar to those of the species elsewhere, though the postnuptial molt 

 of adults seems to come somewhat later, mainly in September and early 

 in October. 



Nothing that is peculiar to it seems to have been published on the 

 food of this subspecies, and apparently it does not differ materially in 

 any of its habits from other races of the species. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southwestern United States and Mexico. 



The species ranges north to central Arizona (Hackberry, Big Sandy 

 Creek, Fort Verde, Salt Kiver Wildlife Eefuge, and Clifton) ; south- 

 ern New Mexico (Pleasanton, Elmendorf, Capitan Mountains, and 

 Carlsbad) ; and southern Texas (Comstock, Uvalde, San Antonio, and 

 Runge). East to southern Texas (Runge, Corpus Christi, and 

 Brownsville) ; Tamaulipas (Matamoros, Xicotencatl, and Tampico) ; 

 Veracruz (Orizaba); Puebla (Techuacan) ; and Oaxaca (Oaxaca). 

 South to Oaxaca. West to Oaxaca; Guerrero (Chilpancingo) ; 

 Michoacan (Tancitaro) ; Jalisco (Tuxpan) ; Nayarit (Tepic) ; Sinaloa 

 (Escuinapa and Altata) ; Sonora (Obregon, Guaymas, Tiburon Island, 



