DESERT THRASHER 419 



and California east of the coastal mountains (Julian, Banning, Buena 

 Vista, Lake McKittrick, and Coalinga). 



The entire species as outlined is divided into two subspecies. Le- 

 Conte's thrasher {T. I. lecontei) is found in the United States, Sonora, 

 and northeastern Baja California ; the desert thrasher {T. I. arenicola) 

 is found in central western Baja California. 



Egg dates. — Arizona: 9 records, February 21 to June 24. 



California : 124 records, January 22 to June 11 ; 41 records, March 

 18 to April 11 ; 30 records, February 10 to 28. 



TOXOSTOMA LECONTEI ARENICOLA (Anthony) 



DESERT THRASHER 



Plate 84 



HABITS 



A. W. Anthony (1897) described this race from a series of 16 

 specimens collected at Rosalia Bay, Baja California. He gives its 

 subspecific characters as "differing from H. lecontei in upper parts 

 being darker and grayer, tail blacker and breast gray, tail 

 shorter ( ? ) ." He sent a specimen to Mr. Ridgway, who wrote to 

 him: "A specimen of the same sex of H. lecontei from the Mojave 

 River, California, has a shorter wing and very much longer tail than 

 your bird." 



The range of the subspecies, as given in the 1931 Check-list, includes 

 the Pacific coast strip between latitudes 26° and 29°. 



Mr. Anthony (1897) writes of its haunts and habits: "The region 

 immediately back from the beach at Rosalia and Playa Maria Bays 

 is a series of wind-swept sand dunes, with scarcely any vegetation. A 

 few hardy shrubs and yuccas struggle for existence and afford shel- 

 ter for quite a number of Thrashers. A series of 16 was secured 

 with little effort, though the present race well maintains the reputa- 

 tion of the species for shyness. On several occasions they were 

 seen on the beach, and a few were found inland, where H. cinereus 

 mearnsi was more common. They were nowhere so plenty as in the 

 sand dunes near the surf. Nests were found in the thickest shrubs, 

 that were probably the present race, proving that they are resident." 



Grifiuig Bancroft (1930) gives us a somewhat similar impression 

 of the bird in its haunts, as follows : 



There comes a break in the topography of the country where the cactus and 

 other typically desert associations give way to low sand dunes and thornless 

 vegetation. A marginal strip of irregular width, nowhere exceeding a few 

 miles, reflects the direct influences of the ocean. This littoral is the home of 

 the so-called Desert Thrasher. A better understanding of its habitat may be 

 had by appreciating how misleading is its customary name. T. I. lecontei is 

 the desert dweller of the species. The "Desert" Thrasher does not wander at 

 all into what we conceive to be the desert. 



