1 84 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



This Thrasher seems to have more to say than 

 any other member of his notably loquacious and 

 voluble family. " Perched on top of the highest 

 bush in sight," says Mrs. Bailey, " he shouts out 

 kick-it-noiv. kick-it-nozv, shut-up. shut-iip, dor-o- 

 tliy, dor-o-thy, and then with a rapid change of 

 mood, drawls out, 'a'lioa-no7<<. i^'lioa-uo^v'." 



Earlier ornithologists did not credit this 

 Thrasher with any imitative faculty, and some 

 went so far as to declare flatly that the bird 

 never reproduced any other bird's note. But 

 John J. Williams is of another mind ; for he 

 identifies in the Thrasher's medley the notes of 

 the California Jay, the Valley Quail, the Slender- 

 billed Nuthatch, the Red-shafted Flicker, the 

 ^^'estern Robin and the Wren-Tit, who is often 

 tricked into answering the imitation. The entire 

 performance, moreover, suggests the utmost good 

 nature, as if the singer was enjoying intensely 

 his own efforts. 



His long, slender and decurved bill this bird 

 puts to good use, for he emplovs it verv dexter- 

 ously in clearing away leaves and loose grass in 



order to get at the bare earth, instead of scratch- 

 ing with his feet, as do the Sparrows and Che- 

 winks. Once the earth is cleared, the Thrasher 

 probes into it to the full length of his bill, after 

 the manner of the Woodcock. He is likely to 

 make two or three of these holes in succession, 

 and then watch each one and snap up any 

 insect which comes to the surface through these 

 shafts. 



In the defense of their nest a pair of these 

 Thrashers are likely to act very much as do the 

 Brown Thrashers, of the eastern States. That 

 is, they show the same anger and boldness which 

 the eastern bird displays, even to the extent of 

 dashing up to the intruder and striking at him 

 with their bills. In fact, in these attacks the 

 western bird is the more dangerous of the two. 

 because he is more skillful in the use of his 

 long and almost needle-pointed bill, with which 

 he could easily destroy the sight of an eye, or 

 even inflict an ugly flesh wound on the face, 

 either or both of which injuries the birds 

 undoubtedly are entirely willing to inflict. 



LECONTES THRASHER 

 Toxostoma lecontei lecontei Laicrcnce 



A. O. U. Numbe 



General Description. — Lengtli, ii'.. inches. Upper 

 parts, grayish-brown ; under parts, dull white and 

 buflfy-grayish. Bill, about length of head, curved down- 

 ward at the end ; wings, rather short and rounded : 

 tail, decidedly longer than wing and rounded. 



Color. — Above, plain pale grayish-byown, the pri- 

 maries edged with still paler; tniddle tail-feathers, 

 slightly darker grayish-brown; other tail-feathers, deep 

 grayish-brown, the e.xterior ones broadly tipped with 

 pale grayish-brown ; sides of head, pale grayish-brown, 

 narrowly streaked with whitish and dusky ; cheeks 

 whitish, transversely mottled or barred with dusky ; 

 chin, throat, breast, and upper abdomen, dull white, 

 margined laterally by a streak of dusky below the 

 cheeks : rest of under parts, very pale buffy-grayish, 

 passinii into deep huff on hinder flanks, anal reiiion. 



and under tail-eoverts. the lower abdomen and front 

 flanks tinged with buff; bill, blackish; iris, reddish- 

 brown. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest ; Usually built in the 

 center of a choUa cactus or mesquite bush ; a remark- 

 able, bulky, loose, and deep affair, easily detected from a 

 considerable distance; composed of thorny twigs, dried 

 weeds and stems and grasses, lined with finer material 

 and feathers. Eggs : 2 to 4, pale greenish-blue, 

 minutely but sparsely spotted with shades of reddish or 

 yellowish-brown and lavender. 



Distribution. — Deserts of southwestern Utah (west 

 of Beaverdam Mountains), southern Nevada (Vegas. 

 Pahrump. and Indian Spring valleys), southern Cali- 

 fornia and Arizona south to San Felipe Bay. Lower 

 California, and Cape Lobos, Sonora. 



It is a pity that this fine bird does not select a 

 habitat more habitable for man, who, in order 

 to hear its beautiful song and observe its inter- 

 esting ways, must go to the Gehenna-like deserts 

 of the Southwest, where the temperature is often 

 120° in the shade — with no shade. One may 

 easily believe that the rather bleached appearance 



of this Thrasher's plumage may be due to the 

 savage heat, which, however, seems to have little 

 effect tipon the bird's disposition. To be sure, 

 for two or three hours during the middle of the 

 day, when the heat is at its worst, the bird is 

 likely to be silent and to lurk in such cover as 

 there is ; but even when the sun is making con- 



