THE OOLOGIST 



75 



For a bird so suspicious and wary they 

 are wouderfiiUy bold at times iu buildiujjj 

 nests and rearing young. In my Notes oC 

 1877 I mentioned a nest with four eggs ta- 

 ken from an outhouse in the center of a vil- 

 lage. At Somita Kanche, close by a large 

 and much frequented gateway, I took a nest 

 and four eggs in April of the following sea- 

 son. On May 20th 1 took a nest and three 

 fresh eggs, which I discovered some four- 

 teen feet high in a lai'ge ebony tree close 

 by the pathway on the edge of a coi-nlield. 

 These were the highest nests found, and in 

 both instances the birds wei'e as tame as 

 our Robins, and were watched for several 

 days before taking their treasures. Nests 

 are seldom found lower than four feet from 

 the ground. 



On the last of May, the last nest I ex- 

 amined before leaving the ranche was a 

 very bulky one of this species in a small 

 tree close by the house. It was situated on 

 the lowest branch and close to tlie body of 

 the tree, entirely exposed to view and while 

 standing on a chair I examined the inte- 

 rior. It was just completed and ready for 

 the eggs but I did not disturb it. I saw 

 the pair construct the nest on the very same 

 place, where, a number of days before, I 

 had destroyed the nest of a Mocking-bird 

 after its young had departed. The last nest 

 was much larger than the first, and com- 

 posed, quite similarly, of thorny twigs, 

 and lined with a few grasses. I'his tame- 

 ucss is exceptional, but indicates that, were 

 the country thickly settled, this bird might 

 become as domestic as the Mocking-bird 

 or Robin. 



It is resident where found, commences 

 to breed in March on the Rio Grande, and 

 rears several broods in a season. The first 

 brood is hatched in April and generally 

 numbers four. By the middle or latter 

 part of May clutches for the second brood 

 arc full and consist nearly always of throe 



The eggs vary in shape from oblong oval 

 to almost pyriform ; the ends ai"e round- 

 pointed and the greatest diameter nearer 

 one end. The color is pea-green and cov- 



ered more or less over the entire surface 

 with fine brown dots. Of the great series 

 of eggs taken by me only one set was com- 

 paratively free from spots. A set of over- 

 sized eggs taken May 24th average 1.25 by 

 .83. The general average is 1.12 by .79. 

 The shell is strong enough imless incuba- 

 tion is well advanced, iu which case it be- 

 comes so tender that it is almost impossible 

 to save a fair specimen. The color becomes 

 dull and faded when long sat upon, so that 

 their condition can generally be told with- 

 out haudlinjf. 



(FIG. 3.) 



Nest and Eggs of the Texas 



Thrasher ( Harporhynchus 



rufus van longirostris.) 



rpmS species is a rather conmion resident 

 of lower Texas, and is seen most fre- 

 quently in the scrubby and overgrown coun- 

 try, the thickets being its usual haunts. In 

 its usual habits, it seems to be the counter- 

 part of the Brown Thrasher, although, ac- 

 cording to eminent authorities, it builds its 

 nest higher, while the eggs are somewhat 

 different. Dr. Merrill says that the nest 

 is a well built, substantial aflfair, resembling 

 that of the typical rufus. Mr. Sennett, hav- 

 ing found and examined several nests, states 

 that they are composed of stems and sticks, 

 and lined with grasses, Spanish moss, bark 

 or fine roots. 'I'he depth is from one to 

 two and one-half inches. " Of those taken, 

 the lowest was four feet from the ground 

 and the highest some eight feet, averaging. 

 I think, five and one-half feet. I found their 

 nests in a variety of places — j)rickly-pear 

 cactus, Spanish bayonet, chaparral, and 

 most commonly in the dense undergrowth 

 under the heavier timber. I saw no nest 

 of this bird iu an exposed position ' above 

 the upper branches.' Its usual position is 

 in the very heart of the tree or plant select- 

 ed, and, like most of the nests of this re- 

 gion, not capable of being detached from 

 the thorny bushes without falling to pieces." 



