130 BIRDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA 
patches and outer tail feathers white. The Western is dis- 
tinguished from the Southern Mocker by a brownish tinge below 
and larger white wing patches. The Mocking Birds have no 
equal as singers, and it is hoped that by kind treatment they 
may become regular summer residents of our State. 
704. Catsirp (Dumetella carolinensis.) 
This slate colored bird is familiar everywhere in South 
Dakota. It is named from its catlike danger note, and, like the 
Brown Thrasher, is a lover of thorns and thickets. It is the 
nearest relative of the Mocking Bird. While the Catbird is 
known better for its catcall than for its song, it is really a fine 
singer, and has been pronounced our most accurate songster by 
musically trained bird students. Being a mocker, its song is 
a medley of other birds’ notes, which often deceives the unmusi- 
cal bird lover. One will sometimes come upon the male in a 
deep thicket practicing his song in an undertone with closed 
eyes. The finest song one of the authors ever heard from this 
mocker was given from the midst of a low bush in a pouring 
rain. 
705. Brown THRASHER (Toxostoma rufum.) 
The Brown Thrasher is a familiar summer resident in 
every part of the State. It is a bird of the underbrush, the 
plum thicket, the brushpile, and the thistle-bestrewn pasture. Its 
tail is noticeably long—about as long as its rusty body. Al- 
though they are quite in keeping with the thorny places which 
the bird loves, its yellow eyes, skulking manner, and threatening, 
hissing notes, make the impression on one that the bird is un- 
warrantably concealing something. But the impression is 
wholly inconsistent with the bird’s character, which is in every 
way excellent. Its real nature flows forth in its song, which is 
sung from the highest tree tops, and is a musical performance 
of real merit, which often continues intermittently for half an 
hour. 
FAMILY TROGLODYTIDA. WRENS 
715. Rock WrReN (Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus.) 
A common summer resident in South Dakota from the 
