NESTS AND OTHER MATTERS 



WITH the first of April approaching, the life of 

 Arizona birds takes on a busier complexion. The 

 idle season is over ; now there are nests to be 

 built (no small undertaking, in itself, as a man 

 may easily find out by setting himself to build 

 one), and a family to be watched over and de- 

 fended. Now the human visitor begins to under- 

 stand what cactuses were made for. As he walks 

 among the whitish-green chollas, giving them 

 elbow-room, he has only to glance to right and 

 left to see what a considerable proportion of them 

 are inhabited ; this one by a pair of thrashers, 

 the other by a pair of cactus wrens. In neither 

 case is there any serious attempt at concealment ; 

 partly because the attempt would be useless ; 

 partly, we may guess, because concealment is 

 unnecessary. If your safe is burglar proof, why 

 be at the trouble to hide it? Neither squirrel 

 nor snake is likely to climb a cholla cactus, and 

 even a man knows enough to approach it with 

 caution. 



Of the two species of thrasher that live in the 

 desert the larger one, known as Palmer's, seems 



