BIEDS OF THE PAP AGO SAGUARO NATIONAL MONUMENT. 29 



The Palmer thrasher is a ground dweller, nesting, as described, in 

 low bushes, and ascending to greater heights only when the top of 

 some cholla or mesquite is resorted to as a vantage point for the de- 

 livery of his song. A cousin of the mockingbird, he is no disgrace 

 to the family, but a singer whose performances add distinctly to the 

 attractions of the desert he inhabits. In feeding he remains mostly 

 upon the ground, utilizing his stout, curved bill for digging out bur- 

 rowing insects or buried seeds. Of recent years this latter habit has 

 brought the thrasher into disrepute in some quarters, for he has in- 

 vaded the gardens of farms or suburban residences, and, it is as- 

 serted, does no little harm therein. 



CACTUS WREN. 

 Heleodytcs brunneicapilhis couesi (Sharpe). 



Recognition marks. The largest of the North American wrens; 

 about 8 inches in length. Thrasher-like in appearance and actions. 

 Coloration brownish, obscurely streaked above, spotted on lower 

 parts. The spots on the breast coalesce, forming a more or less 

 " solid " black patch, a marking that is better defined in freshly 

 molted autumn birds than in those in worn summer plumage. The 

 outer tail feathers are spotted with white on the outer edge; the 

 others (except the middle pair) are white tipped. The effect of 

 these tail markings, when the bird takes flight, is to give the spread 

 tail (rounded in shape) a narrow edging of white, a marking that 

 will serve to distinguish the cactus wren from any of the Arizona 

 thrashers (except the sage thrasher, found here in winter only), the 

 birds it most nearly resembles and with which it is most often 

 associated. 



Occurrence. Wherever the cholla cactus grows some of the plants 

 are sure to be decorated with the large, globular nests of the cactus 

 wren. There is no need for concealment in such shelter, and the 

 structures are conspicuous amid the branching arms of the cactus, 

 visible from afar, but not always easy of access. From a distance 

 there is a general resemblance to the nest of the Palmer thrasher, 

 so frequently placed in the same plant, in that both birds accumu- 

 late large masses of material. The thrasher's nest is open, however, 

 while the cactus wren's is always covered. It is usually somewhat 

 elongated rather than round, placed on its side, with a relatively 

 small entrance pointing obliquely downward. In making any exam- 

 ination of the nest it is well to insert the hand gently, for there is 

 a reasonable certainty that cactus thorns extend into the cavity at 

 some points. The eggs, usually from three to six in number, are 

 salmon color, obscurely speckled with dusky; there is some varia- 

 tion in the shade of ground color and in the density of the mark- 



