THE LE CONTE THRASHER 193 



thrasher tearing like a fugitive from justice at 

 breakneck speed out of my sight. Almost 

 quicker than my eye could follow him he 

 dashed into a bush, and by the time I reached 

 the spot where I thought he was hidden I saw 

 him speeding a hundred yards away to get 

 under cover of another. Like the road-runner 

 he preferred running to flying and took wing 

 only when hard-pressed by his pursuer. Since 

 his color was so near that of the gray sands and 

 vegetation of his range, he slipped out of sight 

 with the greatest ease. It was a long time before 

 I saw him again. Nowhere is the Le Conte 

 thrasher plentiful, and I watched carefully 

 through many seasons before I really felt I 

 knew this wary bird. 



His shyness is of an exaggerated type. He 

 tries always by every possible means to avoid 

 you and with his powers of running and dodg- 

 ing he generally is successful. Collectors tell me 

 that he is one of the most difficult of all birds 

 to shoot and that the only way for the gunner 

 to get him is literally to shoot while on the run. 



Though rather rare birds, the Le Conte 

 thrashers are always about in greater numbers 



