202 DENIZENS OF THE DESERT 



turning upside down on the branches. Evi- 

 dently they always have a great deal to talk 

 over among themselves about the adventures 

 of the day, for they are never still a minute. 

 I have known them to utter four different notes 

 in half as many minutes, each with its peculiar 

 variations and distinct individuality and doubt- 

 less the expression of strong emotional states. 



This afternoon, while walking under a large 

 palo verde tree, I found a gnatcatcher cleaning 

 mites from his feathered coat. Judged by his 

 motions, he had plenty of them. With a be- 

 wildering rapidity of movement, he spread his 

 wings outward and backward and brushed 

 them over the top of his tail, and then bill- 

 scratched his breast and underparts. Hardly 

 had he begun this before he was scratching his 

 neck and head parts with his feet. This billing 

 and scratching and brushing were kept up 

 fully fifteen minutes with scarcely a minute for 

 rest. So much occupied was his mind with his 

 task that he barely noticed my presence at all. 



It is always interesting to catch birds at 

 such odd times when they are doing little things 

 like this, for one then gets a peep into a side 



