32 



NORTH AMKRICAN IHRDS. 



Oreoscoptes montanus, Wwuh. 



SAOE THBASHER; HOTTKTAIN MOCKEB. 



Orphetis moiilnnim, TowNsr.xn, Jour. Aciul. Nat. Sci. I'liilii. VII, ii, 1837, 102. — Am. 

 Birds Aiiifr. II, 1841, 1!U, \A. ux.\xi.\. Tin-ilns mutilmnis, Ari). Oiii. Hiof,'. IV, 1838, 

 437, 111. iTclxix, lij;. 1. Miinus mon/diiKs, Uonat. ('oiisp. 18r>(l, 2"t!. (hmscdptf.s 

 monlHitim, Uaikd, Hinl.s N. .\iii(T. IS.'iS, 347; U«'V. Am. Ii. 1804, 42. — Sui.atei!, 

 r. Z. S. KSiV.t, 340. —III. ratal. LSUl, 8, no. 3(1. — C'ooi-Ki!, HiiiKs Cal. 1, 12. 



Sp. Char. First quill rather shorter than thu sixth. Tail .slij;htly {iradiiatiMl. Above 

 bro\viiish-a.>ih ; each feather obsoletely darker in the centre. Beneath dull white, thickly 

 marked with triiui^'iitar spot.s, excej)! on tiie under tail-eoverts and around the aims, whieli 

 rejrions are linj;ed with yellowi.sh-hrown. Winur-eoverts and (|\iilis edfjed with dull white. 

 Tail feathers lirown ; the outer edire<l, and all (exee])t, iierliap.s, the middle) tipped witli 

 white. I,enjrlh, S inches; win^', 4.8.'i ; tail. -I.OO ; tarsus, 1.21. 



y<iiiiii/. Similar, hut .spots lieneath less sharply defmed, and the upper parts quite 

 eonspicuou.sl}' streaked with <lusky. 



IIaii. Rocky Mountains of Uniteil States, west to raci(i<", south to Cape St. Lucas. 



The careful ohservatiniis of IVfr. Iioliert I!idj,nvay have led him to tlie con- 

 viction that the name bestowed upon this .' uecios of " ^loiintain Mocking- 

 liird " is doubly a mi.snomer. It i.s not at all imitative in its notes, and it is 



almost exclusively a resident of the ar- 

 temisia i)lains. It seems to be chiefly 

 confined to the great central plateau of 

 North America, from jMexico almost to 

 Washington Territory. Specimens have 

 been procured i'rom Cape St. Lucas, tiie 

 Lower Coh)rado, Mexico, and Texas, on 

 tlie south, and Xuttall met with it nearly 

 its far iiortii as W^alla- Walla. It ])roba- 

 bly occupies the whole extent of the 

 Great l?asin. 



Dr. Kenncrly, who met with it while 



crossing the ariil mmifi west of the l{io 



(Jrande, says tliat wliile singing it was 



usually ])erched u])on some busli or low tree. It was fretpiently seen 



s"eking its food upon the ground, and when approached, instead of flying 



away, it ran very ra])idly, and disa})]»eared among the low bushes. 



')uring tlie winter months it was ob,served near San Antonio, Texas, by 

 j\[r. Dresser; and was also found by him to lie common aliout Eagle I'a.ss. 

 He noticed the same peculiarity of their running insteail of t.ieir Hying 

 away when disturbed. Tiiey ]treferred tlie Hat, bush-covered plains. A few 

 remained to breed, as he obtained the eggs there, although he did not him- 

 self meet with one of the birds in summer. 



It is geiu'i'idly represented as keejjing chiefly on the grotnid, and obtaining 



Orioscnplfs montanus. 



