TrRDID.E — THE TllUrsiIES. ;.}() 



])lace(l in tlio interior of a lioap of hnisliwooil Ikisi'Iv tlirowii to^ctlicr. 1 

 have never luot -witli the nest luiilt n\)i)U the urouml, luit in S])ringli(!hl, and 

 in otlier dry and sandy h)ealities, this is liy no means an nneonunon (n'cnr- 

 rence. These nests are IViMjnently ])laeed in ehise in'oxiniity to honses, and 

 sometimes in the very midst of villa,m's. 



The nest of the Tiirasher is hir^f, and ron.;ldy l)nt stroiijfly linilt. Tlie 

 base is usnally made of coarse twigs, sticks, and ends of hianciies, fn'iniy 

 interwoven. Within this is constrn'''ed an inni'r nest, com])osed of (hied 

 leaves, sti'ips of bark, and strong l)hu'k tibrons roots. Tlie.se arc lined 

 with liner roots, horse-hair, an occasional leather, etc. 



The eggs are usnally four, sometimes live, and rarely six, in mnnber. Tlu'y 

 varv both in the lints of the ground color, in those of their markings, and 

 slightly in their shape. Their length varies from .'.lU to 1.12 inches, with a 

 mean of !.(•."). Their breadth I'anges from .7(i to .>S7 of an inch ; mean 

 breadtii, .SI. The ground color is sometimes white, marked with tine reddish- 

 brown dots, conllncnt at (lie larger end, or forniing a broail ring aroiuid the 

 crown. In others the markings have a yellowish-brown lint. Sometimes the 

 ground color is a light green. 



t^ 



Harporhynchus rufus, \ar longirostris, (a can. 



TEXAS THBASHES. 



Orp/ini.i !(>ii;iiniK/n\ li.VFli. If. Z. ISliS, 5;"!. - In. Mii;,'. dc .'Cool. 18:W, OU. |)1. i. Tn.vm- 

 toiiiii fi)iiiiirii.iiiY, ('.Ml. Wicfjiii. Anil. 1S47, i. '2i'7. Miiinin Ittiiiili-iislri^, .Sci.ati i;, 

 1'. /. S. l>"i(i, -Jilt (Conlovii). J/iir/iiir/iiiiii-/iii.i /nmiirDs/rix, Cam. Miis. liriii. IS.lii, ,s|. 

 — liAiiiii, liinls N. Am. 1S,'.,h, li.VJ, |il. lii. In. licv. 41. -ScL.viKli, 1'. Z. S. lS,"i!i, 

 ;imt ; 111. l^tit, 17i; (Cily of M<x.); 111. Calal. ISlll, >S, no. 17. 



."^r. ("llAii. Siniil:ir In //, nifnx. tlir nilims cif lini'k iniirli il:irl<i'|-. \Viiii;s iiiiicll I'oiinilrd ; 

 .M'CDiiii iiiiill .■chillier lliiiii llii^ .■iccdiidiirics. KNposcd |ii)i-li(ii, (if the hill as loiij.' a.-; Ilir lirad ; 

 llic lower I'cl^'c dci'idcdly dci'invi'd or I'oiiravc. .Miove rallicr ilaik lirowiiisli-riil'oiis ; 

 liciu'alli pall' riil'niis-w liilc ; sirt'akrd on llio .■iidcs oC Iho iii'ck and Imdv. and across llic 

 lirc'asi, with vorv dark lirowiiisli-liiai'k, licai'lv iiiiiloriii lliili.lijlioiil, linicli darker (iiaii in 

 rn/'ii.t. Two rather narrow while hands on the win;''. Tlie eoiieealed jiortion of the 

 ipiiil.-i dark hrowii. beiii^tli, 1(1. ."lO; win^r. I.""; tail, .Mill; larsns, 1 lit. 



Mail Eastern Mexico; norlli to IJio (irancle, Texa.s. Cordova, Sei,. Ori/aha (leiii- 

 perale re|.'i<in), .'^imiciiua.st. 



Specimens from the Ii'ioCrande to Mirador and ( )rizaba are tpn'to identical, 

 with, of course, dilferences among individuals. 'I'his "species" is not, in 

 our oi»inion, separable from the //. rii/nn specilically: Imt is a race, repre- 

 senting the latter in 'he region given above, where the rn/ns itself is never 

 found. The relations of tlies(^ two forms are exactly paralleled in tlii^ Thri/a- 

 //iiirns iKihirlriinnis and 7'. In r/itiidiirl. the latter being nothing more than 

 the darker Southern representation of the former. 



The Texas Thrasher apjiears to behmg only to the Avifauna of the South- 



