'?£^6 Stephens on Leconte's Thrasher, etc. [October 



^ush. I stopped to change cartridges and take off my hat and 

 game bag prepai'atory to creeping up on it. While doing so 

 another, probably its mate, came in sight in the bush, fluttering 

 around with the one first seen. They were only about a hundred 

 yards distant, but when I /got within range they were not in sight, 

 and I could find nothing more of them. They had vanished. 



Pursuing my way toward camp I saw a Cactus Wren fly from 

 her nest, which was found to contain four fresh eggs. As usual 

 it was in a cholla cactus, and in the centre of the cactus was an 

 old nest which I was too ill-humoi'ed to examine as closely as I 

 should, but I noticed its resemblance to the nest of Harporhyn- 

 chus redivivus^ and believe it to have been a nest of U. lecontei. 



A little further on I heard a low song, and standing still and 

 looking about me I saw H. lecontei number four sitting on a 

 low bush not far away. He 'observed me about the same time, and 

 went oft^ to another low bush; As he flew along I dropped 

 among the weeds, meaning to do my best to get him. I crept 

 along among weeds that wei'e not large enough to hide me, but 

 could get no better cover. I soon saw that he was watch- 

 ing me, and concluded that my game was up, but worked 

 along, flattened as close to the ground' as I could get, for several 

 yards, when 1 came to a wash a few feet wide and a foot or so 

 deep. I meant to try to reach and cross' it, and fire from the 

 opposite side, though it was long range. He M^atched me closely 

 until I got down in the wash, where I swung my gun around and 

 slowly raised it to fire, when I saw that he had absconded. I 

 didn't swear, oh, no ! You wouldn't either under such circum- 

 stances, would you.'' The 'confounded fool' had watched me 

 as long as he could see me, and when I hid in the wash he 

 evidently thought it was time for him to go. Perhaps he was 

 not such a fool after all. 



The morning of the 28th I left the camp, determined to get a 

 lecontei if there was any virtue in perseverance added to my 

 growing experience with this wary species. 1 found them foemen 

 worthy of my steel, or lead rather. On reaching the place where 

 I saw the first one, I saw him slipping through the brush, he hav- 

 ing seen me first. He vv^as again too much for me. as I was able 

 to keep him in sight for but a few yards. A mile or so farther 

 on I heard a call-note new to me, and carefully working toward 

 the sound I saw two more, one of which saw me about the same 



