464 



NESTS AND EGGS OF 



as fifty feet in trees. A set of five eggs was taken from the hollow of a live oak in 

 May, 1886. The eggs &.re usually four or five, seldom six. The ground-color varies 

 from pale greenish-blue to dull buffy, marked with spots and blotches of yellowish- 

 brown, russet or chestnut. A great variation exists in the sizes. Specimens in a 

 large series measure as small as .87x.68, and as large as 1.05x.80. A common size is 

 .94X.71 inches. 



704. CATBIRD. Oaleoscoptes carolinensis (Linn.) Geog. Dist. — Eastern 

 United States and British Provinces, north to about 54° in the interior; west to and 

 including the Rocky Mountains. Winters in the Southern States, Cuba and Central 

 America to Panama. 



This well-known bird breeds throughout its range, nesting in bushes, low trees, 

 or clusters of vines, generally in retired places. It is seldom placed more than ten 

 feet above the ground. Thickets or orchards are its favorite haunts. The nest is 

 bulky and inartistic, made of dry leaves, twigs, dry grass, and lined with black 

 fibrous roots and grass. The eggs are usually four, frequently five, and rarely six. 

 They are plain, deep bluish-green; average size .95x.71. 



705. BEOWlf THRASHER. B arporliynclms rufus (Linn.) Geog. Dist. — East- 

 ern United States, west to the base of the . Rocky Mountains; north to Southern 



Maine, Ontario and Manitoba. Winters in 

 more Southern States, north to about 37°. 



The Brown Thrasher breeds in all suit- 

 able localities throughout its range, building 

 its nest in low bushes, or on stumps, in clus- 

 ters of wild vines and briers, in heaps of 

 biaish-wood, and often on the ground. It may 

 be frequently found nesting in the fruit trees 

 of quiet orchards, and in trees situated in un- 

 frequented places. When the nest is placed 

 on the ground where the soil is wet and 

 clayey the eggs become addled; three in- 

 stances of this kind have come under my no- 

 tice, and the eggs have failed to hatch. The 

 same observations have been made by a 

 number of my correspondents. The nests 

 are rather; flat, loosely and rudely constructed 

 of twigs, strips of bark, withered leaves, and 

 black, fibrous roots, lined with horse hair and 

 a few feathers. In some sections the Brown 

 Thrasher begins to build in the latter part of 

 April, but more generally in the first half of 

 May. The eggs are three or four, sometimes five in number. Their ground color 

 varies from white through pale-bufE to pale-greenish, and, very rarely, quite a 

 distinct green; the markings are minute specks of reddish-brown, thickly sprinkled 

 over the entire surface, frequently forming distinct wreaths near the larger ends. 

 The average size is 1.08x.80, with considerable variation. 



706. SENNETT'S THRASHER. Harporhynchus longirostris sennetti (Ridgw.) 

 Geog. Dist. — Lower Rio Grande Valley. 



Brown Thrasher (After Wilson ) 



