44 THE CONDOR VoL. VI Toxostoma lecontei. Leconte Thrasher. This wary bird we found to fully warrant the many stories we had beard of its extreme shyness.. Mr. Gilman, who has probably had as much experience with Leconte thrashers as any one, showed us where to find them, and how to secure specimens by running them down. The latter procedure I found rather discouraging myself, ' for I failed to get a single bird. But it was like watching a mimic battle to see Mr. Gilman charging across the country, dodging cactus clumps or jumping clear of them, as he could, every now and then haulting abruptly to aim and fire. His successs proved the correctness of his methods. Toxostoma crissale. Crissal Thrasher. Mr. Mailliard secured one specimen and saw another among the mesquites along the big ditch south of Palm Springs. In this same locality Mr. Gilman has found the species nesting. (CONDOR IV, p. .) This marks the westernmost limit of the bird's range. Hele0dytes b. c0uesi. Cactus Wren. Fairly common out on the desert; and also, as surprised me when I first found them, in 'Palm Canyon. In the latter lo- cality they made themselves at home among the drooping dead leaves beneath the green heads of the lofty palms. The birds could be plainly heard rattling about inside, but were difficult to drive out. Doubtless such palm-leaf bowers afforded insect food in plenty, as well as a well-protected retreat. The San Diego and can- yon wrens had taken similar advantage of the palms. The specimens of the cac- tus wren secured, when compared with numerous other skins from Arizona and the San Diegan district present no tangible differences. A fairly carefnl study of my material points towards the correctness of Mr. Swarth's conclusions (CoNr>OR VI, p. ) in regard to the absolute uniformity of the race as occurring in the southwestern states. Salpinctes 0bsoletus. Rock Wren. Uniformly common on the boulder- strewn mountain sides as well as among mammal burrows out on the level desert. Catherpes m. punctulatus. Dotted Canyon Wren. This unique songster was numerous about and within the buildings at Palm Springs. In the morning be- fore it was really bright daylight we were often aroused by these birds scratching about on the roof, sometimes coming into our rooms through' spaces under the eaves. In fact Mr. Mailliard chased one under the bed. But the birds refused to be cornered, for they were evidently familiar with every exit. Their hoarse notes resounded lonesomely through the house; and now and then burst forth the beau- tifully-modulated, descending series of notes which never fails to thrill one with delight. Aside from the immediate neighborhood of the Springs, we found the canyon wren only in Palm Canyon, where many were detected as they dodged in and out of crevices between huge granite slabs, or scurried about within the reversed tussocks of palm leaves. Thry0manes b. charienturus. San Diego Wren. Very'numerous in Palm Canyon; also fairly common in the mesquite brush along the big ditch. This form is here probably only a winter visitant from the San Jacinto region a short distance to the westward. Thry0manes b. erem0philus. Desert Bewick Wren. I secured a single bird, clearly referable to this form, on the desert four miles southeast of Palm Springs, December 30. It was a female in unworn plumage, and differed markedly from the San Diego wren. In fact when I first saw the bird I mistook it or a rock wren; for it was skipping from weed to weed and alighting on the ground much after the fashion of the last named bird. Its pale coloration and large size readily distinguish it from the San Diego wren. This was probably a winter visitant
