The Brown Thrush is jealous of the intrusion of other birds of its own species to a too close proximity to its nesting-place, and will assert its love of seclusion by stout battles. In Louisiana the construction of the nest is commenced quite early in March; in Pennsylvania, not until May; and in the New England States in the latter part of that month. The nest is usually not more than two or three feet from the ground. It is built in a low bush, on a cluster of briers or among vines. I have known it to be placed in the interior of a heap of brushwood loosely thrown together. I have never met with the nest built upon the ground, but in Springfield, and in other dry and sandy localities, this is by no means an uncommon occurrence. These nests are frequently placed in close proximity to houses, and sometimes in the very midst of villages. The nest of the Thrasher is large, and roughly but strongly built. The base is usually made of coarse twigs, sticks, and ends of branches, firmly interwoven. Within this is constructed an inner nest, composed of dried leaves, strips of bark, and strong black fibrous roots. These are lined with finer roots, horse-hair, an occasional feather, etc. The eggs are usually four, sometimes five, and rarely six, in number. They vary both in the tints of the ground color, in those of their markings, and slightly in their shape. Their length varies from .99 to 1.12 inches, with a mean of 1.05. Their breadth ranges from .76 to .87 of an inch; mean breadth, .81. The ground color is sometimes white, marked with fine reddish-brown dots, confluent at the larger end, or forming a broad ring around the crown. In others the markings have a yellowish-brown tint. Sometimes the ground color is a light green. Harporhynchus rufus, var. longirostris, CABAN. TEXAS THRASHER. _Orpheus longirostris_, LAFR. R. Z. 1838, 55.—IB. Mag. de Zool. 1839, Ois. pl. i. _Toxostoma longirostre_, CAB. Wiegm. Arch. 1847, I. 207. _Mimus longirostris_, SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1856, 294 (Cordova). _Harporhynchus longirostris_, CAB. Mus. Hein. 1850, 81.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 352, pl. lii.—IB. Rev. 44.—SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1859, 339; IB. 1864, 172 (City of Mex.); IB. Catal. 1861, 8, no. 47. SP. CHAR. Similar to _H. rufus_, the rufous of back much darker. Wings much rounded; second quill shorter than the secondaries. Exposed portion of the bill as long as the head; the lower edge decidedly decurved or concave. Above rather dark brownish-rufous; beneath pale rufous-white; streaked on the sides of the neck and body, and across the breast, with very dark brownish-black, nearly uniform throughout, much darker than in _rufus_. Two rather narrow white bands on the wings. The concealed portion of the quills dark brown. Length, 10.50; wing, 4.00; tail, 5.00; tarsus, 1.40. HAB. Eastern Mexico; north to Rio Grande, Texas. Cordova, SCL. Orizaba (temperate region), SUMICHRAST.