They also resemble that bird when part running and part flying along the ground. If they have a hundred feet or so to go, they usually run most of the distance; flying only when there are open spaces to cross. Open spaces they do not like. Small wings. Their wings look ridiculously small in comparison with the size of they the bird itself, and when they are near me, often preen and polish their feathers by drawing them individually through their bills, out pushing one wing at a time by using their feet, as many birds do. At such times their wings appear short and rounded. Behavior The female, in getting better acquainted with me, at first tried an exploratory peck or two at my hand to see what it was made of and, once or twice, took the end of a finger in her bill, gave a little pull, dropped it, then backed away looking up into my face to see how I was taking it. Humming birds, I have often noticed as one approaches them, are inclined to look at ones feet as the sophisticated pedestrian looks at the front wheels of an automobile in order to anticipate the driver's intentions; but these thrashers are like a dog and look into ones face as if trying to read ones mind. Playfulness They are quite playful, pull each other's tails without animus, play peek-a-boo on opposite sides of a tree trunk or hedge and run around with pieces of paper, leaves or twigs, even out of the nesting season. On the edge of the oval lawn nearest the bushes I have to lay coarse wire screen to keep the Gambel (Nuttall) sparrows from pulling up the grass in the winter. Although the screen lies close to the ground, the thrashers occasionally crawl under it, seemingly only in the spirit of adventure, as the space is so limited that they can not use their bills and have to flatten themselves out like moles. If one sees the other under there the temptation for the outsider to have some fun at the expense of the insider is often too great to be resisted, and he will walk on top of him and peck him--not too hard-- until he squeaks and crawls out; but that ends it and there seem to