$ git diff xdg-email
diff --git a/scripts/xdg-email b/scripts/xdg-email
index 6ead033..3a22152 100755
--- a/scripts/xdg-email
+++ b/scripts/xdg-email
@@ -500,8 +500,26 @@ open_gnome()
 
 open_xfce()
 {
-    DEBUG 1 "Running exo-open \"$1\""
-    exo-open "$1"
+    DEBUG 5 "open_xfce - Trying to use Thunderbird to send message" 
+    local client
+    client=`gconftool-2 --get /desktop/gnome/url-handlers/mailto/command | cut -d ' ' -f 1` || ""
+    echo $client | grep thunderbird > /dev/null 2>&1
+    if [ $? -eq 0 ] ; then
+        DEBUG 5 "open_xfce - Running Thunderbird (${client})"
+        run_thunderbird "$client" "$1"
+        # No need to handle sucess or failure - run_thunderbird
+        # sub-routine terminates script.
+    fi    
+    DEBUG 5 "open_xfce - FAILED to use Thunderbird to send message" 
+
+    # We only reach this point if we have failed to start Thunderbird.
+    # The exo-open utility does not appear to support opening a
+    # message window.
+    # The exo-open utility does not support the "mailto:" URL.
+    param=`echo $1 | sed 's/mailto\:/MailReader/'`
+    DEBUG 5 "open_xcfe - Falling back to  exo-open  \"${param}\""
+    # exo-open --launch "${param}"
+    exo-open --launch ${param}
 
     if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
         exit_success
$