WESTERN BIRDS Wren 



upper parts are finely streaked with black and white 

 spots; the rump is a light brown. The most distinctive 

 thing about the bird is its tail, the middle feathers of 

 which are brown barred with black; the rest of the 

 feathers are tipped with a broad cinnamon-buff band 

 which margins a black band which shows conspicuously 

 when spread. The outer pair of feathers are also barred 

 in black and cinnamon-buff. In the young birds the 

 upper parts are rusty gray; under parts whitish but be- 

 coming brownish on flanks and under tail coverts. 



Dawson says of this bird's song that it is one of the 

 sprightliest, most musical, and resonant to be heard in 

 the entire west. The rock wall makes an admirable 

 sounding board, and the bird stops midway of whatever 

 task to sing a hymn of wildest exultation. Whittier, 

 whittier, whittier, is one of his finest strains; while 

 ka-wee, ka-wee, ka-wee is a sort of challenge which the 

 bird renders in various tempo, and punctuates with 

 nervous bobs to enforce attention. For the rest his notes 

 are too varied, spontaneous, and untrammeled to admit 

 of precise description. 



GENUS CATHERPES : CANYON WREN. 



Canon Wren: Catherpes mexicanus conspersus. 



FAMILY— WRENS. 



In the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain regions 

 from eastern California, Nevada, and southeastern Colo- 

 rado south to Lower California, and in western Texas, 

 south, is found the Caiion Wren, a bird about five and 

 one-half inches long and a frequenter of rocky canyons 

 where its wonderful song peals forth loud, clear, and 

 liquid, given rapidly in a descending scale and ending 

 in a little flourish back up the scale again. To me it is 



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