460 NUTHATCHES AND TITS 



long, graduated ; under parts fawn, buffy brown, or pinkish brown, more 

 or less obscurely streaked with duskv. Wing : 

 2.37, tail 3.41, bill .42. 



Distribution. — Resident in Upper Sonoran 

 zone from San Francisco Bay south to north- 

 Fig. 585. ^j,^ Lower California. 

 Nest. — In low bushes, made of twigs and straws mixed with feathers. 

 Eggs : 3 to 5, plain pale greenish blue. 



One of the most persistent of the pleasant memories of the cha- 

 parral-covered hills of California is that of the bell -like descending 

 keep-keep-keep-keep-keep-it, keep-it, keep-it, of the wren-tit. Scale- 

 bird he is well called because of it, for while the song has many 

 variations it always contains a descending scale. But though his 

 voice is continually ringing in your ears the wren-tit is a secretive, 

 mysterious bird like the chat, and you may hunt through the cha- 

 parral full many a merry day before you see him run his scale. 

 When you accidentally come face to face with him on his own 

 domains, he makes it appear such a casual meeting in a neighbor- 

 hood in which he has no interest, that the worldly wise observer is 

 fairly maddened with curiosity and desire to discover his nest. 



The appearance and mannerisms of the birds stimulate this inter- 

 est. They are brown, with light yellow eyes, and long tails which 

 tilt up and down as they fly, and are often held up as they hunt in a 

 wren-like, careful way over the chaparral branches. 



742a. C. f. phsea Osgood. Coast Wren-Tit. 



Upper parts dark brown becoming sooty on head ; under parts dark 

 ruddy brown, indistinctly streaked with dusky. 



Distribution. — Resident in Transition zone on coast of Oregon and Cali- 

 fornia from Astoria to Nieasio. 



GENUS PSALTRIPARUS. 



General Characters. — Plumage loose ; bill much shorter than head ; 

 nostrils concealed ; wings rounded, shorter than long, graduated tail. 



KEr TO SPECIES. 

 1. Top of head brown. 



2. Top of head sooty brown. Pacific coast region, from northern Cali- 

 fornia to Washington minimus, p. 460. 



2'. Top of head light brown. California, except northern coast district. 



californicus, p. 461. 

 1'. Top of head gray. 



2. Sides of head black lloydi, p. 462. 



2'. Sides of head brown. 



3. Head with blockish streak along side of occiput. 



santaritae, p. 462. 

 3'. Head plain bluish gray phimbeus, p. 462. 



743. Psaltriparus minimus (Towns.). Bush-Tit. 

 Top of head sooty brown ; back dark grayish brown or brownish gray ; 



