3i8 THE CANYON WREN 



Failing a suitable cliFf-house — iidI all walls are built to Wrens' orders — 

 the birds resort to a rock-slide and the possibilities here are infinite. After 

 I had seen a devoted pair disapjiear behind a certain small rock no less than 

 a dozen times, and had heard responsive notes in different keys, a cluttering 

 which reminded one of bal)\' I\at\'dids, I thought I had a cinch on the nest. 

 'The cre\'ices of the rocks here and there were crammed with dried grass 

 and stuff which might fairly be considered superfluous nesting material, and 



the }-oung birds ^^■ere too young to have trax'eled far; but as for the actual 

 cradle I could not find it, and I cannot certify that the wrenlets were hatched 

 within se\'en rods. The little fellows were as shy as conies, but their parents, 

 curiouslv enough, took my researches good naturedly. One of them came 

 within two feet of my face and peered intently at me as I sat motionless; 

 and even after some scjuare yards of the rock slide had been violently dis- 

 arranged, thev did not hesitate to visit their clamoring brood as tho nothing 

 had happened. Did they trust the man or the rocks rather? 



No. 122. 



CANYON WREN. 



A. O. V. No. 717 a. Catherpes mexicaniis conspersus Ridgw. 



Synonyms. — Canon Wren. Spkcklkd Caxox Wren. 



Description. — Adult: "Upperparts brown, paler and grayer anteriorly, be- 

 hind shading insensibly into rich rufous, everywhere dotted with small dusky and 

 whitish spots. Tail clear cinnamon-brown, crossed with numerous very narrow 

 and mostly zigzag black bars. Wing-ciuills dark brown, outer webs of primaries 

 and both webs of inner secondaries barred with color of back. Chin, throat, and 

 fore breast, with lower half of side of head and neck, pure white, shading behind 

 through ochraceoirs-brown into rich deep ferruginous, and posteriorly obsoletely 

 waved with dusky and whitish. Bill slate-colored, paler and more livid below; 

 feet black; iris brown" (Coues). Length about 5.50 (139.7) > wing 2.35 (59.7) ; 

 tail 2.06 (52.4) ; bill .81 (20.5) ; tarsus .71 (18.1). Female a little smaller. 



Recognition Marks. — Warbler size, rock-haunting habits: rich rusty red of 

 hinder underparts ; tail finely barred with black, its feathers without huffy tips as 

 distinguished from Salpinctcs obsolcttis. 



Nesting. — Not known to nest in Washington but probably does so. N est and 

 eggs indistinguishable from those of the Rock Wren. 



General Range. — Central arid districts of the western United States and 

 southern Uritish Columbia from \\'yoming and Colorado west to northeastern 

 California and south to Arizona. 



Range in Washington. — Reported from Palouse country only, — is probably 



