92 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



A squealing note, scree or schree^ was heard a few times. Three or 

 four times ii- was given when I reached into a trap to take the bird in 

 my hand or when I was banding it. The same sound was heard dur- 

 ing fights between individuals kept in cages, once by a bird fighting 

 bill to bill with another, and once by a male when another attacked it. 

 It appears to be a note of fear, defeat, or submission. 



During boundary disputes between established pairs, a series of 

 low staccato notes, which I have recorded as pW piP 'pit\ tuf tut\ or 

 peeha, is commonly given, often by several birds at once. 



The first songs of the young may have the full ringing quality of 

 the adults, but often they are thin, weak, and tremulous. The trill that 

 terminates it is frequently more prolonged and has a warblerlike 

 quality. 



Field marhs. — An outstanding field character of the wren-tit is its 

 long tail tilted up at an angle from the body, rovmded at the tip and 

 narrow at the base. Other characteristics are the general grayish 

 brown of the back and the cinnamon-brown of the underparts, its 

 relatively long legs, the way it remains hidden within the brush, and 

 the fact that two are invariably seen together. If one is near enough 

 the white iris may be seen. The songs and calls are distinctive and 

 easily learned. 



Enemies. — The destruction of eggs and young by natural causes is 

 high. Of 24 nests found before or soon after the set was completed, 

 young were fledged from only 10. Wren-tits recognize jays as a 

 source of danger to their young, and with reason, for both Mrs. A. S. 

 Allen (MS.) and I have seen the jays take eggs and young from nests. 

 Other enemies of the young and adults are probably those common to 

 most small species. Dr. A. H. Miller found the remains of two wren- 

 tits in the pellet of a horned owl. 



Fall and tvinter. — As already indicated, the adults remain in pairs 

 on their territories during fall and winter. Their activities continue 

 on a relatively uniform level and serve to maintain themselves, their 

 companionship, and their territory. They are constant companions, 

 forage together, keep track of each other by calls, preen each other, 

 sleep together, and may rarely show sexual excitement to the degree of 

 attempting copulation. They are relatively tolerant of the wandering 

 young and are themselves occasionally found a little distance beyond 

 their usual boundaries, but the male sings regularly and both defend 

 the territory from aggressive invasion. 



The young, on the other hand, tend to wander during the early fall. 

 Of 46 banded young reared in the canyon where I watched intensively, 

 only one was seen or trapped after it was nine weeks old, though un- 

 handed immatures were common. One of my banded young when 

 nine weeks old was trapped half a mile from its original home. It is at 



