WESTERN WINTER WREN 175 



hardly inferior to it in any way, and its call notes are similar. Mr. 

 Eathbun tells me that this wren has a long period of song; he has 

 heard it as early as February 28, but it sings most incessantly from 

 the middle of March to the end of June ; he hears it also in July and 

 early in August, but then the song, "although well rendered, seems 

 to lack the abandon of that heard during the earlier period" and is 

 not so frequently given. He once timed the duration of the song and 

 found that its length varied from 8 to 17 seconds, at times up to 23 

 seconds; the intervals between the songs were 4 to 12 seconds; some- 

 times the songs were repeated without intermissions. He remarks 

 that some of the notes have "the quality of the tones given by lightly 

 striking the edge of a thin glass goblet." 



Taylor and Shaw (1927) say: "If the observer remains quiet, and 

 perhaps makes a squeaking sound with the lips on the back of his hand, 

 he can easily attract the midgets to within 3 or 4 feet. Under such 

 conditions a call note is uttered, evidently expressive of curiosity or 

 caution, tssssf tssss/ The usual call note is a check/ chek-chekf chek- 

 chekr 



Winter. — Cold weather, snow, and ice combine to drive the wrens 

 down from the higher elevations in the mountains to the lower and 

 milder valleys, where they seek such shelter as they can find. Even 

 here they sometimes perish during severe winters. Theed Pearse tells 

 me that, on Vancouver Island, they suffered a great reduction in 

 numbers as a result of two successive cold and snowy winters, 1936-37 

 and 1937-38, but had recovered quite well by the winter of 1939-40. 



C. E. Ehinger (1925) tells an interesting story of a winter wrens' 

 lodginghouse in western Washington. This Avas a small birdbox, 6 

 inches square, attached to their cabin, which was surrounded with 

 woods. During severe winter weather, in December and January, 

 an increasing number of wrens began using this box as a night roost- 

 ing place. He describes their actions as follows : 



At the setting of the sun the wrens began to gather, and for half an hour 

 they played about the bird box in the most interesting manner. Singly and in 

 groups they would dash up to the cabin wall, cling there a moment, then with 

 a flying leap change their position to one a little nearer to the bird box. This 

 was continued until they could spring upon the roof of the box, from which 

 they dropped to the little platform and entered. After a moment they would 

 usually fly out again and circle around, only to repeat the manoeuvre. Several 

 times, 10 to 15 wrens were counted clinging to the cabin wall at the same time, 

 like so many great flies, when they would repeat the aforesaid manoeuvre and 

 finally disappear silently through the tiny opening into their lodging house like 

 little feathered mice. * * * 



January 21, time 4 : 45 to 5 : 20 p. m., proved the prize record for wren lodgers. 

 After a short period of the usual "play-antics" the birds entered rapidly until 30 

 were counted. Others continued to come, but the situation inside apparently 

 seemed hopeless, and they flew around to the front of the cabin where a ledge 

 under the eaves seemed to furnish a protected roosting place. We saw those 



