222 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Daggett found a nest in an apricot tree, and another one, still more re- 

 markable, on the cross arm of a power-line pole, near Azusa, at a height 

 of 30 feet." 



It would appear that cactus wrens appreciate the protection afforded 

 by the proximity of dwellings; at any rate, they readily avail them- 

 selves of dooryard specimen cacti as nesting sites. In addition to the 

 use of "choUas" in the writer's yard at Azusa, they have maintained 

 a nest almost continuously for several years between the vertical 

 columns of a good-sized Cereus, building a new one from time to time 

 upon the collapsed ruins of the old. 



The nest of the cactus wren is more than a mere receptacle for hold- 

 ing eggs and young. It serves as an actual home for the bird through- 

 out the year, a protection against cold, rain, and enemies at night and 

 perhaps against storms at any time. It is kept in repair and rebuilt 

 when necessary, and each young bird, upon reaching maturity, prepares 

 its own domicile against the coming winter. This use, of course, calls 

 for a larger and more elaborate structure than most birds' nests. Mrs. 

 Bailey (1922) thus describes the nests observed in Arizona : 



In form, the Cactus Wren's nest suggests a retort, having a large globular 

 chamber about 6 inches in diameter approached through a long passageway or 

 entrance, the whole normally about 12 inches in length, the mouth of the en- 

 trance being about 3 inches above the base of the globular chamber. This nest 

 chamber in course of years becomes a thick felted mass of gray, weathered plant 

 fibers so hard that saucer-like sections sometimes crack ofE from the back show- 

 ing the solid, sodden bottom of the nest. The entrance, on the contrary, is made 

 of long straw-like plant stems which may easily get blown about and so often 

 need replenishing. 



When the old nests are repaired and ready for winter use these new straw- 

 colored entrances often afford a striking contrast to the old gray globes, although 

 occasionally the new material is lavishly distributed over the whole top of the 

 nest. One nest, found on March 21, looked new, only straw-colored material 

 showing from the few possible points of observation; but it might easily have 

 had merely a coating of fresh material. A mass of fuzzy plant material was out- 

 side the mouth. An old gray nest fragment which might have supplied foundation 

 material was behind the nest. Besides replenishing the straw entrance, the wrens 

 re-line for cold weather. In one instance fur, and in many instances the small 

 gray body-feathers of the Gambel Quail, and sometimes well-marked feathers 

 of other species of birds, were seen in the entrances and about the mouths. One 

 nest used for roosting purposes during the winter, when examined for eggs on 

 April 30, had its globular chamber so thickly lined with soft feathers that it 

 suggested a feather bed. 



Considerable variation and adaptability were shown in the construction of 

 the nests examined. Sometimes in the process of repair the angle of the entrance 

 was changed. In one case, while the old nest faced east, the new entrance faced 

 south by east, almost at right angles, presumably for better support for the mouth 

 and larger twigs for perches at the mouth. 



Mrs. Bailey also found that while the entrances of the nests faced 

 in all directions, the greatest number were toward the southwest. 

 In the San Gabriel Valley I have been unable to detect any preference 



