190 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The measurements of 27 eggs average 17.2 by 13.3 millimeters ; the 

 eggs showing the four extremes measure 18.3 by 13.2, 16.3 by 14.0, 

 15.7 by 13.5, and 17.7 by 12.8 millimeters. 



Beha/vior. — Theed Pearse has sent me the following notes on the 

 territorial behavior of this wren : "A question of territory arose be- 

 tween a pair of Seattle wrens that were nesting and an incoming 

 house wren that had nested nearby for some years. The house wren 

 on arrival investigated the garden and met the Seattle wren, both 

 birds alighting on a dividing fence ; the Seattle wren cackled, but noth- 

 ing further happened; the house wrens absolutely recognized that 

 beyond this line was the territory of the others ; and, until the Seattle 

 wrens had finished nesting operations, they never passed that line and 

 always flew on the other side of the house," He noted once that some 

 violet-green swallows ousted some Seattle wrens from a partially 

 built nest. 



Voice. — Mr. Rathbun tells me that this wren begins to sing as soon 

 as winter breaks early in March, continuing well into July, intermit- 

 tently in August, and at odd times in autumn; sometimes it sings 

 on the pleasant days in winter, if the weather is mild. Early in 

 spring it begins shortly after daybreak and will sing more or less 

 continuously, sometimes for an hour or so. "At this time the rendi- 

 tions follow each other closely, spaced by a few seconds only. After 

 this morning burst of singing wanes, the wren sings at odd times 

 throughout the day. The song so often sung at this period is the one 

 which has four notes, given in a chanted manner as it were." 



W. L, Dawson (Dawson and Bowles, 1909) writes: "To those who 

 are acquainted only with the typical Bewick Wren of the East, the 

 added vocal accomplishments of our western representative come in 

 the nature of a surprise. For the characteristic ditty of hewickii 

 proper, calojjhonus has introduced so many trills and flourishes that 

 the original motif is almost lost to sight. Calophonus means having 

 a beautiful voice, or sweetly sounding, and right well does the bird 

 deserve the name, in a region which is all too conspicuous for its 

 lack of notable songsters." 



I cannot quite agree with that last phrase, as there are many fine 

 singers west of the Rockies. 



Theed Pearse writes to me that he has heard the Seattle wren 

 mimicking the spring note of the chickadee so correctly that he did 

 not recognize it as mimicry until the wren broke into its reguhir song. 



Winter. — Mr. Pearse tells me that, even as far north as Vancouver 

 Island, this wren appears to be "very sedentary" all through the 

 year; but the cold winters of 1937-38 and 1938-39 practically ex- 

 terminated it, and not until 1941 could it be said to have recovered 

 average numbers. 



