318 THE CANYON WREN. 
Failing a suitable cliff-house—not 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 disappear behind a certain small rock no less than 
a dozen times, and had heard responsive notes in different keys, a chittering 
- which reminded one of baby Katydids, I thought I had a cinch on the nest. 
The crevices of the rocks here and there were crammed with dried grass 
and stuff which might fairly be considered superfluous nesting material, and 
the young birds were too young to have traveled far; but as for the actual 
cradle I could not find it, and I cannot certify that the wrenlets were hatched 
within seven rods. ‘The little fellows were as shy as conies, but their parents, 
curiously 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 square yards of the rock slide had been violently dis- 
arranged, they 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. U. No. 717a. Catherpes mexicanus conspersus Ridgw. 
Synonyms.—CaNnon WREN. SPECKLED CANON WREN. 
Description.—4dult: “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-quills 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 ochraceous-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 buffy tips as 
distinguished from Salpinctes obsoletus. 
Nesting.—Not known to nest in Washington but probably does so. Nest and 
eggs indistinguishable from those of the Rock Wren. 
General Range.—Central arid districts of the western United States and 
southern British Columbia from Wyoming and Colorado west to northeastern 
California and south to Arizona. 
Range in Washington.—Reported from Palouse country only,—is probably 
