.^iS THE CANYON \VREN\ 



I'.iiliiifj a suitable clilT-lunise — iiol all walls arc Iniilt to Wrens' orders — 

 the hinls resort to a rock-slide and the ])ossibilities here are infinite. After 

 I hail seen a devoted ])air disappear behind a certain small rock no less than 

 a do/en times, and hail heard responsive notes in dilTerent keys, a cluttering 

 which reminded one of baby Katydids. I thought I had a cinch on the nest. 

 The crevices of the rocks here and there were cranimeil with drie<l grass 

 and stulT which might fairly be considered snpertUious 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 wrenlcts 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 stpiarc yards of the rock slide had been violently dis- 

 arranged, they ilid not hesitate to visit their clamoring brood as tho nothing 

 had hai)pened. Did they trust the man or the rocks rather? 



No. 122. 



CAN VON WREN. 



\. (I. ['. So. 717a. Cathcrpes mexicaniis conspersus Riilgw. 



Synonyms. — Canon \\ki:n. Si'i;i. ki.i;i) Cwon \\ ki:n. 



Description. — .Idnit: "I'pperparts l)n>wn. paler and grayer anteriorly, bc- 

 jiind '^lla(linJ,' insciisiliiy into rich rufous, everywhere dotted with small dusky and 

 wiiitisli spots. Tail dear cinnainon-bniwii. crossed with minierous very narrow 

 and mostly zigzag Mark bars. \\ing-i|nills dark brown, outer webs i\i [)riniaries 

 and lH)tli webs of inner secondaries liarrcd with color nf 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 obsoletelv 

 waved with dusky and whitish. I'.ill slate-colored, ])alcr and more livid Ik-Iow ; 

 feet black: iris brown" (Coues). Length about 3.50 ( i.V)-"' : wing 2. .^5 (5i).7) : 

 tail 2.of> ( 52.4 ) : bill .Si i 20.5 ) : tarsus .71 ( 18.1 1. Female a little smaller. 



Recognition Marks. — Warbler size, rock-ha\uuing habits: rich rusty red of 

 hinder underparts; tail linely barred with black, its feathers without butTy tips as 

 distinguished from Salf'iitrirs ohsolctiis. 



Nesting. — Xot known to nest in Washington but probably does so. Xcst and 

 qn/s indistiiiKuisliable from those of the Rock Wren. 



General Range. — Central arid districts of the western I'nitcd States and 

 southern I'.ritish Columbia from Wyoming and Colorado west to northeastern 

 California and south to Arizona. 



Rnnjje in W .'isliin«:tnn. Reported from I'alonse ciun)try ouly. — is probably 



