122 Merriam, Some Birds of Southern California. f A "ril 



Troglodytes aedon aztecus. Western Hoi t se Wren. — April, 1S89, 

 I found a number of nests in sycamore holes and about buildings. One 

 was in a grape crate, and twigs were strewn loosely over one end of the 

 box, covering a space nearly sixteen inches square. The compact high 

 body of the nest measured eight by ten inches, and came so near the top 

 of the crate that the birds could just creep in under the slats. Some of 

 the twigs were ten inches long. April 28, 1894, I found a pair of Wrens 

 carrying twigs to a sycamore hole. June 4 the young were being fed 

 rapidly ; but the birds did not leave the nest till June 16. Both the old 

 birds had a striking habit of moving their wings tremulously at their 

 sides, and sometimes the male, when singing to his mate, would raise 

 his quivering wings till they almost met over his back. 



Parus inornatus. Plain Titmouse. — -March 24, 1S89, I found a pair 

 building; on May 12, they were feeding the young in the nest. June 15, 

 1894, I saw a pair feeding young out of the nest. The nests I found were 

 in the crack of an oak, about four feet from the ground, and in the under 

 side of a decaved branch, fifteen or twenty feet above the ground. When 

 hunting, the birds flattened their high crests to small points at the back 

 of the head. 



Chamaea fasciata henshawi. Wren-tit. — -April 3, 1S89, I saw two 

 Wren-tits carrying material, but could not find their nest. June S, 1894, 

 I saw a family of young in the brush. The birds live in the cover of the 

 chaparral. Their long tails tilt up and down as they fly, and sometimes 

 rise over their backs when they light. In looking for food the Wren-tits 

 often hold their tails up and hunt in the careful way of the Wrens. 

 Their scold, which is a loud chatter, is also wrennish in character. 



The song is the most striking thing about the Wren-tit. From it the 

 people of the valley call him the ' scale bird.' He is not seen unless you 

 go to the brush to look for him, but wherever you are you will hear the 

 clear ringing voice running down the scale, the bell-like tones now 

 coming from the chaparral of the valley, now from the bowlder-strewn 

 hillsides above. The Wren-tit seems timid about singing in sight and it 

 was a long time before I connected the quiet obscure bird with the loud 

 beautiful voice. But one day when watching a Wren-tit it puffed up 

 its throat till its feathers stood out in layers, and brought out the 

 slow distinct notes of the descending scale, its tail shaking with each 

 note. 



Although the general character of the song remains the same, it varies 

 somewhat in the notes and their relative rapidity. I have heard the whole 

 song given on one note, the first four uttered very slowly, the last four 

 faster, but a commoner form has nine notes, the last five running down the 

 scale. At times the first four notes are given alone, as keep, keep, keep, 

 keep; at others, as two syllables, keep' -it, keep' -it, keep' -it — three repeti- 

 tions of the same note. A common form is a scale of seven two-syllabled 

 no t es — tip' -it, tip' -it, tip' -it, tip' -it, tip' -it, tip'-it, tip' -it. Again one hears 

 a combination of the one and two-svllabled notes, the first four on one 



