58 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



suspicious, and many came every day to the fences and shrubbery around 

 the houses at the settlement. 



A series of Thryothorus felix from the mainland, including one speci- 

 men from the region of the type locality, and a series of T. lawrencii 

 from Maria Madre, show sufficient differences to warrant giving specific 

 rank to lawrencii. The latter differs very constantly in several respects 

 from birds of the mainland, but has much the same color pattern. The 

 series from San Bias is nearer lawrencii than is the specimen from near 

 the type locality of felix, but there appears to be no crossing of the 

 gap between the two. 



The following measurements show the relative sizes of the two 

 species : 



Measurements of Thryothorns lawrencii and T. felix. 



Thryothorus lawrencii magdalenae Nelson. Magdalena Wreii. 



Thryothorus felix Grayson Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., XIV, p. 278, 1871 (part) ; 



Lawr., Mem. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., II, p. 268, 1874 (part). 

 Thryothorns lawrencii maydalenw Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, p. 11, 



1898. 



The habits and distribution of this wren on Maria Magdalena are 

 the same as those of T. lawrencii on Maria Madre. No one lives on 

 Maria Magdalena, and the wrens are even tamer than on Maria Madre. 

 Their confidence was shown very prettily by one encountered by Mr. 

 Goldman in the dark bottom of a narrow rocky canyon overhung with 

 heavy forest. He saw the little fellow busily searching for food among 

 the fallen leaves along the base of a low cliff, and as the bird seemed 

 very fearless he approached quietly but in full view, and succeeded 

 in closing his hand over the tiny creature, which had continued its 

 search without paying the slighest attention. The bird showed but 

 little fright, and its captor, after holding it a few moments, stooped 

 and gently opened his hand to let it escape. The wren hopped away a 

 few feet, arranged its plumage, and then continued feeding with the 

 utmost unconcern. Mr. Goldman watched it for a few minutes and 

 again approached slowly. As before the bird paid no attention until 

 he was within a yard, but when another attempt was made to pick it 

 up, hopped away a few feet and again resumed its occupation. This 

 was repeated three or four times with the same result, until finally the 

 bird was left in its solitude. 



