THE CACTUS WREN 71 



irascible fellows, pursuing one another in flight 

 over long distances, scolding and giving vent 

 to their peppery tempers and jealousies in 

 shrill, angry, jaylike notes of warning. 



These giant wrens are with us all the year, 

 but are seldom heard except during the breed- 

 ing season. They seem to be less plentiful in 

 winter; food being then scarce they scatter 

 out more. The male and the female stay 

 matched throughout the year and are generally 

 found foraging together. In California they are 

 common in all the desert country as far north 

 as the upper end of Owen's Valley, and on the 

 coast they are found from San Diego to Ven- 

 tura County. The cactus wrens are also com- 

 mon residents of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, 

 Nevada, and southern Utah. 



The nest presents a very interesting piece of 

 bird architecture. Shaped like a large, long, 

 globular purse, it is laid horizontally (the angle 

 is really slightly less than 45) between the 

 forks and branches of a cactus, and from it 

 there runs outward a singular covered passage 

 or tunnel, varying from four to twelve inches in 

 length. It is composed of fine grasses and 



