72 DENIZENS OF THE DESERT 



coarser sticks and is lined with feathers, the 

 whole often topped off with a loose stack of 

 branchlets from certain species of buckwheats 

 growing in the region. I find that the cactus 

 wrens are pretty good botanists and are able to 

 select with remarkable exactness certain species 

 of plants which they desire. In the examination 

 of a great number of nests the past spring in 

 the Colorado Desert of California, I found the 

 lower portion of all the nests consisting of 

 certain plants only, the kind seldom varying 

 from nest to nest, and the top stack in every 

 case made from one certain species of reddish- 

 stemmed buckwheat (Eriogonum), and this, 

 though there are growing abundantly in the 

 region several species which might be easily 

 confused. But the cactus wren, bird botanist, 

 never makes a mistake. 



There is no need to advertise for information 

 to find out where the cactus wrens have built 

 their nests; for go anywhere you will, you will 

 come upon them among the patches of shrubby 

 cactuses and thorny palo verde trees. And you 

 will find nests in abundance and not judge that 

 the cactus wren population is waning. In a 



