MAESH WEEN 561 



Occurrence. — Sparse transient and winter visitant in the lower altitudes. Eccorded 

 in Yosemite Valley, at Smith Creek (6 miles east of Coulterville), and at Lagrange; 

 on east slope of mountains at Gem Lake. Lives in thickets and growths close to or 

 above standing water. Solitary. 



The Western Marsh Wren is sparingly represented in the Yosemite 

 section during the seasons of migration. A few probably pass the winter 

 at the lower altitudes on the west slope. The species was first brought 

 to our notice in Yosemite Valley on October 10, 1914, when an immature 

 male came to grief in an oat-baited mouse trap set in some tall grass 

 beneath a clump of willows bordering a meadow near the Merced River. 

 Another individual was seen in the Valley at the margin of the river three 

 days later, and on November 1, 1915, one was seen in a mass of drift on 

 the bank of Yosemite Creek. The species was recorded at Smith Creek, 

 six miles east of Coulterville, on December 26, 1919, and at Lagrange on 

 December 19, 1915. East of the mountains an immature male in full song 

 was taken in the willows and tall grass bordering Gem Lake, 9036 feet 

 altitude, on September 13, 1915. 



The "long-billed" Marsh Wren, although affecting a different habitat, 

 is almost as reclusive as its small relative, the Western Winter Wren. It 

 keeps to dense cover and is to be glimpsed only momentarily while passing 

 from one thicket to another; sometimes it may be brought out to view 

 by the observer making a squeaking sound of a sort to excite the curiosity 

 of the bird, and then, for a moment or two, its color features and other 

 characters may be seen to advantage. 



Sierra Creeper. Certhia familiaris zelotes Osgood 



Field characters. — Less than half size of Junco; tail as long as body, each feather 

 stiffened, and pointed at tip (fig. 58a) ; bill slender and curved. Coloration above dark 

 brown streaked with white; under surface of body plain white. (See pi. lOh.) Hitches 

 jerkily, upward, on trunks of trees. Voice: Tine and wiry; song of male see', see', se- 

 teetle-te, see"; call note, see, often somewhat prolonged, uttered at irregular intervals. 



Occurrence. — Common on west slope of Sierra Nevada. Permanently resident in 

 Transition Zone, where recorded from Smith Creek (six miles east of Coulterville) east- 

 ward to floor of Yosemite Valley. Present in Canadian Zone at least during summer 

 season when noted from Chinquapin to Porcupine Flat and Merced Lake. Wanders to 

 higher altitudes (as on Dana Pork, 9500 feet) and to cast slope of mountains (Walker 

 Lake and Williams Butte) during fall. Winters in small numbers in western foothills, 

 as near Lagrange. Forages on trunks and larger branches of good-sized trees, and nests 

 in crevices behind loose bark. Solitary or in pairs. 



The Sierra Creeper is one of the least conspicuous of the common birds 

 found in the Yosemite region. This is not due to any special reclusiveness 

 on the part of the bird, for it often forages in situations quite open to 

 view. Its effacement is due to its special scheme of coloration together 



