136 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



SafpintffS ohso!rtiis. 



tains, liuviiig been found by Dr. Nev.beny at Klamath Lake in Oregon. Dr. 

 Cooper does not describe their song, but Dr. Heeruiann speaks of it a.s only a 

 very weak trill. Tiie latter met with them in the mountainous districts of 



California, where thev were searchinH 

 for their food among the crevices of 

 the rocks. He afterwards met with 

 them in New Mexico and Texas. 

 They were (piite abundant in the Te- 

 jon Valley, passing in and out, among 

 and under the boulders profusely scat- 

 tered over the mountains, searching 

 for spiders, worms, and small insects, 

 in i)ursuit of which they uttered at 

 intervals a loud and (juick note of a 

 peculiarly thrilling character. Lieu- 

 tenant Couch found them in the sand- 

 stone rfinges near I'atos, in the province of Coahuila. Some of their habits 

 are spoken of as sparrcw-like, and, while tiiey have the usual wren-like 

 gi'ating noises, they also ])ossess a song of great variety and sweetness. 



Dr. Kennerly met with them among the bushes in the vicinity of the Rio 

 CJrande. Their flight he describes as sliort, the biixl generally soon alighting 

 on the ground and rumiing off very rapidly. 



This Wren was tii-st discovered by Mr. Say near the Arkansas Kiver, inhab- 

 iting a sterile district devoid of trees, hopping along the ground or flitting 

 through the low, stunted junipers on the Ijanks of the river, usually in small 

 flocks of five or six. Xuttall afterwards found them in July on the Western 

 Colorado. Tiie note of the female was ch(irr-rktirr-tr-aii//i, with a strong 

 guttural accent, and with a shrill call similar to the note of the (Carolina 

 Wren. The old Itirds were feeding a l)r()od of five young, which, though full 

 grown, were cherished with (juendous assiduity. He found them nesting 

 among the rocky ledges, in the crevices of which tiiey bide themselves 

 when disturbed. Afr. Nuttall also met with this sjjecies near Fort Van- 

 couAer. Mr. Salvin states that in several instances it has been mot with in 

 (Juatemala. 



The eggs of this Wren obtained by Dr. Palmer in Arizona have a clear 

 Vihite ground, sparingly s])otted with well-defined, distinct dottings of brown- 

 ish-red. Tliese are (chiefly distributed around the larger end. They vary 

 somewhat in size and shape, some being of a more rounded i'unn, though all 

 have one end more jiointed than the other. The length is jtretty uniform, 

 .77 of an inch. The breadth varies from .00 to .(10 of an inch. They art! 

 Lirger and more oblong than the eggs of any otiier Wren, except perhajis the 

 mc.ilviiniis, and bear little resemlilance to any other eggs of this family with 

 which 1 am ari|uainted, except those of the Winter Wren, and the egg at- 

 tributed to T. inih ri'iniKs. 



