The Birds of El Paso County^ Colorado S93 



of the Mockingbird; as might be supposed it lacks the power 

 and volume of the larger bird's song. 



Catherpes mexicanus conspersus. Canon Wren. 



Resident ; not common. 



The Canon Wren is unquestionably a resident through the 

 year in El Paso County, for it has been found in various 

 months during the winter, and breeding in the summer. 



Minot, June 8, 1880, found a nest near Manitou, which he 

 described as follows: "The nest was in the roof of a cave, 

 about ten feet from the ground, with an opening so narrow, 

 vertically, that I could neither look in nor introduce my hand. 

 Fortunately, however, the rock was so soft that I easily re- 

 moved the bottom slab on which the nest rested. This, as 

 one looks down upon it, suggests the Eastern Wood Peewee's. 

 It is composed of twigs, stalks, and bits of leaves, surrounded 

 by a few loose sticks, and thickly felted with, down silk, and 

 a few feathers. The hollow is 2j^ inches long, and scarcely 

 half as deep. The eggs measured about .70x.50 of an inch, 

 and are crystal white (rosy when fresh), sparsely speckled 

 and spotted, chiefly about the crown, with medium dull brown." 



In the summer of 1912 Lloyd Shaw found a pair nesting 

 in the steep rocks at the Gateway of Crystal Park. One of 

 the birds was seen July 19 carrying food to the young. The 

 nest was located under an overhanging rock in the cliff and 

 was inaccessible. Allen found the species in the Garden 

 of the Gods in 1871, and he and Brewster found it there in 

 1882, also in North Cheyenne Canon. Olive Thorne Miller 

 found it in South Cheyenne Canon, where it apparently had 

 a nest in or near the Pillars or Hercules. 



The Cation Wren has a habit of creeping around among 

 the rocks is such a fashion that when one gets just a mere 

 glimpse of the creature he is just as apt to think it is a chip- 

 munk as a bird. 



