The Western House Wren 
called Anorthura and Olbiorchillis, 
and in Europe miscalled Troglodytes), 
himself in all probability a brother 
of T. musculus, pare, at some date 
preceding the great Ice Age worked 
north and spread westward to the 
Eurasian Continent. Driven south 
again by the engulfing disaster of 
ice, the Nannus stock broke up, its 
separated fragments taking refuge 
in northern Africa and India and 
the southern United States. These 
slightly differentiated forms returned 
again upon the heels of the retreating 
ice to dominate Europe, the Hima¬ 
layas, Japan, and northern North 
America, as the European House 
Wren ( Nannus troglodytes troglodytes, 
N. t. fumigatus, N. t. nipalensis ) and 
(to omit many connecting links) the 
Winter Wrens ( Nannus t. hiemalis). 
Following close upon the return 
of this doughty dwarf (i. e. vuvvo;, 
dwarf) to its northern domains, the 
Troglodytes stock put forth another 
shoot, T. aedon, which now occupies 
most of the United States in summer, 
and retires chiefly into Mexico in 
winter. This T. aedon stock, in 
turn, is differentiating by East and West, as so many do; and our western 
bird, T. a. parkmani, neither goes so far north in summer (only slightly 
exceeding the 49th parallel), nor so completely retreats in winter. Our 
western bird, therefore, is somewhat quieter, less aggressive, and much 
less domestic, than the eastern bird. 
The name House Wren, universally applied to this bird and its 
congeners, is perhaps less deserved in California than anywhere else. 
We may believe that the bird is an old residenter, and that his established 
modes of life have been less disturbed by the white invasion than have 
those of the House Finch ( Carpodacus frontalis), for example. Also 
the Bewick Wrens ( Thryomanes bewicki sub. sp.) are a well established 
group hereabouts; and they were as prompt to avail themselves of what¬ 
ever advantages civilization might offer as were the Troglodytes Wrens. 
Taken in San Diego County Photo by Dickey 
WESTERN HOUSE WREN AT NESTING HOLE 
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