The Canyon Wrens 
3, 1911) the first broods of young were shifting for themselves and the 
adult population was busy with second nesting. We found five occupied 
nests, besides several promising “empties,” without half trying. Of 
these, two contained pure white eggs, five and six respectively. The 
set of five was normal in size and shape, but the eggs of the larger set 
were much undersized and absurdly shaped,—chopped off, squared or 
flattened, like plaster pellets done by hand instead of in nature’s work¬ 
shop. One egg, by way of exception to these exceptions, was elongated 
instead of shortened,—evidently amateur work. 
All the Rock Wrens wore their old clothes. Either their seclusion 
had made them indifferent to the prevailing fashions, or else they had 
worn out their wedding garments earlier in the season. The “splitters” 
have had their jealous eyes on these Farallon birds, but so far they have 
managed to keep within the bounds of Salpinctian propriety—a wide 
enough range, to be sure. 
No. 138 
Canyon Wren 
No. 138a Nevada Canyon Wren 
A. 0 . U. No. 717a. Catherpes mexicanus conspersus Ridgway. 
Description. — Adult: Throat and upper breast, broadly, pure white, shading 
sharply on sides to brown of remaining plumage; above warm grayish brown (nearest 
snuff-brown on pileum), changing gradually to bright dark reddish brown (amber- 
brown, argus brown, to russet) of rump, tail, and posterior underparts; the head, neck, 
back, scapulars, and posterior underparts speckled by fine, dusky, arrow-shaped marks 
containing, or contiguous to, rounded spots of whitish; wing-quills fuscous, finely 
barred with dusky on exposed surfaces; tail bright dark brown throughout, crossed 
sharply and narrowly by 7-10 wavy bars of blackish. Bill horn-color above, paling 
on sides and below; feet and legs brownish dusky; iris brown. Young birds lack the 
white speckling; are more extensively marked with dusky above, but are nearly un¬ 
spotted on belly. Length about 139.7 ( 5 - 5 °) I wing 59.7 (2.35); tail 52.4 (2.06); bill 
20.5 (.81); tarsus 18.1 (.71). Female a little smaller. 
Recognition Marks. —Warbler size; rock-haunting habits; throat broadly 
white, contrasting with rich rusty red of hinder underparts; tail finely barred with 
black, its feathers without buffy tips, as distinguished from Scilpinctes obsoletus. Has 
magnificent descending scale song. 
Nesting. —As in following form. 
Range of Catherpes mexicanus. —Arid portions of western United Statesand Mexico. 
Range of C. m. conspersus. —“Upper and Lower Sonoran zones of Great Basin and 
Rocky Mountain region from eastern California (Mono Lake), Nevada, and south-eastern 
Colorado south to Lower California, western Texas, Sonora, and Chihuahua” (A. O. U.). 
Distribution in California. —Breeding east of the Sierras, chiefly in the desert 
ranges, from Mono Lake (Negit Island, June 5, 1919) south to the Providence Mount- 
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