,S() 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XIII 
possible width just as they disappeared. As a rule the downward plunge was made 
without much apparent effort, the bird simply immersing its head and then vanish- 
ing with surprising if not mysterious (luickness. Occasionally, however, it would 
spring upwards and forward in the manner of a Grebe or Merganser, sometimes 
showing not only the entire outline of the lower parts of the body above the surface 
but also the whole of the legs and feet, just before re-entering the water. This 
may be done to give greater impetus to the descent; but I observed that the same 
bird would sometimes alternate one method with the other during a succession of 
dives made over exactl}" the same spot. 
THE PALLID WREN-TIT (L/ALI/J/Ll FASC7ATA ///LV.S7/.I IE/) 
By J. II. BOWLE.S 
T O any bird student who has not previously made their accpiaintance, the 
Wren-Tit must at once stand in the foremost rank of all the California 
birds. C. t. hoishazvi is the form of this species that is found in the vicinity 
of vSanta Barbara, the locality in which all of the following notes have been made. 
The Wren-Tits are most certainly well named, for their general appearance 
and shape at once remind one of a greatl}^ magnified Bush-Tit. Add to this their 
wren-like fondness for haunting the ground and low brush, peering out at you with 
tail aloft, and the name forms an ideal combination. Occasionalhy however, they 
may be seen gleaning insects among the topmost branches of a live-oak, the tit in 
Ihem seeming to have asserted the mastery over the wren for the time being. 
Eternal cheerfulne.ss is theirs, beyond a doubt, for they sing every day i!i the 
year, be it rain or .shine. Their two songs differ completely, and here again they 
seem to demonstrate their right to a hyphenated family name. The most common 
song is a rather loud and very pleasing wren-like trill, which, incidentally, nine 
people out of ten in southern California will tell you is that of the Cai^mn Wren. 
The other song is a succession of about six or eight, loud and somewhat chicken- 
tike peeps, rapidly executed and hardly worthy of being called a song. It is quite 
different from anything else that I have ev^er heard, except that it forms a very fair 
elaboration of what some of the Tits consider their song notes. 
In the matter of food they appear to be very nearly omnivorous. Their main 
staples are bugs, beetles, larvae and insects of all descriptions, but they are also 
fond of the smaller berries, such as those of the Poi.son Oak {/Fins dive/'siloba) . 
For a time I made some attempts at trapping the smaller mammals, using drv bread 
or cheese as baits, but it was tiecessary to give this up, as upon every visit to the 
traps I found that one or more Wren-Tits had succumbed to the temptation of these 
new items on the bill of fare. 
Around Santa Barbara they are resident throughout the year, and to the best 
of my belief remain mated for life. This theorj^ is based upon the fact that they 
are almost invariably found travelling in couples; for, should you, at any season 
come upon one bird, another is sure to be only a few feet distant. Nest building 
commences during the last two weeks of March, my earliest full set of fresh eggs 
being found on April 4. From that time, eggs maj^ be found until at least the 
second week in May, but I have seen no evidence to conclude that more than one 
brood is reared in the .season. A rocky hillside, thickly covered with live-oak 
bushes is the favorite nesting site in this locality, though they may sometimes be 
