Nov., 1911 
ANOTHER FORTNIGHT ON THE FARALLONES 
183 
42. Saipinctes obsoletus obsoletus. Rock Wren. The presiding genius of 
the Farallones, fearless, inquisitive, thrifty, and always happy. There is not a 
secret of the island which the Rock Wren does not know, for she pokes and pries 
into every crevice, examines every movable fragment of rock, stick, or bone, with a 
view to appropriation, scrutinizes every form of insect life with a view to assimila- 
tion, bugles from every rock-crest, greets the descending light-keeper in the cool 
gray of the morning, chirrups at “Snoozer”, the island mascot, as she passes in 
her go-cart, titters at the Cassin Auklet brooding in her gloomy cell, mocks at the 
dignified “sea parrot”, and stirs things up generally. 
At the time of our visit the first broods of young were shifting for themselves, 
and the adult population was busy with second nesting. Five occupied nests w^ere 
found, besides several promising “empties”, without half trying. Of these, tw'o 
contained pure white eggs, five and six respectively. The set of five wms normal in 
Fig. 54. WAIFS OF thf; sea 
PHAEAROPES, RED AND NORTHERN, FEEDING ON SOUTH SIDF; OF SOUTHEAST FAR.AUEON 
size and shape; but the eggs of the larger set were much undersized, and absurdly 
shaped, being chopped off, squared, or flattened, like plaster pellets done by hand. 
One egg, by way of exception to these exceptions, was elongated, instead of short- 
ened”evidently amateur wmrk. 
All the Rock Wrens wmre their old clothes. Either their seclusion has made 
them indifferent to the prevailing fashions, or else they had worn out their wed- 
ding duds earlier in the season. The “splitters” have had their jealous eyes on 
these Farallon birds, but so far the wily Wrens have managed to keep wdthin the 
bounds of Salpinctean propriety — -a wide enough range, to be sure. 
43. Hylodchla ustulata ustulata. Russet-backed Thrush. Several birds 
arrived on the morning of May 29th, and they skulked about the rock-slides or 
central elevations during the remainder of our stay. One was taken from the 
cypress grove. 
