Sept, 1913 
CALL-NOTES AND MANNERISMS OF THE WREN-TIT 
179 
somewhat acrimoniously whether or not the author had ever taken the pains to 
acquire even a passing acquaintance with the bird ; and this in spite of its being 
one of the commonest and at the same time the most distinctive species in Cali- 
fornia’s coast district. 
Yet, upon sober second thought, it may be more just to suppose that the 
discrepancies arose, in part, at least, from the different ways in which two peo- 
ple will hear the same sounds, or think they hear them. It is a difficult under- 
taking, too, for anyone ^o describe these sound impressions so as to be at all 
intelligible to some one else. This more charitable view is the one that I hope 
will be meted to me in case some keener observer than T finds errors in my 
description. 
Contrary to published notions, the Wren-tit is without question one of 
our easiest birds to locate and catch sight of. The calls are given at such fre- 
quent intervals throughout the day, even in foul weather, that if there are any 
Wren-tits in the vicinity at all, it does not take long to determine the fact. It 
proves an easy task to ensconce oneself motionless in a thicket in the neighbor- 
hood and “squeak” the birds all about one. By lying on the ground beneath 
tall and dense chapparal, and “squeaking” judiciously, I have had a pair or even 
a family of the birds within arm’s length of me again and again. Their curiosity 
even exceeds that of chickadees and jays. 
The following is a concise analysis of the call-notes of the Wren-tit 
(Chamaca fasciata), devised with a view to conveying to the reader as nearly 
clear a notion as possible of what I think I hear myself. This analysis is based 
on fresh observations, notebook records “taken on the spot” during the past year. 
Previous impressions have been repeatedly A’erified. The station for most of 
my recent observations has been the tract of willow brush on the University 
Campus, Berkeley, about three hundred yards up Strawberry Canyon from the 
old Chemistry Building. 
A. Can be imitated closely by human zvhistle. 
1. Loud series of staccato notes all on same pitch but with decreasing inter- 
vals, the last of the series run together to form a trill : pit pit pit — 
pit — pit-tr-r-r-r-r. Several counts gave from three to five of the first, distinctly- 
uttered, notes. 
2. Loud series of staccato notes all on same pitch but at equally measured 
intervals and not run together into a terminal trill ; pit-pit-pit-pit-pit-pit. 
Several counts gave from three to fourteen notes in the series in the different 
cases. 
3. Low, mournful, measured (but not staccato) series of slurred notes on 
nearly the same pitch ; sometimes a scarcely-to-be-detected descent in pitch to- 
wards the last of the series : keer-keer-keer-keer-keer. From three to eleven 
of these constitute a series. 
4. An extremely faint, single, but clear, “peep”, only to be heard within 
ten feet of the birds. 
B. Cannot be imitated by human voice or zvhistle ; a noise, like scratching 
of dry rough-barked zveed stalks against one another. 
5. Harsh clicking sound, rather loud and set off in abrupt segments; an 
alarm note. 
6. Low and prolonged; similar to last but run together, producing an effect 
as of the rustling of footsteps in dry leaves. 
7. A single, very low “chuck”, uttered by individuals of a pair when re- 
connoitering through dense brush within a very few feet of one another. 
