August, 1897. 
Land-Birds Observed on San Clemente Island. 
21 
30. Thryothorus leucophrys —San Clemente Wren. 
Very common in the vicinity of Smuggler’s Cove on the lower 
mesas. The thickest beds of. cactus are its favorite resorts, 
although the cherry brush along the canons is but little less 
frequented. The song of this wren is short but vivaceous and 
often repeated; it, of course, resembles closely the song of the 
Vigor’s Wren on the mainland. At the time of my first visit, 
the San Clemente Wrens were undoubtedly nesting, and I sus¬ 
pect even had young as early as March 28, for I repeatedly saw 
the old birds fly into cactus patches with insects in their bills. 
However, I failed to find any nests, as the parents invariably 
disappeared among the interlaced stems in the center of the 
cactus beds. In such situations, nests are not generally sought 
after even by foxes, and the wrens seemed to have taken advan¬ 
tage of the fact. During our second visit, the fully-fledged 
juveniles far exceeded the adults both in noise and numbers. 
The curiosity of these birds is easily aroused. If once they 
realize that a person is hunting them, they will dive to the 
depths of a thicket, and any amount of racket will not drive 
them out; but if the collector sits down quietly and makes any 
low squeaking noise, such as hissing, he soon has a small series 
of bowing, inquisitive wrens to select from. Thirty-three speci¬ 
mens of the San Clemente Wren were taken. 
31. Turdus aonalaschkce —Dwarf Hermit Thrush. 
At the time of my first visit, this bird was common along the 
canons among the cherry bushes. It was probably only a win¬ 
ter visitant. One specimen was taken. 
