WRENS: CANYON WREN 
545 
sters, easily recognized by the white chalk marks on their black backs, 
and their doubled-back tails, were found at Lake La Jara and Lake 
Burford, but neither at Boulder nor Horse Lakes, as there were no 
tides for them to live in. At the Burford Lakes one would fly out in 
the border of weeds looking for insects, but when surprised would 
dart back into the tides and, like a pygmy, stand at the foot of one 
of the long stalks with white throat raised, watching developments. 
The Wrens were still common during late October, 1908, Mr. 
Bailey found, in the tules around the spring at San Rafael, and “often 
came up in the morning sunshine to grind out their little rattling, 
squeaky song with almost springtime glee. They must breed there in 
great numbers” (MS). 
CANYON WREN: Catherpes mexicanus conspersus Ridgway 
Plate 58 
Description. — Length: S.5-5.7 inches, wing 2.2-2.4, tail 2-2.4, bill .7-8, tarsus 
.6-.7. Adults: Brown , except for white throat and breast; upperparts light brown, 
grayish on head, everywhere dotted with small dusky and whitish spots; tail rusty 
brown crossed with narrow black bars; wing quills dark brown barred; anterior 
underparts pure white, shading below into rusty brown. 
Range. —Upper and Lower Sonoran Zones of Great Basin and Rocky Mountain 
region from British Columbia (local), eastern California, along desert ranges, Nevada, 
Utah, and Colorado south to western Texas, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Lower Cali¬ 
fornia. 
State Records. —No general migration is performed by the Canyon Wren in 
New Mexico, but it is a great wanderer and when met with outside of the nesting 
season may be far from its nesting site. (It is well scattered over the State and com¬ 
mon in suitable places where there are deep, rough canyons (Ligon, 1916-1918); 
common near the foot of La Bajada Hill and in Canyon el Diablo near Buckman 
(Jensen, 1922).] It ranges north and south across the State and east to Dark Canyon 
and the Carlsbad Caves, at the east base of the Guadalupe Mountains (Bailey); 
Bear Canyon, San Andres Mountains, and Gran Quivira (Gout); Santa Rosa (Bailey); 
Las Vegas (Batchelder); and near the base of Sierra Grande (Ilowell). It ranges up 
the Rio Grande to Rinconada (Surber); and in northwestern New Mexico to the lower 
edge of the yellow pines in Santa Clara Canyon, and up the Puerco Valley to near 
Cabezon (Bailey); [Lake Burford (Wetmore, 1918)]; and to Gallup (Birdseye). It 
probably occurs also locally in the extreme northwestern part of the State, for it is 
fairly common in southwestern Colorado. Near Chloride, at 6,000 and 6,300 feet, 
young were found in the nest May 31, 1913 [nests were found May 16 and 26, 1916 
(Ligon) ]. The larger part seem to be placed between 5,500 and 6,500 feet. 
In the fall, the species was found September 10, 1914, at Fort Bayard (Rockhill); 
October 17, 1906, as high as 7,800 feet on Silver Creek just east of Mogollon in the 
Mogoilon Mountains (Bailey); and September, 1908, as low as 4,500 feet at the base 
of the Little Florida Mountains (Goldman). 
[In winter it was common on the Rio Grande Bird Reserve November 23- 
December 9, 1916]; several were found in the Guadalupe Mountains at about 6,500 
feet, January, 1915 (Willett); and they were quite common in the canyon at Cur- 
rumpa, January 15 and 19, 1894 (Seton).—W. W. Cooke. 
