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TITMICE-WRENS-GREY-C1ROWNED FINC14.
specimens measured i.04 by 0.75 and I.I5 by 0.76. They are
pale gi ayish-green, spotted all over with several shades of reddish-
brown, sometimes so thickly, especially at the larger end, as to
hide the ground-color.
Chestnut-backed Titmouse, Chickadee, or Tit. (Parus rufescens.)
Fig. 3.
This is one of our restless little species, that is frequently met
with on the coast ranges to the Pacific, from Sitka to Santa Cruz.
The social feeling and sympathy of these little creatures for their
companions is far ahead of some of God's more divine creatures.
Let man approach their nest, or thin their ranks with a gun, and
he will be surprised to see the courage, anxiety, and solicitude they
show for one another. According to Nuttall, " they are commonly
seen in small flocks of all ages in the autumn and winter, when
they move about briskly, and emit a number of feeble, querulous
notes, after the manner of the Chickadee, or common species,
Parus atricapillus, but seldom utter anything like a song, though
now and then, as they glean about, they utter a t'she, de, de, or
t'dee, t'dee, dee, their more common querulous call, however, being
like t'she, dg, de, vait, t'she, de, de, vaoit; sometimes also a con-
fused warbling chatter. The busy troop, accompanied often by
the Carolina species, and the Regulus tricolor, are seen flitting
through bushes and thickets, carefully gleaning insects and larva
for an instant, and are then off to some other place around, pro-
ceeding with restless activity to gratify the calls of hunger and the
stimulus of caprice. Thus they are seen to rove for miles together,
until satisfied or fatigued, when they retire to rest in the recesses
of the darkest forests, situations which they eventually choose for
their temporary domicile, where in solitude and retirement they
rear their young, and for the whole of the succeeding autumn and
winter remain probably together in families." The nest is said to
be made of "1 large quantities of hypna and lichens, copiously and
coarsely lined with deer's hair and large feathers, such as those of
the Grouse and Jays."
Least Titmouse, Chestnut-crowned Titmouse, or Tit. (Psaltri arus
minimus.)
Fig. 4.
The Pacific coast to Sierra Nevada is the abiding-place of this
species. It is closely related to the Leader Titmouse. "Hopping
about in the hazel thickets," says Nuttall, " which border the
allu-
vial meadows of the river, they appeared very intent and industri-
ously engaged in quest of small insects, chirping now and then a
slender call of recognition. They generally flew off in pairs, but
were by no means shy, and kept always in the low bushes or the
skirt of the woods. The following day I heard the males utter a
sort of weak, monotonous, short, and quaint song, and about a
week afterward I had the good fortune to find the nest, about which
the male was so particularly solicitous as almost unwittingly to
draw me to the spot, where hung from a low bush, about four feet
from the ground, his little curious mansion, formed like a long
purse, with a round hole for entrance near the top. It was made
chiefly of moss, down, and lint of plants, and lined with some feath-
ers. The eggs, six in number, were pure white."
Rook Wren. (Salpinctus o6sobtes.)
Fig. S.
This large species of North American Wren was first discov-
ered by Major Long's exploring party, near the Arkansas river, in
the neighborhood of the Rocky Mountains. It is said to inhabit
sterile districts devoid of trees. Nuttall says: "Among these arid
and bare hills of the central table-land they were quite common.
The old ones were feeding and watching a brood of four or five
young, which, though fully grown, were protected and cherished
with the querulous assiduity so characteristic of the other Wrens.
They breed under the rocky ledges, where we so constantly ob-
served them, beneath which they skulk at once when surprised, and
pertinaciously hide in security, like so many rats. Indeed, so sud-
denly do they disappear among the rocks, and remain so silent in
their retreat, that it is scarcely possible to believe them beneath
your feet, till after the lapse of a few minutes you hear a low,
cautious chirp, and the next instant, at the head of the ravine, the
old female probably again appears, scolding and jerking in the
most angry attitudes she is capable of assuming."
"I This species," says Coues, " is especially characteristic
of the
interior mountainous regions of the West, although, to the south.
ward at least, it reaches the Pacific Coast. It is reported from va-
rious parts of California, from Cape St. Lucas, and from Mexico.
Mr. Allen found it in Colorado, Mr. Merriam in Utah, where it was
abundant about White Sulphur Springs, Mr. Holden in Wyoming,
and Dr. Hayden states that it is numerous in the ' bad lands.' I
frequently saw it in Upper Arizona, in rocky fastnesses, where its
peculiar song always attracted attention. Dr. Cooper states that a
nest from a wood-pile on the Upper Missouri was composed of a
loose flooring of sticks, lined with a great quantity of feathers, and
contained nine eggs of a reddish color, thickly spotted with choc-
olate. He also found nests at San Diego, under tiled roofs, con-
taining young, in May. According to Mr. Holden, the nest is
merely a few sticks and bits of moss put carelessly together: ' One
was placed under a rock as large as a dog-house, and in it were four
young ones, which scampered off while I was removing the rock.'
The eggs are four to eight in number, measuring 0.72 by o.6o
inches, being thus much rounded. The shell is white, of crystal
purity and smoothness, very sparingly sprinkled with minute dots of
reddish-brown, chiefly aggregated at, or in a wreath around, the
larger end; but a few other specks are commonly scattered over the
whole surface."
Bewick's Wren. (Thryothorus beivickii.)
Fig. 6.
This beautiful little species is closely allied to the Carolirl C
Mocking Wren. It was first discovered and figured by Audubon
Its song consists of a low twitter. Its habits and characteristics
are somewhat similar to other Wrens.
Audubon says: " For several days, during which I occasionally
saw it, it moved along the bars of the fences, with the tail gener-
ally erect, looking from the bar on which it stood toward the one
next above, and caught spiders and other insects, as it ran along
from one panel of the fence to another in quick succession, now
and then uttering a low twitter, the only sound which I heard it
emit. It occasionally hopped sidewise, now with its head toward
me, and again in the contrary direction, at times descending to the
ground to inspect the lower bar, but only for a few moments, and,
as if about to sing, would for an instant raise its head and lower
its tail, but without giving utterance to any musical notes. In
shape, color, and movements, it nearly resembles the great Caro-
lina Wren and the House Wren. It has not, however, the quick-
ness of motion, nor the liveliness, of either of these birds."
The Grey-crowned Finch. (Leucostiote tephrocotis.)
Fig. 7.
Up to within a few years, this species was considered very
rare. According to Dr. Hayden's ornithological researches, it was
discovered to be abundant in the Wind River Mountains, where
numerous specimens were procured. Of their habits Mr. Holden
iO2