Part 20

This Wren was first discovered by Mr. Say near the Arkansas River, inhabiting a sterile district devoid of trees, hopping along the ground or flitting through the low, stunted junipers on the banks of the river, usually in small flocks of five or six. Nuttall afterwards found them in July on the Western Colorado. The note of the female was _charr-charr-te-aigh_, with a strong guttural accent, and with a shrill call similar to the note of the Carolina Wren. The old birds were feeding a brood of five young, which, though full grown, were cherished with querulous assiduity. He found them nesting among the rocky ledges, in the crevices of which they hide themselves when disturbed. Mr. Nuttall also met with this species near Fort Vancouver. Mr. Salvin states that in several instances it has been met with in Guatemala.

The eggs of this Wren obtained by Dr. Palmer in Arizona have a clear white ground, sparingly spotted with well-defined, distinct dottings of brownish-red. These are chiefly distributed around the larger end. They vary somewhat in size and shape, some being of a more rounded form, though all have one end more pointed than the other. The length is pretty uniform, .77 of an inch. The breadth varies from .60 to .66 of an inch. They are larger and more oblong than the eggs of any other Wren, except perhaps the _mexicanus_, and bear little resemblance to any other eggs of this family with which I am acquainted, except those of the Winter Wren, and the egg attributed to _T. americanus_.

The nest is homogeneous in structure, composed entirely of thin strips of reddish-colored bark and fine roots, interspersed with a few small bits of wool. It is distorted by packing, so that measurements of it would be valueless; its dimensions in its pressed condition are: diameter, 5 inches; depth, 2 inches. The cavity is shallow and saucer-shaped.

From Mr. Ridgway we learn that from the summit of the Sierra Nevada eastward, as far as the party explored, he found this Wren universally distributed. In the middle provinces of the Rocky Mountains it was the most abundant species of the family, but was not so abundant in the Wahsatch Mountains. The general resort of this species was among rocky or stony hill-slopes, though it was not confined to such localities. At Carson City he found it particularly partial to the rubbish of the decaying pine-logs. At Virginia City it was the only Wren seen frequenting the old buildings and abandoned mining-shafts, in its predilection for such places reminding him very much of the _Thryothorus ludovicianus_, which in its manners it very strongly resembles.

Mr. Ridgway noticed a wonderful variety in the notes of this Wren. Its peculiarly guttural _turee_ was repeatedly heard, and its song in spring had a slight resemblance in modulation to that of the Carolina Wren, though altogether lacking the power and richness so characteristic of the superb song of that bird. Frequently its song was changed into a prolonged monotonous trill, similar to the tremulous spring-call of the _Junco hyemalis_.

This species is not so wary as the _Catherpes mexicanus_. Upon suddenly starting up an individual of this kind, he would fly to the nearest boulder, turn with his breast towards the party, swing oddly from side to side, all the while ludicrously bowing and scolding the intruder with his peculiar sharp expressions of displeasure.

Dr. Cooper, in his paper on the Fauna of the Territory of Montana, states that he observed this bird occasionally through the main Rocky Mountain chain to near the crossing of the Bitterroot, but it was less common than among the cliffs and rocks of the barren plain along their eastern slope. Though he did not find it in the western part of Washington Territory, he has no doubt that it frequents parts of the rocky cañons of the Columbia Plain. A nest with nine eggs was found in a log-cabin below Fort Benton.

GENUS CATHERPES, BAIRD.

_Catherpes_, BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 357. (Type, _Thryothorus mexicanus_, SW.)

GEN. CHAR. Bill longer than the head, slender; all the outlines nearly straight to the tip, then gently decurved, gonys least so; nostrils linear; tarsus short, about equal to the middle toe, which reaches to the middle of the middle claw. Outer toe considerably longer than the inner, reaching beyond the base of the middle claw. Wings a little longer than the tail; the exposed portion of the first primary about half that of the fourth and fifth. Tail-feathers very broad and perfectly plane; tail nearly even; the two lateral graduated; the outer about eleven twelfths of the middle.

[Line drawing: _Catherpes mexicanus._ 3969 ♂]

This genus agrees with _Salpinctes_ in the broad, plane tail-feathers, but the bill is much longer, the nostrils linear, not oval, the feet much stouter, the outer toe rather longer; the tarsus shorter, being equal to the middle toe, not longer; the hind toe much longer than the outer lateral, instead of equal to it. The wings are but little longer than the tail, and shorter than in _Salpinctes_.

This genus is confined to the western portions, where a single species, _C. mexicanus_, occurs in two well-marked varieties:—

C. mexicanus.

Culmen almost straight, the tip decurved, gonys straight. Above blackish-brown; wings and back sparsely sprinkled with minute white specks; _no such markings on head or neck_. Bars on tail very broad, .12 in width on outer feathers. Wing, 2.84; tail, 2.40; culmen, .96; tarsus, .75; middle toe, .68; posterior, .47; outer, .52; inner, .49 (52,791, Mazatlan, Mexico). _Hab._ Mexico … var. _mexicanus_.

Culmen and gonys both gently curved, the latter somewhat concave. Above cinnamon-ashy, more reddish on rump and wings; head and neck above with numerous dots of white; very few of these on back and wings. Tail-bars very narrow and thread-like. Wing, 2.48; tail, 2.12; culmen, .83; tarsus, .56; middle toe, .52; posterior, .35; outer, .44; inner, .36 (53,425 ♂, Fort Churchill, Nevada). _Hab._ Middle (and Pacific?) Province of United States … var. _conspersus_.

In var. _mexicanus_ the white of throat is more abruptly defined against the rufous of abdomen than in var. _conspersus_, in which the transition is very gradual. The latter has the secondaries rufous with narrow isolated bars of black; the former has them blackish, _indented_ on lower webs with dark rufous. In _mexicanus_ the feet are very stout, and dark brown; in _conspersus_ they are much weaker, and deep black.

All specimens from south of the United States (including Giraud’s type of _Certhia albifrons_) belong to the restricted _mexicanus_, while all from the United States are of the var. _conspersus_.

Catherpes mexicanus, var. conspersus, RIDGWAY.

CAÑON WREN; WHITE-THROATED ROCK WREN.

_Troglodytes mexicanus_, HEERMANN, J. A. N. Sc. 2d ser. II, 1853, 63.—IB. P. R. R. Rep. X, 1859, 41.—CASSIN, Illust. Birds Cal. I, 1854, 173, pl. xxx. _Catherpes mexicanus_, BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 356 (in part); Rev. III (in part).—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 66. _Catherpes mexicanus_ var. _conspersus_, RIDGWAY.

SP. CHAR. (No. 53,425 ♂, near Fort Churchill, Nevada, December 7, 1867; R. RIDGWAY). Above, brownish-ashy on the anterior, and bright cinnamon-rufous on the posterior half, the two colors shading insensibly together. The anterior, or grayish portion thickly sprinkled with numerous small circular dots of white, each preceded by a smaller speck of dusky; a few of these dots on the rump. Wings with obsolete, ragged, narrow, _isolated_ bars of dusky, these most sharply defined on the secondaries. Tail clear rufous, crossed with about nine very narrow, thread-like, somewhat zigzag bars of black,—these about .02 wide on the middle, and .07 on the outer feather. Beneath, anterior third, pure silky-white, shading insensibly into soft ochraceous on the breast, this soon darkening into deep ferruginous, the color of all the posterior lower parts; the whole of this ferruginous surface, with very obsolete transverse spots of white, each preceded by a narrower dusky one. Length, 5.75; extent of wings, 7.50 (fresh); wing, 2.48; tail, 2.13; culmen, .83; tarsus, .56. Bill deep slate, paler, and with lilaceous tinge, at base of lower mandible; iris umber; tarsi and toes black (fresh colors).

HAB. Central region of North America, from boundary of United States northward. Extends up Valley of Colorado. Western Nevada, resident; RIDGWAY.

The above characters apply to all specimens of _Catherpes_ from north of Mexico, as substantiated by a sufficient series in the collection. It is a remarkable fact that this northern race should be so much smaller than the Mexican one, especially in view of the fact that it is a resident bird in even the most northern parts of its ascertained habitat.

HABITS. The geographical distribution of this race of the White-throated Wren, so far as known, is confined to the line of the United States and Mexican boundary, extending northward up the Valley of the Colorado, as far as Western Nevada. The corresponding Mexican race reaches some distance southward, but has not yet been detected beyond the limits of Mexico. The habits of both races, however, are quite similar, as far as known.

Dr. Heermann first met with this Wren in the spring of 1851, on the Cosumnes River. In the following year he procured three specimens on the Calaveras River. He describes it as an active, sprightly bird, having a loud and pleasing song that may be heard a great distance, and which it repeats at short intervals. When found, it was occupied with searching for insects, between and under the large boulders of rock that, in some portions of the river, are thrown together in confused masses, as if by some terrific convulsion of nature.

Dr. Kennerly also met with this species in similar localities among the hills bordering upon the Big Sandy, where the rocks are also described as piled up thick and high. They were darting from rock to rock and creeping among the crevices with great activity, constantly repeating their peculiar and singular note. The great rapidity of their motions rendered it difficult to procure a specimen. He did not observe this bird anywhere else.

Their occurrence equally in such wild and desolate regions and in the midst of crowded cities indicates that the abundance of their food in either place, and not the absence or presence of man, determines this choice of residence. When first observed they were supposed to nest exclusively in deep and inaccessible crevices of rocks, where they were not likely to be traced. Mr. H. E. Dresser afterwards met with its nest and eggs in Western Texas, though he gives no description of either. He found this species rather common near San Antonio, where it remained to breed. One pair frequented a printing-office at that place, an old half-ruined building, where their familiar habits made them great favorites with the workmen, who informed him that the previous spring they had built a nest and reared their young in an old wall close by, and that they became very tame. At Dr. Heermann’s rancho on the Medina he procured the eggs of this bird, as well as those of the Louisiana and Bewick’s Wren, by nailing up cigar-boxes, with holes cut in front, wherever these birds were likely to build.

Mr. Sumichrast describes its nest[29] as very skilfully wrought with spiders’ webs, and built in the crevices of old walls, or in the interstices between the tiles under the roofs of the houses. A nest with four eggs, supposed to be those of this species, was obtained in Western Texas by Mr. J. H. Clark; it was cup-shaped, not large, and with only a slight depression. The eggs, four in number, were unusually oblong and pointed for eggs of this family, and measured .80 by .60 of an inch, with a crystalline-white ground, profusely covered with numerous and large blotches of a reddish or cinnamon brown.

So far as the observations of Mr. Ridgway enabled him to notice this bird, he found it much less common than the _Salpinctes obsoletus_, and inhabiting only the most secluded and rocky recesses of the mountains. Its common note of alarm is described as a peculiarly ringing _dīnk_. It has a remarkably odd and indescribably singular chant, utterly unlike anything else Mr. Ridgway ever heard. This consisted of a series of detached whistles, beginning in a high fine key, every note clear, smooth, and of equal length, each in succession being a degree lower than the preceding one, and only ending when the bottom of the scale is reached. The tone is soft, rich, and silvery, resembling somewhat the whistling of the Cardinal Grosbeak.

It was often seen to fly nearly perpendicularly up the face of a rocky wall, and was also noticed to cling to the roof of a cave with all the facility of a true Creeper.

GENUS THRYOTHORUS, VIEILL.

_Thryothorus_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816, 45. (Type, _Troglodytes arundinaceus_, “_Troglodyte des Roseaux_,” VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 55 = _Sylvia ludoviciana_, LATH.)

[Line drawing: _Thryothorus ludovicianus_ 7113]

GEN. CHAR. Bill compressed, rather slender; height about one fourth the length above. Culmen and commissure gently curved throughout; gonys straight; tip very obsoletely notched. Nostrils in the lower edge of anterior extremity of the nasal groove, narrowly elliptical, overhung by a stiff scale-like roof of the thickened membrane of the upper part of the nasal groove, the crescentic edge rounded. The septum of nostrils imperforate; the posterior part of the nasal cavity with a short septum projecting into it parallel with the central, not perpendicular as in _Microcerculus_. Wings and tail about equal, the latter moderately rounded; the first primary more than half the second, about half the longest. Tarsi rather short, scarcely exceeding middle toe. Anterior scutellæ distinct, rest of each side of tarsi in a continuous plate. Lateral toes equal.

The diagnoses of the North American species are as follows:—

Species and Varieties.

COMMON CHARACTERS. Head above, and back, of much the same color. Crissum barred transversely; rest of under parts plain. Upper tail-coverts and exposed surface of wings barred. Iris hazel. Nest in holes or with an arched covering. Eggs reddish-white, spotted with red and purple.

_a. Thryothorus._

T. ludovicianus. Tail-feathers reddish-brown, barred with black. Greater wing-coverts spotted with whitish.

Beneath yellow-whitish, washed occasionally with rusty. Sides plain. Bill from nostril, .45. Length, 6.00. _Hab._ Eastern Province United States … var. _ludovicianus_.

Beneath rufous; lighter on throat and along median line. Sides obsoletely barred with dusky. Bill from nostril, .56. Length, 5.25. _Hab._ Lower Rio Grande … var. _berlandieri_.

_b. Telmatodytes._

T. bewickii. Tail-feathers, except central, black; the exposed surface and tips only varied with white. Length, 5.50.

Above dark rufous-brown; beneath plumbeous-white; flanks tinged with brown. Rump and exposed secondaries distinctly banded. Quills and middle tail-feathers brownish-black. Length from nostril, .39; along gape, .70. _Hab._ Eastern Province United States … var. _bewickii_.

Above ashy-brown; beneath, including flanks, clear white; rump ashy, and, like secondaries, very obsoletely barred. Quills and middle tail-feathers grayish-brown. _Hab._ Southern border of United States, into Mexico … var. _leucogaster_.

Colors intermediate between the two last. Bill longer, from nostril, .50, from gape, .81. _Hab._ Pacific Province … var. _spilurus_.

SUBGENUS THRYOTHORUS, VIEILL.

Thryothorus ludovicianus, var. ludovicianus, BONAP.

GREAT CAROLINA WREN.

_Sylvia ludoviciana_, LATH. Ind. Orn. II, 1790, 548. _Troglodytes ludovicianus_, LICHT. Verz. 1823, 35; also of BONAPARTE, AUDUBON, and PRINCE MAX. _Thryothorus ludovicianus_, BON. List. 1838, etc.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 361; Rev. 123. _Troglodytes arundinaceus_, VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 55, pl. cviii. (Certainly this species; the habits those of _C. palustris_.) _Certhia caroliniana_, WILSON, Am. Orn. II, 1810, 61, pl. xii, fig. 5. _Thryothorus littoralis_, VIEILL. Nouv. Dict. XXXIV. 1819, 56. _Thryothorus louisianæ_, LESSON, Rev. Zoöl. 1840, 262. Additional figures: AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, pl. lxxvii.—IB. Birds Am. II, 1841, pl. cxvii.

SP. CHAR. Exposed portion of the bill shorter than the head. Above reddish-brown, most vivid on the rump. A whitish streak over the eye, bordered above with dark brown. Throat whitish; rest of under parts pale yellow-rusty, darkest towards the under tail-coverts, which are conspicuously barred with black. Exposed surface of the wings and tail (including the upper coverts) barred throughout with brown, the outer edges of tail-feathers and quills showing series of alternating whitish and dusky spots. Legs flesh-colored. Length, 6 inches; wing, 2.60; tail, 2.45.

HAB. Eastern Province of United States, from New York southward to the Gulf.

HABITS. The Great Carolina or Mocking Wren is found in all the Southeastern and Southern States from Florida to Maryland, and from the Atlantic to Kansas and the Valley of the Rio Grande. It is not common about Washington, but is much more abundant in the Southern States. Occasionally it has been found as far north as Philadelphia, and in one or two instances near New York, where Mr. Lawrence has twice seen it, and where on one occasion it appeared to be breeding. Dr. Woodhouse found it very abundant throughout Texas and the Indian Territory. It is also abundant, and resident, in Southern Illinois, as far north as latitude 38° 20′ 20″.

The habits and movements of this species, as described by those who have had the best opportunities for observing it, correspond with those of the whole family of Wrens. Its flight is usually only in short distances, and is accompanied with short flappings of the wings, and violent jerkings of the body and the tail. The latter is usually kept erect. It moves with quick jerks, and with sharp, rapid notes uttered as if in anger. It is in sight one moment and out the next, passes in at one place and out at another with the rapidity of thought. Mr. Audubon often saw it singing from the roof of an abandoned flat-boat, near New Orleans, and when its song was ended it would creep from one board to the next, enter an augur-hole at one place to reappear at another, catching numerous spiders and other insects all the while.

Occasionally its movements are like those of a Creeper, ascending to the upper branches of trees of a moderate height, or climbing a grapevine, searching diligently among the leaves and in the crevices of the bark for insects.

This species possesses a great variety and power of song. It is also said to have and to exhibit remarkable powers of imitation, with a great variety in its appropriated notes of other birds, giving, with modulations, the hoarse rattle of the Kingfisher, the lively notes of the Tufted Titmouse, the simple refrain of the Ground Robin, with those of the Grakles, the Meadow Lark, the Bluebird, and others. Like the common Wren, the Carolina generally builds its nest in the hollow of some tree or stump, or any other convenient cavity. At other times it constructs its own habitation without any other protection than the thick branches of a vine or shrub. In these situations they are long and deep, and have an artificial roofing, often separate from the nest itself. The materials employed in their construction are hay, grasses, leaves, feathers, horse-hair, and dry fibres of the long Spanish moss. They are softly and warmly lined with fur, hair, and feathers. The nest is not unfrequently five or six inches in depth, while the opening is not large enough to admit more than one bird at a time. They sometimes raise three broods in a season.

It breeds as far north as Philadelphia, Mr. Audubon having found its nest in a swamp in New Jersey, opposite that city.

Although seemingly studious of concealment, and shy and retiring in its habits, Nuttall frequently observed it in Tuscaloosa and other large towns in Alabama, appearing on the tops of barns and out-houses, singing with great energy.

Dr. Cooper, who enjoyed a favorable opportunity of watching these birds in Florida, in the spring and summer of 1859, found a nest of this Wren in the middle of March. It was built in a small box on a shelf in a mill, and was about four feet from the ground. It was arched over at the top, though this was not necessary to shelter it. This covering was formed of shavings, with a few small sticks and straws. Four eggs were laid. The birds were very tame, and were not alarmed by the loud noise of the mill, nor by a cat almost always present. Another nest found by Dr. Cooper was built in a small hole in the trunk of a tree, not more than six inches from the ground. This nest was not arched over. Its close proximity to a dwelling-house alone protected it from wild animals.

The eggs of this Wren are usually six or seven in number, and vary in size and shape. They are for the most part of a spheroidal-oval shape, though some are more oblong than others. Their length varies from .75 to .70 of an inch, and their greatest breadth from .60 to .65. The ground-color is a reddish-white, profusely covered with blotches of purple, slate, reddish-brown, and red. These are generally and pretty equally diffused, and are not more abundant at the larger end than elsewhere.

Thryothorus ludovicianus, var. berlandieri, COUCH.

BERLANDIER’S WREN.

_Thryothorus berlandieri_, COUCH, BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 362, pl. lxxxiii, fig. 1 (New Leon); Rev. 124.

SP. CHAR. Exposed portion of bill nearly as long as the head. Above dark rusty-brown, most vivid on the rump. A whitish streak over the eye, bordered above with brown. Chin white; rest of under parts dark brownish-red; the under tail-coverts and sides of the body barred with dusky. Exposed surface of wings and tail barred throughout with dusky. Legs flesh-color. Length, 5.25; wing, 2.25; tail, 2.12.

HAB. Valley of Rio Grande.

The distinctive features of this race will be found indicated on page 141. This form bears to the _T. ludovicianus_ about the same relation that _Harporhynchus longirostris_ does to _H. rufus_; and is hardly to be considered a distinct “species” from it. It should be noted that in both cases the lengthened bill and deeper color belong to the Rio Grande. It has not yet been met with north of the Rio Grande, but doubtless extends into Texas. Nothing is known of its habits.

SUBGENUS THRYOMANES, SCLAT.

_Thryomanes_, SCLATER, Catal. Am. Birds, 1861, 21. (Type _Troglodytes bewickii_.)

[Line drawing: _Thryothorus bewickii._ 2047 ♂]