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 Sept., 913 CALL-NOTES AND MANNERISMS OB 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 I 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 w6ather, that if there are any Wren-tits in the vicinity at all, it does not take long to determine the fact. It proxies 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 (Chamaea 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 verified. 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 whistle. ' . 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: pitpitpit--- 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 whistle; a noise, like scratching of dry rough-barked weed 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.