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30 TIlE CONDOR Vol. XIII possible width just as they disappeared. As a rule the dowmvard plunge was made without much apparent effort, the bird simply immersing its head and then vauish- ing with surprising if not mysterious quickness. Occasionally, however, it would spring upwards and forward in the manner of a Grebe or Merganser, sometimes showing not only the entire outline of the lower parts of the body above the surface but also the whole of the legs and feet, just before re-entering the water. This may be done to give greater impetus to the descent; but I observed that the same bird would sometimes alternate one method with the other during a succession of dives made over exactly the same spot. THE PALLID WREN-TIT (CtYAMAEA PStS(YATA HEJV?S7-/A 147) By J. H. BOWLES O any bird student xvho has not previously made their acquaintance, the Wren-Tit must at once stand in the foremost rank of all the California birds. C.f. henshawi is the form of this species that is' found in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, the locality in which all of the following notes have been made. The Wren-Tits are most certainly well named, for their general appearance and shape at once remind one of a greatly magnified BushyTit. ' Add to this their wren-like fondness for haunting the ground and low brush, peering out at you with tail aloft, and the name forms an ideal combination. Occasionally, however, they may be seen gleaning insects among the topmost branches of a live-oak, the tit in lhem seeming to have asserted the mastery over the wren for the time being. Eternal cheerfulness is theirs, beyond a doubt, for they sing every day in the year, be it rain or shine. Their two songs differ completely, and here again they seem to demonstrate their right to a hyphenated family name. The most common song is a rather loud and very pleasing wren-like trill, whioh, incidentally, nine people out of ten in southern California will tell you is that of the Canyon Wren. The other song is a succession of about six or eight, loud and somewhat chicken- tike peeps, rapidly executed and hardly worthy of being called a song. It is quite different from anything else that I have ever heard, except that it forms a very fair elaboration of what some of the Tits consider their song notes. In the matter of food they appear to be very nearly omnivorous. Their main staples are bugs, beetles, larvae and in?ects of all desc. riptions, but they are also fond of the smaller berries, such as those of the Poison Oak (iYhus diverst'loba). For a time I made some attempts at trapping the smaller mammals,using dry bread or cheese as baits, but it was necessary to give this up, as upon every visit to the traps I found that one or more Wren-Tits had succumbed to the temptation of these new items on the bill of fare. Around Santa Barbara.they are resident throughout the year, and to the best of my belief remain mated for life. This theory is based upon the fact that they are almost invariably found travelling in couples; for, should you, at any season come upon one bird, another is sure ?o be only a few feet distant. Nest building commences during the last two weeks of March, my earliest full set of fresh eggs being found on April 4. From that time, eggs may be found until at least the. second week in May, but I have seen no evidence to conclude that more than one -brood' is reared in the season. A rocky hillside, thickly covered with live-oak bushes is the favorite nesting site in this locality, though they may sometimes be