The general habits of the wrens are so well known that we shall only introduce a brief sketch by Dr. H.D. Minor of the cafion wren as observed by him in Colorado: "At Manitou, local about canons and rock formations, dodging, fluttering, and creeping about cliffs and caves. Easily recognized by its white throat and rich yellowish brown tail, and by its notes, -- a peculiar insectlike chirp, and a delightful song of falling whistles, not loud or intense, but somewhat ecstatic, as if the bird hurried through till out of breath. After early June this song is not often to be heard. June 8, I found a nest and five fresh eggs. The nest was in the roof of a cave, about ten feet from the ground, m a niche or pocket, with an opening so narrow, vertically, that I could neither look in nor introduce my hand. Fortunately, however, the rock was so soft that I easily removed the bottom slab on which the nest rested. This, as one looks down upon it, suggests the eastern wood pewee's. It is composed of twigs, stalks, and bits of leaves, surrounded by a few loose sticks, and thickly felted with down, silk, and a few feathers."
An interesting troglodytine genus is the Indian Pnaepyga, with booted tarsi, like the dippers, and very short tail, which is invisible, being completely hidden by the tail-coverts and the feathers of the rump.
The so-called ground-tit, or perhaps better wren-tit (Chamcea fasciata), a remarkably isolated form both as to characters and habitat, being confined to California, has very little in common with the true tits except the very long, soft, and lax plumage. A special family, Cananas, has been established for it, but I see no reason for separating it so far from the Troglodytidae, from which it seems to differ chiefly by the presence of strong rictal bristles, and, accordingly, I am most inclined to regard the Chamaeinae only as a sub-family of the wrens. Their habits seem also to be very wren-like, but the information is somewhat scanty.
