90 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK 



arrive early in May and remain into October. A few even 

 spend the winter in thick tangles of cat-tails near the coast. 

 In the tidal marshes they frequent the ditches, and nest in 

 the high-tide bushes (Iva). 



The Wrens sing all day and through much of the night, 

 often flying up over the cat-tails or grass, and singing as 

 they descend. In making their way through cat-tails, they 

 grasp the stalks with their strong feet, often standing with 

 each foot on a separate stalk and their tails cocked over their 

 backs so far that the white under tail-coverts show. When 

 disturbed, they often show themselves only for a moment, 

 and then disappear into the rushes, where they keep up a 

 harsh scolding, or when reassured, pour out again their rapid, 



The alarm-note is 

 The nest is 

 made of the stalks of cat-tails bent 

 into a globular shape and fastened 

 to cat-tails or to high-tide bushes. 

 It is lined "with the soft down from 

 the cat-tail head, and is entered 

 through an opening at the side. 

 The nest that contains the eggs is often a shabby-looking 

 afl'air, made of old brown stalks, while all about are empty 

 nests of fresh green cat-tails. These are busily woven by the 

 male — why, no one knows. 



The ivhite line over the eye, the blackish, unstreaked head, 

 and the black patch on the vpper back distinguish this wren 

 from the following species. 



bubbling song. 



an energetic tschiik. 



Fig. 5. 



Long-billed Marsh 

 Wren 



Short-billed Marsh Wren, 



4.00 



Cistothorus stellaris 



Ad. — Upper parts brown, streaked with black and white; 

 lower parts huffy, especially on the sides; no distinct line over eye. 



Nest, globular, with the opening at the side; made of grasses 

 bent over and fastened to the stalks of stout grass, on or near the 

 ground. Eggs, white, generally unspotted. 



