COMMON OR WINTER WREN. 427 



The House Wren is from 4^ to 5 inches in length ; and 5| to 6 

 inches in alar extent. Above deep brown, darkest on the head and 

 neck, and becoming much brighter on the rump. All the feathers, 

 except those of the head and neck, barred with dusky. Below dirty 

 whitish grey, nearly white towards the belly, feathers of the vent, 

 and a little above, elegantly barred with dusky, white, and ferrugin- 

 ous ; those just above the rump have large round spots of white be- 

 low, not visible unless separated by the hand. Tail and wings 

 strongly barred. Tail rather long and wedge-shaped. Bill some- 

 what long, upper mandible dusky brown, the lower pale, almost 

 flesh-color. Legs and feet pale whitish yellow. — The female differs 

 very little from the male in plumage. 



COMMON OR WINTER WREN. 



{Troglodytes europceus, Leach. Sylvia troglodytes, Wilson, i. p. 

 139. pi. 8. fig. 6. Troglodytes hyemalis, Vieill. Fhil. Museum, 



No. 7284.) 



Sp. Charact. — Brown, banded with dusky j beneath dull rufous- 

 grayish with obsolete bands ; the tail very short ; bill almost 

 straight. 



This little winter visitor, which approaches the Mid- 

 dle States in the month of October, seems scarcely in 

 any way distinguishable from the Common Wren of 

 Europe. It sometimes passes the winter in Pennsylva- 

 nia, and according to Audubon even breeds in the Great 

 Pine Swamp in that state, as well as in New York. 

 Early in the spring it is seen on its returning route to 

 the northwest. Mr. Say observed it in summer near 

 the base of the Rocky Mountains ; it was also seen, 

 at the same season, on the White Mountains of New 

 Hampshire by the scientific exploring party of Dr. Bige- 

 low, Messrs. Boott, and Gray, so that it must retire to the 

 Western or mountainous solitudes to pass the period of 

 incubation. During its residence in the Middle States it 

 frequents the broken banks of rivulets, old roots, and de- 

 cayed logs near watery places in quest of its insect food. 



