434 



INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. 



occasionally imitating, in his way, the squalling of the 

 crying child within, so that, like the Mocking Bird, all 

 sounds if novel, contribute to his amusement. 



The Mimicking Wren is about 5^ inches long, and 7 in alar dimen- 

 sions. Above chesnut-brown, the wings and tail barred with dusky; 

 a streak of yellowish- white passes over the eye and descends to the 

 sides of the neck ; below that, a streak of reddish brown extends from 

 behind the eye to the shoulder. The chin is yellowish-white or pale 

 gray, the rest of the body below is of a pale rust-color; the vent 

 white, barred with black. Wing-coverts minutely tipt with white. 

 Legs and feet dusky flesh-color. Bill | of an inch long, with the 

 upper mandible bluish-black, the lower lighter. Tail wedge-shaped, 

 the 2 exterior feathers on each side | of an inch shorter. — As in the 

 two preceding species, the feathers of the lower part of the back when 

 parted appear below spotted with white, but broadly tipt above with 

 reddish-brown. 



BEWICK'S WREN. 



( Troglodytes Bewickii, Audubon, pi. 18. Orn. Biog. i. p. 96.) 



Sp. Charact. — Chesnut-brown; beneath cinereous inclining to 

 white ; stripe over the eye pale yellowish-brown ; tail long, and 

 rounded, the lateral feathers spotted, and the external t)arred on 

 the outer webs with black and white. 



For the discovery of this beautiful species of Wren, 

 apparently allied to the preceding, with which it seems 

 nearly to agree in size, we are indebted to the indefati- 

 gable Audubon, in whose splendid work it is for the first 

 time figured, almost with the spirit and animation of 

 life itself It was observed by its discoverer, towards the 

 approach of winter, in the lower part of Louisiana. Its 

 manners are very similar to those of other species, but 

 instead of a song, at this season, it only uttered a low 

 twitter. 



Length 5 inches, alar extent 6^. Wings slenderly barred with 

 dusky. Tail long, the central feathers chesnut, barred with dusky, 

 the rest nearly black, with the outer webs crossed with white. The 



