May 



becomes a habit — unutterably common in 

 thought and deed, discredited alike on econo- 

 mic and aesthetic grounds, what can possibly 

 be the mission of these, the vilest of the race ? 



No bird name is more familiar than that of 

 the "wren," a familiarity which doubtless is 

 largely due to the prevalence and popularity of 

 the wren in England, where it has received the 

 affectionate personification of " Jenny Wren." 

 With us the wrens are among the least known 

 of the birds, on account of their extreme shy- 

 ness, diminutiveness, and plain coloring, besides 

 the fact that one of the most important species 

 — the winter wren — summers in the far north. 

 Their chief excellence is their song, which is 

 remarkably vivacious and powerful, but quite 

 indescribable from its rapidity and intricacy. 



The two principal species are the " winter " 

 and the ''house" wren, and I occasionally 

 found a specimen of the latter during the 

 month. They are exceedingly alike, the plu- 

 mage being "wren-brown," with a distinctly 

 wavy effect. The two species are respectively 

 about four and five inches in length, the differ- 

 ence largely due to the extent of the tail, which 



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