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, 

 bubbling song. The alarm-note is 

 an energetic tschuk. 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 

 Fig. 5. Long-billed Marsh the cat-tail head, and is entered 

 through an opening at the side. 

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

 affair, 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 white line over the eye, the blackish, unstreaked head, 

 and the black patch on the upper back distinguish this wren 

 from the following species. 



Short-billed Marsh Wren. Cistothorus stellaris 

 4.00 



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

 lower parts buff]/, 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. 



