THRASHERS AND WRENS 168 



The nest of twigs and grass, lined with hair, 

 rootlets, cotton, etc., is placed in a low bush of 

 thicket or hedgerow, often in the shrubbery of 

 the lawn. The eggs are pale blue or green, 

 spotted and blotched with brown. So tame are 

 these birds that they are about the street, parks, 

 and lawns of Southern cities, and on the plan- 

 tation they are as friendly and trustful as the 

 Robins in the North. They are usually perma- 

 nent residents except in the extreme northern 

 portion of their wide range, which extends from 

 Mexico to Illinois and northern New Jersey, 

 even to Maine as accidental visitors. They 

 winter from Virginia southward. 



Carolina Wren. This, the largest of our 

 Wrens, is usually a Southern dweller, as the 

 name implies, that sometimes ventures north- 

 ward even to Maine. They are found nesting 

 in southern New England, but only rarely. In 

 the Southern States they are permanent resi- 

 dents, and very welcome little neighbors they 

 make, for they are one of the very few families 

 that sing all winter, and their song is quite 

 meritorious. I have found them in the winter 

 about the farm buildings, even under the ve- 

 randa and about the woodpile, where they hail 

 the sunrise with their tuneful ''whee-udel, whee- 

 udel, whee-udel.^^ This little minstrel Is an all- 

 day singer, but he is by no means confined to a 

 single lay, for his repertoire includes a variety 

 of tunes, whistles and calls that have caused 

 him to be called the Mocking Wren, although 

 he is probably not a true mocker. 

 . Like all his family, he is a restless sprite, 



