r.r,8 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



of injurious insects which are attaclcing the crops and to delight us with 

 his wonderful song. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult: Entire upper parts, including wings and tail, bright rusty brown; greater and 

 middle wing-coverts tipped with whitish, forming two white bars; under parts white, 

 tliickly marked with s})ots, dashes and streaks of black, except on the chin, throat and 

 middle of belly, which are imspotted; bill mostly black, the base of lower mandible yellow; 

 iris yellow. In autumn all tlie white is likely to be l)uffy. Sexes alike. 



Lengtli 10.50 to 12 inches; wing 4.10 to 4. GO; tail 5 to 5.75; culmen .90 to 1.10. 



Family 67. TROGLODYTID^. Wrens. 

 Our six species may be separated by the following key: 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



A. Upper parts with white or whitish streaks. B, BB. 



B. Both top of head and back with whitish streaks; culmen not over 



f inch. Short-billed Marsh Wren. No. 307. 

 BB. Back alone with whitish streaks; culmen over f inch. Long- 

 billed Marsh Wren. No. 308. 

 AA. Upper parts without whitish streaks. C, CC. 



C. A conspicuous white stripe over and behind the eye; culmen over 



1 inch. D, DD. 



D. Outer tail-feathers conspicuously marked with white toward 



tips. Bewick's Wren, No. 304. 

 DD. Outer tail-feathers without white. Carolina Wren. No. 303. 

 CC. Light line behind eye inconspicuous or wanting; culmen under ^ 

 inch. E, EE. 



E. Under parts whitish with few or no bars except on flanks; tail 



over 1^ inch. House Wren. No. 305. 

 EE. Under parts brownish, thickly barred with black; tail H 

 inch or less. Winter Wren. No. 306. 



303. Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus {Lath.). (718) 



Synonyms: Mocking Wren, Great Carolina Wren, Louisiana Wren.— Sylvia ludoviciana, 

 Lath., 1790.— Troglodytes ludovicianus, Bonap., 1824, Nutt., 1832, Aud., 1841.— Certhia 

 ludoviciana, Wils., 1810. — Thryothorus ludovicianus, Bonap., 1838, A. O. U. Check-list, 

 188G, and most subsequent writers. 



Largest of our wrens, about twice as heavy as the House Wren, which 

 it closely resembles in color, proportions and action; the Carohna Wren, 

 however, in addition to its much greater size, has a conspicuous white line 

 over and behind the eye and is decidedly more reddish or rusty on the 

 back and rump than any of our other wrens. 



Distribution. — Eastern United States, north to southern New York, 

 southern Michigan and southern Nebraska; west to the Plains. Rare 

 or casual in southern New England and southern Ontario. Resident 

 nearly throughout its range. 



This doubtless is the least common of all the wrens found in the state; 

 indeed it is doubtful if it should be considered more than a straggler. 

 Apparently it has been taken al^iut a dozen times within our limits. Mr. 



