156 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



It is rarely heard singing on the fall migration, or even in winter. In 

 its breeding haunts it sings all day and occasionally into the evening. 

 In addition to its song it has a variety of chirping notes or alarm notes, 

 which have been recorded as churp^ or chick^ or crrrrip by different 

 observers. Saunders (1929a) says: "Its alarm note may be written 

 'trrip' or 'tree'. Another note has been written 'quip-quap'." 



Since the above was written, Mr. Saunders has sent me the follow- 

 ing additional notes on the song : 'The song consists of warbles, rapid 

 notes, and trills interspersed in a great variety of ways. Every 

 song I have recorded contains at least one trill and commonly two or 

 three. Only one contains more than four, but that one contains eight. 

 In 13 of my records the song ends on its highest note, often terminat- 

 ing in a series of rapid notes, so high that they lose their sweet quality 

 and become squeaky. 



"My records show the lowest-pitched note to be D ' ' ' and the 

 highest G ' ' ' ', a range of two tones more than an octave and extend- 

 ing 31/^ tones higher than the highest note on the piano. The average 

 song ranges 3^ tones, but some only 2 tones and one 13 tones, going 

 one-half tone over the octave in range. 



"The great majority of songs are 8 seconds long, or very near it. 

 I have one of nine seconds, and several shorter ones, the shortest be- 

 ing five seconds. But even this one is considerably longer than most 

 bird songs, if we except the long-continued singers. Songs often con- 

 tain short pauses. Some of them, however, according to my ear, are 

 continuous throughout, while others contain two or three pauses and 

 others 20 or 25." 



Wendell Taber tells me that he "watched a winter wren singing. 

 At first the bill is open and moves somewhat, then the bill is stretched 

 unbelievably wide open, and the full last half, or more, of the song 

 pours out with all its many variations of notes, during which period 

 the bill remains motionless." 



Francis H. Allen (MS.) mentions two notes of the adult, a chrrrr 

 with a rising inflection, and a call, or alarm note chut very suggestive 

 of the song sparrow's familiar note, but repeated once or twice, 

 whereas the sparrow's is single ; he calls the note of the young chi-chi- 

 chi-chi^ etc., "suggesting a miniature belted kingfisher." 



Field marks. — The winter wren and the short-billed marsh wren 

 are the smallest wrens, both among the smallest of birds in eastern 

 North America, but the former is much darker and has a much shorter 

 tail, which is often carried erect or even pointed forward, and the 

 light line over the eye is not very conspicuous. The bobbing habit 

 of the winter wren is characteristic. 



Enemies. — Mi'. Forbush (1929) reports thp following incident, 

 which seems rather unusual ; he says : "Mrs. Mary P. Hall writes that 

 on September 30, 1926, she saw several winter wrens very much ex- 



