WRENS 



193 



and grayer on crown, wliere the feathers have the 

 central portion indistinctly darker; brighter or more 

 rufescent on rump and upper tail-coverts; back and 

 shoulders, sometimes narrowly and indistinctly barred 

 with dusky ; upper tail-coverts, narrowly barred with 

 dusky ; tail, greater zi'iny-covcrts, and secondaries, 

 /iroii')/. narroii'ly barred zvith black: primaries dusky, 

 their outer webs spotted with pale brown, these spots in 

 transverse series forming regular, broad bars ; under 

 eye, cheek, and ear regions (except upper portion of the 

 latter), very pale grayish-butTy or dull brownish-white; 

 chin, throat. a)id abdomen, dull lehite, the last some- 

 times speckled with dusky: chest and sides of breast, 

 very pale grayish-brown or grayish-buflfy, passing into 

 a deeper and more decidedly brown hue on sides and 

 flanks, which are barred (narrowly) with darker brown 

 or dusky ; under tail-coverts, dull white tinged or inter- 



mixed with rusty-brown and irregularly barred with 

 black ; iris, brown. 



Nest and Eggs. — Xest : Usually in boxes erected 

 by man for their convenience, under house cornices and 

 eaves, in fact almost anywhere, from the pocket of a 

 scarecrow to 'an old tin can on the ground ; con- 

 structed of small twigs, grass, feathers, spiders' webs, 

 and lined with soft strips of bark, down, or feathers. 

 Eggs : From 6 to 8, dull white so profusely spotted 

 with reddish- or pinkish-brown as to obscure the ground 

 color. 



Distribution. — Eastern United States and Canada ; 

 breeds north to New Brunswick, Maine, Ontario, Michi- 

 gan, and eastern Wisconsin, and south to Virginia 

 and Kentucky; winters in the South Atlantic and 

 Gulf States, and through eastern Texas to eastern 

 Mexico. 



Fussy little " Jenny " Wren has the proud dis- 

 tinction of having forced upon her entire species 

 the popular name which was given her by the 

 early English colonists, in memory of the much 

 milder mannered bird of the old country. As 

 Mrs. \\'right says : " We always speak of Jenny 

 ^^^ren ; always refer to the Wren as she, as we 

 do of a ship. It is Johnny Wren who sings and 

 disports himself generally, but it is Jenny who, 

 by dint of nuich fussing and scolding, keeps her- 

 self well to the front. She chooses the building- 

 site and settles all the little domestic details. If 

 Johnny does not like her choice, he may go awav 

 and stay away ; she will remain where she has 

 taken up her abode and make a second matri- 

 monial venture." ( Birdcraft.) 



This is an accurate estimate of the character 

 of Jenny who, in truth, is a good deal of a shrew, 

 and a chronic scold on general principles. By the 

 same token, Johnny is likely to present a prettv 

 good imitation of a henpecked hu,sband, for from 

 the moment he promises to love, cherish, and 

 obey Jenny, he hardly dares say his soul is his 

 own. However, he doesn't appear to be in the 

 least depressed by this state of affairs, for his 

 bubbling song is one of the merriest and most 

 spontaneous of bird utterances. 



The Latin term Trof/lodytidiv, under which 

 these birds are classified, means literally " cave- 

 dwellers," and is appropriate as applied to the 

 European Wren, which fashions a cave-shaped 

 nest, and also as to the American species (the 

 present one, the Winter Wren and the Eong and 

 Short-billed Marsh Wrens) whicli build in cavi- 

 ties or construct nests after tlie general pattern 

 of the European species. The House Wren is 



famous for the odd kinds of cavities which it 

 selects for its nest. It is rpiick to take advantage 

 of a bird-bd.x of almost any kind, and hollow 

 limbs or trunks of fruit trees are also often 



,»^ 



>-uurtfsy ,,t .\m. Mus. Xat. Hist. 

 HOUSE WREN ( ; nat. size) 

 A fussy, scolding mite 



Utilized. In fact the House Wren seems to be 

 especially partial to apple orchards. But lacking 

 a natural or prepared cavity, almost any sub- 

 stitute will do. For example, a discarded straw 

 hat or leather glove is often used, if it is found 

 in the right surroundings, and battered fruit- 

 cans are frequently pressed into service. Nor is 

 the bird in the least concerned as to whether the 

 article with a cavity in it is discarded or no< 



