BIRDS OF AMERICA 



ht-nsive curiosity. This is the Long-billed Marsh 

 Wren, which may be known by its long, slender 

 bill and a Wren-like habit of flirting and cock- 

 ing up the tail when excited. 



This \\'ren is fond of the deep and oozv marsh, 

 near slow-running streams or dark, swampy pools 



■ing by R. I. Brasher 



LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN (3 nat. size) 

 An irrepressible songster and wonderful architect 



while the smaller Short-billed Marsh Wren pre- 

 fers merely moist, grassy, or reedy meadows. 



Marsh Wrens, like other Wrens, are irrepres- 

 sible songsters. They are not satisfied with day- 

 light singing alone but often carol at night. Some- 

 times when the full moon lights up the marshes 

 the singing of the Wrens becomes almost a con- 

 tinuous performance, ringing over the meadows 

 far and near. This bird breeds abundantly in 

 fresh-water marshes and open swamps and may 

 be found frequently in salt marshes and along the 

 shores of tidal streams. The unique globular 



nests are hung concealed in the marsh vegetation 

 or even attached to some shrub growing over the 

 water, and with Wren-like industry a pair often 

 constructs several nests. \'arious theories have 

 been offered to account for this habit. One is 

 that the Wren forsakes its nest the moment it has 

 been disturbed or even touched by human hands. 

 Samuels and others have opined that duplicate 

 nests are built to protect the sitting female, for 

 it is noticeable that the male often lures a visitor 

 to one of the empty nests which, numerous as 

 they often are in the marsh, may puzzle water 

 snakes and other enemies searching for eggs and 

 young birds. Others believe that the male, being 

 full of vigor and vitality, must work ofT his 

 nervousness in some manner and so occupies 

 himself in nest-building. Excessive nest con- 

 struction is characteristic of other W^rens also. 

 Notwithstanding the fact that the Marsh \\'ren 

 is a common bird in many suitable localities, the 

 inaccessibility of its retreats, its shyness, and the 

 facility with which it keeps under cover have 

 made observation of its habits exceedingly diffi- 

 cult and they are very little known. It has been 

 seen, however, to attack and perforate the eggs 

 of Ritterns, but this may be only a necessary re- 

 taliation, as Bitterns and Herons have been 

 known to kill and eat the young of smaller birds. 

 Edward Howe Forbush. 



The Long-billed Marsh Wren and its regional 

 varieties are distributed over the United States 

 and southern Canada and south into Mexico in 

 winter. On the Great Plains and prairie districts, 

 where it is slightly larger and redder in colora- 

 tion, it is known as the Prairie Marsh Wren 

 ( Tchnatodytcs palustris iUacus) ; on the Rocky 

 Mountain plateau its coloration is paler and it is 

 called the Western Marsh Wren (Telniatodytes 

 palustris plcsius) ; in the Pacific coast district 

 the markings vary slightly and it is known as the 

 Tule WVen or California Marsh \\'ren {Tchna- 

 todytcs palustris pahidicola) ; along the south At- 

 lantic coast are two forms with markings a 

 little ditTerent from the others and from each 

 other and these are given the names of Marian's 

 Marsh Wren (Tchnatodytcs palustris marianic), 

 and \\''orthington's Marsh Wren (Tchnatodytcs 

 palustris griseus). 



