MARSH WREN. 207 



usually six, of a dark fawn color, and very small. The young leave 

 the nest about the twentieth of June, and they generally have a second 

 brood in the same season. 



The size, general color, and habit of this bird of erecting its tail, 

 gives it, to a superficial observer, something of the appearance of the 

 common House Wren, represented in Plate VIII. of this work ; and 

 still more that of the Winter Wren, figured in the same plate ; but 

 with the former of these it never associates ; and the latter has left us 

 some time before the Marsh Wren makes his appearance. About the 

 middle of August they begin to go off, and on the first of September 

 very few of them are to be seen. How far north the migrations of this 

 species extend I am unable to say ; none of them to my knowledge 

 winter in Georgia, or any of the Southern States. 



The Marsh Wren is five inches long, and six in extent ; the whole 

 upper parts are dark brown, except the upper part of the head, back 

 of the neck, and middle of the back, which are black, the two last 

 streaked with white ; the tail is short, rounded, and barred with black ; 

 wings slightly barred ; a broad strip of white passes over the eye half 

 way down the neck ; the sides of the neck are also mottled with touches 

 of a light clay color on a whitish ground ; whole under parts pure 

 silvery white, except the vent, which is tinged with brown ; the legs are 

 light brown ; the hind claw large, semicircular, and very sharp ; bill 

 slender, slightly bent ; nostrils prominent ; tongue narrow, very taper- 

 ing, sharp pointed, and horny at the extremity ; eye hazel. The 

 female almost exactly resembles the male in plumage. 



From the above description, and a view of the figure, the naturalist 

 will perceive that this species is truly a Certhia or Creeper ; and indeed 

 its habits confirm this, as it is continually climbing along the stalks of 

 reeds and other aquatic plants, in search of insects. 



