BIRDS—LIOTRICHIDAE—CISTOTHORUS STELLARIS. 365 
Sp. Cu.—Bill about as long as head. Tail and wing nearly equal. Upper parts of a dull reddish brown, except on the 
crown, interscapular region, outer surface of tertials, and tai] feathers, which are almost black: the first with a median patch 
like the ground color ; the second with short streaks of white, extending round on the sides of the neck; the third indented 
with brown; the fourth barred with whitish, decreasing in amount from the outer feather, which is marked from the base, to the 
fifth, where it is confined to the tips; the two middle feathers above like the back, and barred throughout with dusky. Beneath 
rather pure white, the sides and under tail coverts of a lighter shade of brown than the back; a white streak over the eye. 
Length, 5.50; wing, 2.08; tail, 2.00. (1454.) 
Hab.—North America from Atlantic to Pacific ; north to Greenland. (Reinhardt.) 
There is only a slight tendency to paler bars on the under parts, these being broad, very 
obsolete, and confined to the sides. The under tail coverts are moderately spotted in a male. 
In a female (1556) they are immaculate, and the black of the tail is less distinct ; the size is 
considerably smaller ; the colors of the back brighter and more rufous. 
Specimens vary in the greater or less intensity of the lighter patch on the head, the crown 
sometimes appearing nearly black. The rump is generally a little brighter than elsewhere ; 
the upper tail coverts more or less distinctly barred. There is but little marking on the 
primaries. 
In some western specimens there is a brownish tinge across the breast, but otherwise there is 
but little difference. No. 7141, from Shoalwater bay, has a shorter bill than any others in the 
series before me. 
Reinhardt (Vidensk. Meddel. for 1853, 81,) quotes ‘‘ Troglodytes arundinaceus, Vieillot,’’ as 
found in Greenland. Vieillot’s species of 1807 is really Thryothorus ludovicianus, but reference is 
probably meant to his T’hryothorus arundineus, which, as stated below, is the present species.! 
List of specimens. 
Catal. Sex. Locality. 7 When col- | Whence obtained. ' Orig. Collected by— | Length. | Stretch | Wing. Remarks. 
No. | lected. ‘ No. of wings, 
1456 | @ | Carlisle, Pa.. .|May 4, 1844 5.50 6.75 2.50. |cccesccvecrsee 
1558 | © |... do ser easec || Mayi20) .s.ce% ASG), OSOOM NAILSOUS |acivaeidevesenes 
ATAL se aeee Mouth Big Sioux, Neb..| May 4, 1856 4.50 6.25 2.00 | Iris dark brown 
8838 | Q | Sand Hills....... sees Aug. 12..... 6. 2 
AAAs | eRleleicie|) OKAGIn walsiewjelsisleisicic.ees'|isesisaisiec'eeisisisis |n@aptr Pope's s ¢<isisl-eicisisteis|| vais saicicisiscels stale 
T1AL |seeeee Shoalwater bay, W. T..| Oct. 31, 1854 Gov. Stevens. ...., 110 | Dr. Cooper.... 
7140 3 Sacramento: Valleyiiises:|ececeaccieesenis Lieut. Williamson. ...... Dr. Heermann,. 
| Kort: Lejon;iCal.ssacsen|iedes csctieceese Js NANtus: CEVEwCYstessees | ce sccascsevecess 
CISTOTHORUS STELLARIS, Cabanis. 
Short-billed Marsh Wren. 
Troglodytes stellaris, ‘* Licut.’’s Naumann, Vogel Deutschl. III, 1823, 724. (Carolina.) 
Cistothorus stellaris, Canants, Mus. Hein. 1851, 77. Type. ; 
Troglodytes brevirostris, NurraLi, Trans. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sc. New Ser. I, 1833, 98, with figure. Quoted in Manual, 
though date of volume is subsequent to 1832.—Is. Manual, I, 1832, 436.—Avp. Orn. 
Biog. II, 1834, 427: V, 1839, 469 ; pl. 175. —Is, Syn. 1839, 76.—Is. Birds Amer. II, 1841, 
138 ; pl. 124.—Bon. List, 1838.—Ip. Consp. 1850, 220. 
Sp. Cu.—Bill very short, scarcely half the length of the head. Wing and tail about equal. Hinder part of the crown and 
the scapular and interscapular region of the back and rump almost black, streaked with white. Tail dusky, the feathers barred 
1 Most recent authors erroneously refer the Troglodytes arwndinaceus of Vieillot in Ois. Am. Sept., to the present species. 
The Thryothorus arundineus, or ** Thryothore des Roseaux’? of Vieillot, (Nouv. Dict.,) is really the same; but on the same 
page he expressly states that the Troglodytes arundinaceus, or ‘* Troglodyte des Roseaux’’ of the Ois. Am. Sept., is identical 
with Sylvia ludoviciana of Latham, as would readily be inferred from the description and figure. The habits, as indicated, 
were, however, probably based on palustris. 
