366 U. 5S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
throughout with brown, (the color grayish on the under surface.) Beneath white, the sides, upper part of breast, and under 
tail covers reddish brown. Upper parts, with the exceptions mentioned, reddish brown. Length, 4.50; wing, 1.75; tail, 1.75. 
Hab.—Eastern United States to the Loup Fork of Platte. 
The series before me is not sufficiently full to say if the sexes differ in color. The dusky bars 
on the wing and tail are broad and conspicuous. The under tail coverts are faintly barred with 
lighter. There are also obsolete streaks of whitish on the sides of the neck. 'The forehead is 
brownish, not dusky. 
This species differs in its white streaks on the back from all other North American wrens, 
excepting 7’. palustris. In this there are no streaks on the head or rump; the tail is blacker, 
the bill much longer, the size much larger every way. I have not yet seen any specimens from 
the regions beyond the Missouri, except that collected by Lieut. Warren’s expedition on the 
Loup Fork of the Platte, probably near the eastern limit of the high central plains. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. Locality. When collected.| Whence obtained. | Collected by— Length. | Stretch | Wing. 
No. | of wings. 
Zo10)|Carlisle; Pascoe ss-- Sept. 20 sU84Sa Sch Baird oe eee n| ae cee ae eee ae 4.41 5.83 | ul) 
3073 | Liberty county, Ga..-) 1846..:.-.--|---.-. doz. cssssccoce J. Leconte. 22 2os=5-4|socc-ees| oases ence (eee 
9217 | Loup Fork, Neb----- Aug. 30, 1857 | Lieut. Warren.------ Drehaydentaseses—= SB its 5. 37 1.50 
POlGo! Unknown os-ceseceelancccs=cecenes Si W.- Baird .2caciec ssl secacvinncaneelecess.| cee ccleieclsecee see) Saeeeer 
TROGLODYTES, Vieillot. 
Troglodytes, Vie1ttot, Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 52, type T. aedon. 
“ Anorthura, Rennie, 1831 ;’’ (in Montague’s Ornithological Dictionary?) Type Motacilla troglodytes. 
The characters of this section will be found sufficiently indicated in the synopsis of the genera 
on a preceding page. It comes nearest to Cistothorus, but is distinguished by weaker feet and 
much smaller hind claws, which, instead of being equal to or longer than the remaining portion 
of the toe, is decidedly shorter. 
The propriety of keeping the Zroglodytes aedon in the same section with 7’. hyemalis may, 
perhaps, be questioned, as the latter differs essentially in the slender and nearly straight bill, 
and the very short tail, which is surpassed by the whole of the toes when outstretched. These 
differences I have indicated by the sections mentioned in the synopsis. 
Of the first section, Zroglodytes, there are possibly three species. Two of these have a lighter 
superciliary line ; one is the well, known house wren, 7’. aedon. The other, its western repre- 
sentative, differing in the grayer color, without any rufous beneath. The third species, 7’ 
americanus, has no superciliary stripe. 
In the second section, Anorthura, there is but one species in this country, 7. hyemalis, closely 
related, however, to the European 7’. parvulus. 
