TROGLODYTID.E — THE WRENS. 159 



Cistothorus stellaris, Caban. 



SHORT-BILLED MARSH- WREN. 



Troglodytes stellaris, " Light." Naumann, Vogel Deiitsclilands, III, 1823, 724 (Carolina). 

 Cistothorus stellaris, Cab. Mus. Hein. 77. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 365; Rev. 

 146. — Sclater, Catal. 22, no. 142 (in part). Troglodytes hrevirostris, Nutt. Man. I, 

 1832, 436. — AuD. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 427, pi. clxxv. — Is. Birds Am. 11, 1841, 138, 

 pi. c.xxiv. C. elegans, Sclater & Salvin, Ibis, 1859, 8. 



Sp. Char. 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 throughout with 

 brown (the color grayish on the under surface). Beneath white; the sides, upper part of 

 breast, and under tail-coverts reddish-brown. Upper parts, with the exceptions men- 

 tioned, reddish-brown. Length, 4.50 ; wing, 1.75 ; tail, 1.75. 



Hab. Eastern Province of United States, west to Loup Fork of Platte. 



There is a closely allied variety from Mexico and Guatemala (C. elegans, 

 Sclater & Salvin, Pr. Z. S., 1859, 8) which differs in the characters stated 

 below. 



White dorsal streaks extending to the rump, which is conspicuously banded with 

 brown, and somewhat spotted with whitish. Beneath, including lining of 

 wings, light cinnamon-brown ; throat and belly paler, almost white ; sides and 

 crissum very obsoletely barred with darker, and faintly spotted with whitish. 

 Feathers of jugulum like sides, but with the color obscured by the paler edges. 

 Tarsus, .65 long. Hab. Eastern Province of United States . . . C. stellaris. 



Streaks on back confined to interscapular region ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 almost plain reddish-brown. Beneath much paler than in stellaris^ without any 

 appreciable indication of bars or spots on sides and crissum, or of the fulvous 

 of the jugular feathers. Inside of wings snowy-white. Tarsus, .72 long. 

 Hab. Mexico and Guatemala ; Brazil 1 ....... C. elegans. 



The differences between these two varieties are just barely appreciable 

 when specimens of the two, of corresponding seasons, are compared. Two 

 Mexican examples {elegans) differ more from each other than one does 

 from North American specimens ; because one (a typical specimen received 

 from Salvin) is in the worn, faded, midsummer plumage, and the other in the 

 perfect autumnal dress. Besides the longer tarsi of these IMexican bij"ds, 

 their tails, and even their bills, are longer than seen in North American skins. 

 But while these differences between the North American and Mexican birds 

 are just appreciable, there is one from Brazil (51,017, Sr. Don Fred. Albu- 

 querque) which is exactly intermediate between tliese two varieties in color, 

 while in size it is even smaller than the North American ones, measuring as 

 follows : wing, 1.60 ; tail, 1.60 ; culnien, .45, tarsus, .61. 



Even if recognizable as belonging to different varieties, these specimens 

 are certainly all referable to one species. 



Habits. The Short-billed Marsh Wren is very irregularly distributed 

 throughout the United States, being found from Georgia to the British 



