312 



HlHIiS OF Ni'oKTII (JaKOLIXA 



It is a shy, retirius l)ii'il, with a (ino voice, but is so unobtrusive in its habits 

 that the song is often credited by tlie uuinfornied to its cousin, the Mockingbird. 



The nest is built in thick cover usually near the ground; once we found one on 

 the third rail from the top of an old worm-fi-nce. It is constructed of twigs, weed 

 stems, and dead leaves, and is usually lined with roots. The eggs are laid from 

 late April to early July, and are three or four in number. They have a whitish, 

 pale buff, or pale greenish ground-color, thickly speckled all over with minute 

 specks of reddish bro\«i. Size 1.08 x .80. 



Klii. 'J.').'), IJrcc.iwN 'I'm: \suKU. 



One curious hal)it of this bin! is to scratch or rake among dead leaves \vith its 

 bill, which it uses effectively, tossiiifi (lie leaves about in merry mood while search- 

 ing for insects. 



54. FAMILY TROGLODYTID/E. WRENS 



This is a family of small l)irils, witli plain color and nervous activity. Some 

 of them show a strong liking for the vicinil\- of Inuuan iiabitations, while others 

 prefer to dwell in (l(>nse woods or swamps. 



KEY TO f;ENER.\ 



1. Back witliout streaks. See 2. 



1. Back streaked willi hlai'k and wliito. Marsli Wrcn.s. See 5. 



2. No (list iiict superciliary stripe See 3. 



2. A distinct wliitc superciliary stripe. Sep 4. 



3. Tail iiKirc than tlircc-foiii'llis IcnRtli of will);. Tri>(ilu(li/lr!i. 



3. Tail very short, less than three-foiM'lhs jeni^th of wine. Nannus. 



4. Tail-f(>athers all lirown. barred with darker. Thri/othoriis. 



4. Tail-feathers mostly hlack, tipped with ^vhitisll. Thryomanes. 

 .5. A white superciliary line. Ti'linalinlijtcx. 



5. No while superciliary line. CUldthitrus. 



Except Tdmatoihiles, which has two and |)ossibly three representatives in the 

 State, none of these genera is r(>i)resented in eastern North .\merica by more than 

 a single species. 



