THE WESTERN MARSH WREN. ot 
No. 116. 
WESTERN MARSH WREN. 
A. O. U. No. 725¢. Telmatodytes palustris plesius ((perhoiser). 
Synonym.—INTERIoR MarsH WReEN. 
Description.—Adult: Crown blackish; forehead light brown centrally — 
color sometimes spreading superficially over entire crown; hind neck and scapu- 
lars light brown (raw umber, nearly) ; rump warm russet; a triangular patch on 
back blackish, with prominent white stripes and some admixture of russet; wings 
and tail fuscous or blackish on inner webs, brown with black bars on exposed 
surfaces; upper and under tail-coverts usually and more or less distinctly barred 
with dusky ; sides of head whitish before, plain brown or punctate behind ; a white 
superciliary line; underparts white, tinged with ochraceous buff across breast, 
and with pale brown or isabella color on sides, flanks, and crissum; bill and feet 
as usual. Length 4.50-5.75 (114.3-146) ; av. of ten males: wing 2.12 (54); tail 
1.82 (46.4) ; bill .56 (14.2) ; tarsus .79 (20.1). 
Recognition Marks.—Warbler size; brown and black pattern of back with 
white stripes distinctive; white superciliary stripe and long bill distinctive in 
haunts. Strictly confined to bulrushes and long grass of marshes. Lighter and 
larger than 7. p. paludicola. 
Nesting.—WN est: a ball of reeds and grasses, chinked and lined with cat-tail 
down, with entrance in side, and suspended in growing cat-tails, bulrushes or 
bushes. Eggs: 5-7, so heavily speckled with olive brown or sepia as to appear 
almost uniform brown. Av. size, .05 x .52 (16.5% 13.2). Scason: May, July; 
two broods. 
General Range.—\Western United States and southern British Columbia 
between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade-Sierra Range, breeding from New 
Mexico northward; south during migrations to Cape district of Lower California 
and Western Mexico. 
Range in Washington.—Summer resident in all suitable localities east of 
the Cascades. 
Authorities.—7 elmatodytes palustris paludicola Brewster, B. N. O. C. 
Wil 1882) 227 (Ft. Walla Walla). D2. Ss‘. J. 
Specimens.—C. P. 
“TO the Coots and Rails belong the ooze-infesting morsels of the swamp, 
but all the little crawling things which venture into the upper story of the way- 
ing cat-tail forest, belong to the Long-billed Marsh Wren. Somewhat less 
cautious than the waterfowl, he is the presiding genius of flowing acres, which 
often have no other interest for the ornithologist. There are only two occa- 
sions when the Marsh Wren voluntarily leaves the shelter of the cat-tails or of 
the closely related marshables. One of these is when he is driven South by the 
migrating instinct. Then he may be seen skulking about the borders of the 
streams, sheltering in the weeds or clambering about the drift. The other 
