May 
becomes a habit—unutterably common in 
thought and deed, discredited alike on econo- 
mic and esthetic grounds, what can possibly 
be the mission of these, the vilest of the race? 
9 
No bird name is more familiar than that of 
the ‘‘wren,’’ a familiarity which doubtless is 
largely due to the prevalence and popularity of 
the wren in England, where it has received the 
affectionate personification of ‘‘ Jenny Wren.’’ 
With us the wrens are among the least known 
of the birds, on account of their extreme shy- 
ness, diminutiveness, and plain coloring, besides 
the fact that one of the most important species 
—the winter wren—summers in the far north. 
Their chief excellence is their song, which is 
remarkably vivacious and powerful, but quite 
indescribable from its rapidity and intricacy. 
The two principal species are the ‘‘ winter ’’ 
and the ‘‘house’’ wren, and I occasionally 
found a specimen of the latter during the 
month. They are exceedingly alike, the plu- 
mage being ‘‘ wren-brown,’’ with a distinctly 
wavy effect. The two species are respectively 
about four and five inches in length, the differ- 
ence largely due to the extent of the tail, which 
157 
