Widmann — A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 249 



to be considered true species; they are the eastern, western 

 and pacific (parkmanii) subspecies. The range of aztecus is 

 said to include Missouri, reaching east as far as the prairie 

 region of lUinois and northwestern Indiana, north to Manitoba 

 and south into Mexico. In winter to Southern States and Mex- 

 ico. The eastern form occurs in parts of IlUnois and southern 

 Wisconsin, but the range Hmits of the two forms are not fully 

 determined and both may occur in Missouri, the one in the 

 river bottoms, the other in the western and northern prairie 

 region. There is also a possibility of meeting with intermediate 

 forms and the species deserves the special attention of collectors 

 both in migration and breeding time. 



Excepting the southeast and Ozark region, where it occurs 

 only in migration, the House Wren is a common summer resident 

 in most parts of Missouri from Ste. Genevieve Co. in the east 

 and Jasper Co. in the west, northward. It breeds together with 

 Bewick's Wren in the Ozark border region and in parts of east- 

 ern north Missouri, but is the only House Wren of the prairie 

 region west and northwest. The arrival of the first singing 

 males at their breeding stand occurs with much regularity at 

 St. Louis about April 17, at Independence, April 20, and at 

 Keokuk, April 24. The bulk is a week behind the first, and 

 the last days of April in central, and the first week of May in 

 northern Missouri is the height of the season for singing and 

 mating, as well as for transient, House Wrens. At this time 

 we find House Wrens in company with northern Warblers in 

 localities where they never breed. When between Fort Leav- 

 enworth and the northeast corner of Missouri, May 5 to May 

 9, 1843, Audubon wrote in his journal: "The woods were filled 

 with House Wrens." Dr. J. A. Allen, too, found them abun- 

 dant in that region in May 1871. Although the majority 

 build their nests now in proximity to human habitations, we 

 still find them occasionally far away from buildings in tree holes, 

 old woodpecker holes, fence posts, etc. They are very med- 

 dlesome with other birds' nests and need watching, especially 

 when near a colony of Martins, whose very existence is endan- 

 gered by the innocent looking Jenny Wren, which destroys the 

 eggs in the absence of the owners. They are industrious song- 

 sters, keeping it up all summer, beginning again after a short 

 pause before their departure in September. Single individuals 

 are seen long after the bulk of the species is gone (September 

 25); the last being reported from Keokuk, October 10, 1893; 



