IC)0 Oberholser on a Nrzv Marsh Wren [ April 



Habitat. — Western United States except the Pacific Coast ; north to 

 British Columbia and Alberta, east to the Rocky Mountains and Texas, 

 south into Mexico. 



Description. — Type, male, adult. No. 114938 U. S. Nat. Mus. ; Fort 

 Wingate, N. M., Sept. 24, 1888; Dr. R. W. Shufeldt. Cervix and center 

 of crown bistre brown, rather darker on the former ; a streak on each side 

 of crown extending backward to cervix, clove brown ; lower cervix, and a 

 triangular patch on interscapulum, broadest anteriorly where spreading 

 out toward sides of neck, black, the feathers of the latter with broad white 

 shaft streaks; remainder of upper parts brown, shading from broccoli 

 brown on the anterior portions of scapulars to reddish raw umber on 

 rump, and to a darker shade of same on upper tail-coverts, which last are 

 distinctly barred with blackish. Middle pair of tail-feathers like upper 

 tail-coverts, and quite regularly barred with black ; other rectrices of a 

 similar color, but shading to broccoli brown toward their tips and on 

 their inner vanes, marked with heavv bars of black, which except on outer 

 pair are stronglj' inclined to be confluent. Wing quills dark olive brown ; 

 the superior coverts, together with the indentations and edgings on quills, 

 grayish raw umber, these markings much paler, almost buffy white on the 

 primaries; outer vanes of tertials and roundish spots on external webs of 

 greater coverts, black. Superciliary stripe, and middle portion of under 

 parts, soiled white; lores grayish white; sides of head and neck. With 

 auriculars, grayish white, mixed with huffy; a band across the chest 

 distinctly huffy grayish ; sides and flanks pale wood brown ; anal region 

 buft ; lower tail-coverts dull white, closely barred with deep buff and to a 

 less extent with dark brown. 



Young jnale, No. 82772 U. S. Nat. Mus.; Parley's Park, Utah, July 28, 

 1S69; R. Ridgway. Pileum and post-ocular stripe clove brown; cervix 

 and upper back grayish white, much mottled by the dark brown margins 

 of the feathers ; a small spot in center of interscapulum black ; remainder 

 of upper parts reddish raw umber brown ; tail the same color, though 

 rather paler and grayer towards its tip, regularly barred with brownish 

 black, which color also almost entirely occupies the inner webs of all but 

 the central rectrices. Wings bistre brown, margins of quills and coverts 

 like the back. Sides of neck and head dull grayish white, mixed with 

 brownish ; anterior lower parts brownish gray ; posterior lower parts and 

 superciliary stripe grayish white, the former with a buffy tinge; sides, 

 flanks and crissum dull buff. " Upper mandible, sepia-black; commissure 

 and lower mandible, pale lilaceous ; iris, brown ; tarsi, dark sepia-plum- 

 beous ; toes, paler, whitish beneath." ' 



This subspecies differs from true palustris in the usual presence 

 of regular, distinct and much heavier bars on the two middle tail 



' Ridgway, Geol. Ex. 40th Parallel, IV, 1877, 426. 



