^- 



HOUSE WREN. 



wood wren. 



Troglodytes aedon. 



Char. Above, reddish brown (sometimes with dark bars), darker on 

 the head; below, brownish white, marked irregularly with dark lines; 

 wings and tail with fine waved lines. Length about 5 inches. 



Nest. On the eaves of houses or in a barn or hollow tree, etc. ; made 

 of grass, twigs, etc.; the hole generally filled with rubbish and lined 

 with feathers. 



Eggs. 7-9; white tinted with pink, densely marked with reddish 

 brown; 0.65 X 0.50. 



This lively, cheerful, capricious, and well-known little min- 

 strel is only a summer resident in the United States. Its 

 northern migrations extend to Labrador, but it resides and 

 rears its young principally in the Middle States. My friend 

 Mr. Say also observed this species near Pembino, beyond the 

 sources of the Mississippi, in the Western wilderness of the 

 49th degree of latitude. It is likewise said to be an inhabitant 

 of Surinam, within the tropics, where its delightful melody has 

 gained it the nickname of the Nightingale. This region, or 

 the intermediate country of Mexico, is probably the winter 

 quarters of our domestic favorite. In Louisiana it is unknown 

 even as a transient visitor, migrating apparently to the east of 



