9 BIllDS OF ILLINOIS. 



Subgenus Thryomanes Sclater. 

 Thryothorus bewickii (Aud.) 



BEWICK'S WEEN. 



Popular synonyms. Long-tailed House Wren; Long-tailed Wren. 

 Troglodytes bewickii AUD. Orn. Blog. 1. 1831.96.pl. 18; Synop. 1839, 74; B. Am. 11,1841, 



120, pi. 118. NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 434; 2d ed. i, 1840, 489. 



Thryothorus bewickii BATED, B. N. Am. 185S. 363 (Thriolhorus); Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, 

 No. "267; Review, 1864, 126. COUES, Key, 1872, 86; Check List, 1873, No. 48: 2d ed. 1882. 

 No. 71; B. N. W. 1874, 31; B. Col. Val. 1878, 169.-B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. 1. 1874, 

 145. pi. 9, flg. 3. 



Thryomanes bewicki RiDG'W. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 61. 



HAS. Eastern United States, chiefly west of the Alleghanies. In the Interior, north to 

 Minnesota; eastward, north to New Jersey. Very irregularly distributed, being apparently 

 unknown In many localities within the limits of Its general range. Not recorded from 

 most portions of the Atlantic coast. Migratory in the northern parts of its range. 



"Sp. CHAB. Above dark rufous-brown; rump and middle tail-feathers sometimes a 

 little paler, and very slightly tinged with gray, and together with the exposed surface of 

 secondaries distinctly barred with dusky. Beneath soiled plumbeous- whitish; flanks 

 brown! Crissum banded; ground color of quills and tail feathers brownish black. 

 Length. 5.50; wing. 2.25; tail, 2.50. Length from nostril, 39; along gape. 70."* (Hist. N. 

 A m. B.) 



In most parts of southern Illinois, this is the "House Wren" par 

 excellence; and even in localities where the true House Wren 

 (Troglodytes aedori) occurs, Bewick's Wren is far the more numerous 

 of the two. In Wabash county, the writer has never seen nor even 

 heard a T. aedon; and in Richland county, where the latter was not 

 uncommon T. bewickii was extremely abundant, nesting in all sorts 

 of places about barns, stables and other buildings, while the former 

 was chiefly if not entirely confined to the orchards, where it nested 

 in hollow apple-trees. This was almost invariably the case where 

 both species were found upon the same premises. 



No bird more deserves the protection of man than Bewick's Wren. 

 He does not need man's encouragement, for he comes of his own 

 accord and installs himself as a member of the community, 

 wherever it suits his taste. He is found about the cow-shed 

 and barn along with the Pewee and Barn Swallow; he investi- 

 gates the pig-sty ; then explores the garden fence, and finally mounts 

 to the roof and pours forth one of the sweetest songs that ever was 



*Eight adults measure as follows: Wing, 2.05-2.25; tail, 2.10-2.40; culmen, .50-.55; tarsus, 

 .62-. 75. 



