TK(HiL(H)VTIlXK — THK WKKNS. jij^ 



Troglodytes parvulus, nu hyemalis, Vikiil 



WINTEB WHEN. 



StfJviii fr<Hffin/ii/,'s, \yi\.sos. Am. Om. I, l.sos, ]:\9, j)l. viii, f. •». Ti-ntflt>,fiff,s fiitfiiifth's, 

 ViKiLLuT, Xouv. Diet. XXXIV, 1M'.», :.14. -An.. Uin. Hi.)-,'. IV, \s:\S, 4\io, pi. 

 cctlx. — Ii;. IJinls Am. II, l.s41, VIS, pi. <\xi. r..MKi», UinU N. Am. lfs:.8, 'MVJ ; 

 II.'V. H4. — Sn.AlKl;, 1'. /. S. IS.'.C, 2l»U (Coniovii, M<x.). — lu. ("atal. IStll. '_':{, no, 

 l.'>2. — Dai.l & H.VNMsTKU (AluskiiK — Cooi'Ki:, ihu. i'n\. i, l.s7<», 7.J. 



Sp. rii.vK. liill very straiirlit, slciitkr, an<l nuiiral ; sliort«T than tin- li<a<l. Tail i.'oii- 

 .^iflcraMy .-hoiti-r ihau tli*- wiiiLfs, which n-acii to its iui<i<ll»'. I'iukt pails n-iMish-brown; 

 hecoinin<f l>ri*htfr to the nimp aii«l tail; everywhere. e.\ee[»t (Hi tlie head aiitl iij»i)er part 

 of the l>a<'k. witii transvt r.ve hms «.f dusky ami <>|" litrhter. S<'apulars ami winj^-coverts 

 with .spots of white. Heiieath pale redtiish-hrown, Itarred <»ii the posterior half of tlie 

 body with «liisky and whitish, and s|)otted wiih white more anteriorly; outer weh of 

 priniarie.s similarly spotle<l with pale hrowni.^h-white. An iiidi.stiiK.-t pale line over the eye. 

 Length, about 4 inehes; wing, lAHi: tail, I.*J(), 



IIab. North Anieiit-a p-nerally. Sonth to Cordova, ^[ox. 



Western s])eciiiieii.s may be .se})arate(l as a variety parifirns (B.\iRn, liev. 

 Am. Birds, 1S()4, 14.")), liased on the much darker colors and the almost entire 

 absence of the whitish spots amonj,^ the dark bars. The under parts are more 

 rufous ; the tarsi are shorter, the chiws laru:er, the bill strai^'hter and more 

 slender. 



Tlie Winter Wren is very closely relattMl to the common Wrtm (T. parrn- 

 li's, Koch) of Europe, .so nmcli so, in fact, that the two almost seem to be 

 varieties of one species. T! e ditl'erences, as shown in a lari^e series from 

 both continents, are the following: In T. p<trntlns there is a tendency to 

 more uniform sliades ; and the prevailing tint anteriorly, beneath, is a pale 

 yellowish-ash, almost immacuhite, instead of brov.nish-ochraceous, showing 

 minute specks and darker edges to the feathers. In extreme specimens of 

 T. panwJvA the bars even on the tail and wings (except ]>riniaries, where 

 they are always distinct) are very obsolete, while on the lower ])arts they are 

 ccmfined to the flanks and crissum. Sometimes, however, specimens of the 

 two are found which are almost undistinguishable from each other. In 

 fact, it is only by taking tlie ]>lainer Euro[)ean birds and comi)aring them 

 with the darker American examples ironi the northwest coast, that the dif- 

 ference between T. porrtf./ns and 7\ /iz/cuKdis is readily ajipreciaVde. 



HAiiiTs. The Winter Wren, nowhere very abundant, seems to be dis- 

 tributed over the whole of Xorth America. Hardly di.stinguishable from 

 the common Wren of pAirope, it can scarcely be considered as distinct. 

 The habits of our s])ecies certainly seem to be very different from those 

 assigned to the Eurftj)ean bird, which in England ai)])ears to l)e as common 

 and as familiar a bird as even the Kedbreasi. The small size and retiring 

 habits of our s])ecies, as well as its nnfrequent occurrence, and only in wild 

 places, combine to keej[> its history in doul)t and obscurity. It is supposed 



