THE WAY TO STUDY BIRDS 



8. RED- WINGED BLACKBIRD 



Haunts: Swamps. 



Description: Male: black with red patches 

 on wings, edged with yellow and white. Fe- 

 male: gray, heavily streaked with brown. 

 Darker above. 



Field-marks: Male, red on wings. 



Size and Shape: Length 9.5 inches. Bill 

 thin. 



Song: A guttural but liquid "0-ka-lee," 

 the last syllable of which is accented and drawn 

 out. 



Seasonal Abundance: Arrives early but re- 

 mains in flocks for a long while before pairing 

 off for the breeding season. Enormous flocks 

 congregate in the late summer for a long period 

 before the southern journey. 



9. HOUSE WREN 



Haunts : Near habitations, particularly those 

 of a rustic nature. 



Description: Above, cinnamon-brown, with 

 fine black bars on wings and tail. Below, 

 whitish with a buffy tint. 



Size and Shape: Length 5 inches. Tail 

 square. Bill slender. 



Song: A mellow, bubbling trill. 



Seasonal Abundance: Arrives the last week 

 in April and starts nesting soon, after. 



Remarks: An active and nervous bit of 

 feathers, always jumping here and there, ap- 

 parently never lacking in full vitality. Fond 



22 



