WINTER WHEN. 337 



the south in May, builds a globular or pitcher-shaped nest, 

 which it suspends among the rushes and bushes by the river 

 side, lays five or six eggs of a dark fawn colour, and departs 

 again in September. But the colours and markings of that bird 

 are very unlike those of the Winter Wren, and its song altogether 

 different. The circumstance of the one arriving from the north 

 as the other returns to the south, and vice versa, with some gene- 

 ral resemblance between the two, may have occasioned this 

 mistake. They, however, not only breed in different regions, 

 but belong to different genera, the Marsh Wren being decisively 

 a species of Certhia, and the Winter Wren a true Motacilla. 

 Indeed we have no less than five species of these birds in Penn- 

 sylvania, that by a superficial observer would be taken for one 

 and the same; but between each of which, nature has drawn 

 strong, discriminating and indelible lines of separation. These 

 will be pointed out in their proper places. 



If this bird, as some suppose, retires only to the upper regions 

 of the country, and mountainous forests, to breed, as is the 

 case with some others, it will account for his early and frequent 

 residence along the Atlantic coast during the severest winters; 

 though I rather suspect that he proceeds considerably to the 

 northward; as the Snow-bird (F. Hudsonia), which arrives 

 about the same time with the Winter Wren, does not even breed 

 at Hudson's Bay; but passes that settlement in June, pn his 

 way to the northward; how much farther is unknown. 



The length of the Winter Wren is three inches and a half, 

 breadth five inches; the upper parts are of a general dark brown, 

 crossed with transverse touches of black, except the upper parts 

 of the head and neck, which are plain; the black spots on the back 

 terminate in minute points of dull white; the first row of wing 

 coverts is also marked with specks of white at the extremities 

 of the black, and tipt minutely with black; the next row is tipt 

 with points of white; the primaries are crossed with alternate 

 rows of black and cream colour; inner vanes of all the quills 

 dusky, except the three secondaries next the body; tips of the 



wings dusky; throat, line over the eye, sides of the neck, ear- 

 VOL. ii. u u 



