SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN. 



724. Cistothorus stellaris. 5^4 inches. 



Wings and tail barred, back streaked with black 

 and white; below white. 



Reedy marshes and swamps are the homes of the 

 Marsh Wrens, as we would expect from their name. 

 This specise is not nearly as abundant as the next 

 which is quite similar. Their songs are pretty and 

 "catchy" and are often heard in the marshes but 

 it is quite difficult to find the owner, for he slinks 

 away through the reeds as you approach, knowing 

 that he is safe as long as he is out of sight. 



Song. A pleasing, bubbling warble, one of the 

 songs that you like to hear but cannot describe. 



Nest. A globular ball, woven of rushes, with the 

 entrance on one sidd and the cavity lined with fine 

 grasses; this is attached to upright stalks usually 

 over water; the five to eight eggs that they lay are 

 pure white (.65 x .50). 



Range. Eastern N. A., breeding from the Gulf 

 north to Massachusetts and Manitoba. 



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