BIRDS OF KANSAS. 615 



pale dull Isabella color, sometimes inclining to dull brownish white anteriorly; 

 upper parts more rusty brown. (Hid ff way.) 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 3.90 6.05 1.80 1.25 .70 .43 



Female... 3.75 5.80 1.70 1.15 .68 .40 



Iris dark brown; bill dusky, with under pale at base; legs, 

 feet and claws light brown. 



These chubby little birds are to be looked for in the deep 

 woods, among the upturned roots of fallen trees, old moss cov- 

 ered logs and decaying debris. Active, pert little fellows, that 

 with tails more than erect flit from place to place, and in their 

 search for insect life, peep into the crevices in the bark, and 

 under the fallen leaves, and (like mice) creep into cavities, hol- 

 low logs and every conceivable dark, secluded nook, uttering 

 now and then their "Chirr" note. They never mount into the 

 treetops, and seldom above the low bushes, keeping, as a rule, 

 on or near the ground. 



In the summer of 1880, I found the birds quite common in 

 the thick growths of stunted spruce trees and tangled bushes 

 on Byron Isle, one of the Magdalen group, in the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence; and there had the pleasure of listening to their rich, 

 voluble song, which far surpasses any of the family in power 

 and melody. It rang out so clear and resonant I could not be- 

 lieve it came from the throat of so small a bird, until I at last 

 caught sight of one singing from a fallen tree. I say at last, for 

 it was a long, long time before I could catch more than a passing 

 glimpse, as they slyly flitted around me in their almost impene- 

 trable, secluded retreats. I also searched for their nests but 

 failed to find one, but just before I left the island, saw several 

 young birds nearly full grown. Doctor Brewer, in "North 

 American Land Birds," gives the following description of their 

 nests and eggs: 



"Mr. Audubon met with its nest in a thick forest in Penn- 

 sylvania. He followed a pair of these birds until they disap- 

 peared in the hollow of a protuberance covered with moss and 

 lichens, resembling the excresences often seen on forest trees. 

 The aperture was perfectly rounded and quite smooth. He put 



