CHAPTER XXII. 



May 21 May 27. 



THE HOUSE WREN. 



Order Passeres. Suborder Oscines. 



Family Troglodytidae. Subfamily Troglodytinae. 



Genus Troglodytes. Species Troglodytes aedon. 



Length 4.25 to 5.25 ; wing, 1.90 to 2.15 ; tail, 1.72 to 2.08. 

 Migration North, April ; south, September. 



"Blythely, twittering, gayly flittering, 



Thro' the budding glen; 

 Gold-crested, sunny breasted, 



Goes the tiny wren. 

 Peeping, musing, picking, choosing, 



Nook is found at last; 

 Moss and feather, twined together 



Home is shaped at last." 



The subfamily Troglodytinse is composed of the wrens. 

 Of these there are about one hundred species or varieties and 

 most of them are confined to America. They are small, fear- 

 less, excitable, plain colored birds. Most of them have char- 

 acteristic scolding notes with which they express their dis- 

 pleasure or alarm and most of them are good singers. 



The house wren, troglodytes aedon, is one of our smallest 

 birds, being only about three-fourths as large as the English 

 sparrow. Its bill is rather long, sharp, and well adapted to 

 the taking of the insects, their eggs and larvae upon which it 

 lives ; upper part of head and body of an umber brown ; back 

 usually marked with indistinct bars ; wings and tail, darker 

 brown ; wings are barred and extend beyond the rear of body ; 

 tail stands obliquely, and is longer than those of the other 



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