44 HOUSE WEEN 



that bespeak the jealousy of his affection, con- 

 ducts him, with many reproofs, beyond the ex- 

 tremities of his territory, and returns to warble 

 out his transports of triumph beside his beloved 

 mate." 



As we watch the Bluebird, one of the most 

 noticeable things about him, in spite of his famil- 

 iar friendliness, is a certain untamable spirit of 

 the woods and fields. As he sits on a branch 

 lifting his wings, there is an elusive charm about 

 his sad quavering tru-al-ly, tru-al-ly. Ignoring 

 our presence, he seems preoccupied with unfath- 

 omable thoughts of field and sky. 



House % Wr en : Troglodytes addon. 



Upper parts, wings, and tail brown, finely barred with black ; 

 under parts whitish. Length, 5 inches. 

 GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION. Eastern North America ; breeds 



as far north as Manitoba and Maine ; and winters from South 



Carolina southward. 



Crows, Doves, Hummingbirds, Swifts, and 

 Quail are all birds of strongly marked family 

 characters, but Wrens are 

 no less so. They are small 

 brown birds that match the 

 color of the earth, and creep 

 about in odd nooks and cran- 

 nies searching diligently for 

 insects. As their daily round 

 is not disturbed by soaring 

 ambition, the Wrens have short, round wings like 



