Wrens. 



Order, Passer es. 

 Family, Troglodytidae. 



Family Characteristics: Brownish-gray color. Small size. Rapid 

 wing-motion in flight. Nervous and active. Song bubbling over. Often 

 throw their tails backward. 



Destroyers of ants and their eggs as well as all varieties of small 

 insects. 



721. HOUSE WREN. Troglodytes Aedon. Four and one-half 

 inches long. Brownish-gray above. Dusky white breast. 



722. WINTER WREN. Troglodytes Memalis. Four and one- 

 fourth inches long. Light brown. Finely barred above and below. Car- 

 ries tail over his back most of the time. Bubbling songster. 



724. SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN. Cistothorus stellaris. Four 

 inches. long. Brown above, white below. Wings and tail lighter and 

 barred. Shy, quick and nervous. Builds several nests among reeds. 



725. LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. Cistothorus palustris. Simi- 

 lar to short-billed variety, but an inch longer and has a whitish line 

 above the eyie. 



HOUSE WREN. 



When you see a gingery little cinnamon-gray bird with his 

 tail straight up and hear his rippling, bubbling song, you had 

 better make your first guess "a wren." When you hear this 

 little singer you will not be prepared to dispute the fellow who 

 says that he can pour a quart of water out of a pint bottle. 



A little Jewish boy in speaking of a new suit that he was 

 wearing, held his coat sleeve up to me and exhibiting a well- con- 

 cealed green thread in an otherwise gray suit, said "See, it has 

 an inwizzable stripe/' So the little wren has many fine in- 

 wizzable bars across his back, wings and tail. 



If you would like to see a family of these little bits of ambi- 

 tion raised right at your very door, put up a little bird-box right 



