WRENS 475 



1*08 X *80. Date, D. C., May 7; Montgomery Co., Pa., May 15; Cambridge, 

 May 21; Wheatland, Ind., May 7; se. Minn., May 11. 



Hedgerows, shrubbery about the borders of woods, scrubby growth, 

 or thickets in dry fields, are alike frequented by the Thrasher. Gen- 

 erally speaking he is an inhabitant of the undergrowth, where he passes 

 much time on the ground foraging among the fallen leaves. He is an 

 active, suspicious bird, who does not like to be watched, and expresses 

 his annoyance with an unpleasant kissing note or sharply whistled 

 wheeu. 



Like many thicket-haunting birds, who ordinarily shun observa- 

 tion, he seeks an exposed position when singing. Morning and evening 

 he mounts to a favorite perch generally in the upper branches of a 

 tree and deliberately gives his entire attention to his song. This 

 is repeated many times, the bird singing almost continuously for an 

 extended interval. He is a finished musician, and, although his reper- 

 toire is limited to one air, he rivals the Mockingbird in the richness 

 of his tones and execution. I never listen to the Thrasher's song with- 

 out involuntarily exclaiming, "What a magnificent performance!" 

 Nevertheless, there is a certain consciousness and lack of spontaneity 

 about it which makes it appeal to the mind rather than to the heart. 



61. FAMILY TROGLODYTIDTE. WRENS. (Fig. 72 c, d.) 



The Wrens are one of the few families of birds represented in both 

 hemispheres, in which there is a larger number in the New World than 

 in the Old; only thirty-odd of the some two hundred and sixty known 

 forms occurring in the Old World, while the remainder are American. In 

 this country they are most abundant in the tropics, only fourteen species 

 advancing beyond Mexico. Wrens, as a rule, are haunters of the under- 

 growth in well-thicketed places, but some species are marsh-inhabiting 

 and others live among rocks. They are active, nervous little creatures, 

 whose usually up-cocked tail is an index to their excitable dispositions. 

 Their notes of alarm or displeasure are loud, harsh and insistent, but 

 the songs of most species are marked by sweetness and brilliancy of 

 execution. Their irrepressible energy finds expression in nests of great 

 size or complex structure as well as in exceptionally large sets of eggs. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



A. Upperparts bright rufous, a long, conspicuous whitish line over the eye; 



underparts cream-buff or ochraceous-buff ; wing 2*25 or over. 



718. CAROLINA WREN. 718a. FLORIDA WREN. 



B. Upperparts not bright rufous. 



a. Upperparts uniform dark, reddish olive-brown; back without white 



streaks. 



a 1 . Underparts whitish; primaries finely barred; no white line over the 



eye . . . 721. HOUSE WREN. 7216. WESTERN HOUSE WREN. 



a 2 . Underparts whitish; primaries not barred; a white line over the eye. 



719. BEWICK'S WREN. 

 a 3 . Underparts brownish, finely barred with black. 722, WINTER WREN. 



