HOUSE \\'l. 39 



circumstances when they wish to build, even turning the habitations of man to account. But 

 what particularly distinj.Mii.shes these birds from many others is their loud and cheery song; 

 perched on some slightly elevated position they "ill pour forth such clear and thrilling 

 lays that the most careless observer will pause to listen and admire their power. There arc no 

 birds which excel them in the frequency in which this melody is given; from early morning 

 until late at night they may be heard singing. Seasons as well as time are utterly disregarded 

 by them, for their harmonious strains arc given with as much earnestness in December as 

 during the breeding time. The remembrance of the melodies ever brings to my mind pleasant 

 visions of dark green foliage and the rustling palm leaves which grow so luxuriantly in this 

 land ; for we were always greeted by these birds whenever we pitched our tents by the side of 

 a hummock or thicket, and I think no one, who has heard them as often as I have, will hesitate 

 to place the Great Carolina Wren among the finest song birds of Florida. 



TROGLODYTES AEDON. 



House Wren. 



Troglodytes aeilon VIKII.I.OT, Orn. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 32. 

 Troglodytes Amerieantis Auwnox. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 452. 

 Troglodytes Parkmanii AUDUBON, Oru. Biog. v, 1839, 310. 



DESCRIPTION. 



SP. CH. Form, not slender. Size, quite small. Bill, tapering, slightly curved at the end, not notched, shorter 

 than the head. Sternum not stoutly built; proportionately narrower than In the preceding, but with the keel higher. 

 Tongue, thin, horny and acuminate with the end, in adult specimens, broken Into irregular points or coarse cilia, in 

 young birds, however; it is more regular In form, there being four points; two long ones in the middle and two 

 shorter cuirs at each side, which commence farther down on the tongue than the others and terminate at their base, 

 forming a rounded or graduated end. 



(c.ion. A'liilt.' Above, dark reddish-brown; lightest on the rnmp and darkest on the head where the feathers 

 usu:illy show darker centres. Wings, above, dark brown band on the outer webs, with the same color as the back, 

 which becomes lighter on the first quills. Tail, like the rnmp, but barred with dusky. Beneath, dirty white, with 

 the breast and Hanks tinged with brownish which becomes quite rufous on the latter. The flanks, breast and sides 

 an- usually somewhat obscurely barred. Under tail coverts, white, barred with rufous and black. Under surface of 

 wings, glaucous. Under wing coverts, pale buff. I'nder part of tail, paler than the upper, otherwise similar. Ear 

 coverts, mixed with whitish. In autumn there is a more rufous suffusion beneath and the whole head is darker. 



-iinilar, but with the wing coverts -.putted with white. In this stage there is sometimes a white 

 superciliary stripe. Sexes, alike. Neck, brown. Bill, brown, lighter at the basal portion of the under mandible. 

 Tarsi and feet, brown. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



This is an extremely variable species in shading and in coloration. The middle of the back is frequently barred, 

 but in a specimen from Florida, which I collected during winter, there are conspicuous dark transverse lines from 

 the forehead to the end of the tail, while the feathers of the breast, sides, abdomen and flanks are crossed with fine 

 wavy lines of dark brown. The throat is washed with reddish-brown and the whole breast is very dark. I have 

 specimens running Irom this through every gradation of shading and marking to a very pale specimen, also from 

 Florida, where the bars on the body are so nearly obsolete as to be only just perceptible on the middle of the back 

 and Hanks. A specimen of 1'arkmanii which I have, that was labelled at the Smithsonian Institution, in point of 

 color falls within this wide ranuc of individual variation, and specimens of typical aedon now before me exhibit the 

 same proportionate differences in si/.e of the wings and tail. I have elsewhere (Naturalists' Guide, p. ii.1, !><;, 97) 

 proved conclusively that th.- s of Audnhoii was only a darker type of aedon. I have no specimens of 



i/iti-nii'-dinn and iiK/Hietim, yet judge from the descriptions that they are very similar to atilon if really distinct. The 

 House Wren dillers from T. hy-mntix in beini; larirer. darker, and in having the sides of the neck unspotted. The flanks 

 and abdomen of lii/i-mali* are also more deeply barred with black. Habitat throughout the entire United States and 

 probably through Mexico. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Aver-L'e measurements of 50 specimens from Florida and .New Kngland. Length, 4'80; stretch, i;-l'.". ; wing 2-08; 

 tail, 1-UL': bill, -4!l; tarsus, 'CO. Longest specimen. 5-7">; greatest extent of wings, 7'00; longest wing. L'-'.'O; tail 2-40, 

 bill, -C.O; tarsus, ",. Shortest specimen, 4-:n> ; smallest extent of wings, 6-10; shortest wing, 1-70; tail, 1-30; bill; 

 40; tarsus, -50. 



