TRiXrLUDYTlDyE — THE WHENri. 150 



Troglodytes parvulus, \iu. hyemalis, \ivm.\.. 



WINTEE WEEN. 



Si/hifi trniiMii/r.i, \Xu.sos, Am. Orii. I, l.Hd.S, HiO, \,\. viii, f. (>. TrDiihili/lr.'i hiiemnlh, 

 Vii:ii,i.ipr, N'ouv. Diet. XXXIV, ISl'.t, T.U. -Ain. Oni. liiog. IV, 18:58, 4M), pi. 

 cirlx. — 111. lUnl.sAm. II, 1841, liS, pi. c.v.Ki. — lUllil., Hml.s N. Am. 18.-.8, Jiti!' ; 

 U.'V. 141. — S(M,.viKli, 1'. Z. S. 18r.(i, -i'JO (Coidovii, ilcx.K — 111. Ciitiil. 18(11, 'I-i, wi. 

 V<i. -^l),\i.i. & IUNNl.sTKU(Ala.skii). — Cool'Kl!, (»ni. Ciil. I, 1870, 7:!. 



Sr. CiiAU. Bill vc-ry stnii^hl, sIcimIit, hikI coniciil ; .-^borlcr lliiiii the lirail. Tail coii- 

 sidiM-iil.ly .■^liinlcr (liaii ill./ wiii^-.s which ivach lu its ini.ltllf. L'l.piT liarls ivil.lish-browii ; 

 IjcM-oiiiiiiff liri*'hltM- lu the niiiii) iinil tiiil ; I'vcrywlifi-c, i'-N(;cpt. on the- hiNul ami iippur part 

 of the hack-, with Iraiisvcrsi' bar.-; of iliislcy ami «>f li.L'hk'r. Si-ipiilais ami winj^^-i'ovcTt.s 

 with .spot.s of whiti'. lii'iicalh pale rcildisli-limwii, liam;(l "ii iho po.^lcriui- half of thu 

 body with dusky and whitish, and spotted wilh white nioiv antwioi-ly ; ontci- web of 

 primaries similarly spotted with pale browiii,sh-white. An indistinct pale line over the eye. 

 Length, about -1 inelies; wii'.-,-, l.dli; tail, 1.2(1. 



Hah. North America ^;enerally. South t(5 (Jordova, Mex. 



Western specimens intiy be seimrated iis ti variety [xwijinin (Bairp, Itev. 

 Am. Birds, 1SC.4, 145), luised oiitlie miicli dtirker coIdi's and the almost entire 

 absence of the whitish sjiots amoii^- the dark bars. The umler parts are more 

 rnt'ons ; the ttirsi are shorter, thi! claws hirger, the l)ill straighter and more 

 slender. 



The Winter Wren is very clo.sely reliited to the common Wren {T. parvu- 

 liin, Koch) of Europe, so mucli so, in fact, that the two idmost seem to be 

 varieties of one species. The dill'eiences, as shown in a large series from 

 both continents, are the following: In T. jxtvvulm there is a tendency to 

 more uniform siiadi^s ; and the prevailing lint iinteriorly, beneath, is a pale 

 yellowish-iish, almost immaculate, instead of brownish-ochraceous, showing 

 minute specks and darker edges to the feathers. In extreme specimens of 

 T. pannliiA the Itars even on the tail and wings (except primtiries, where 

 they are always distinct) are very obsolete, whik m the lower jiarts they are 

 confined to the flanks and crissum. Sometimes, however, specimens of the 

 two are found which are almost uudistiiiguishable from each oilier. In 

 fact, it ip only by taking the ]ilaiiier European l)irds and conqiaring them 

 with the darker American examples from the northwest coast, that the dif- 

 ference lietween T. pari-ti/ns tind 7'. /ii/niinlix is readily aiiim-ciable. 



H.MUT.s. The Winter Wren, nowhere very aliiiiidant, seems to be dis- 

 tributed over the whole of North America. Hiirdly distinguishable from 

 the common Wren of Ivir(i]ie, it .an scarcely be considered as distinct. 

 The habits of our species certainly seem to be very different from those 

 assigned to the Eiiro]»ean bird, which in England ajipears to lie as common 

 and as familiar a bird as even the Uedbrea.sl. The small size and retiring 

 habits of our species, as well as its unfretpient occurrence, and only in wild 

 places, combine to keep its history in doubt anil obscurity. It is supposed 



