THOGLDDYTID.K — TJIE WRENS. 150 



Cistothorus stellaris, cviiVN. 



SHOUT-BILLED MABSH-WEEU. 



nn,ih.l,it,ss,.ll,n-is, "Men.-." Na.mann, Vog.l l)-uts,hlan,ls, III, 1S23, 724 (Carolina). 



' CMI,..:,. s,,lhn-is, Cau. Mu.s. lU'iu. 77.-r.AnM., liir.ls N. A,n. 185S, 3(i5 ; Rev. 



Iti!. ^Sci.ATKl!, Catal. 22, no. H2 (in i.iirt). TroijUHhtlis bnnnixln.s, NriT. Man. 1, 



18;!2, 4:i(i. -.Ari.. Orn. Hi..;,'. II, 1834. 427, 1.1. .Ixxv. - lu. liinls Am. II, 1841, 138, 



pi. c.x.xiv. C. ikijiins, Sil.ATEU & Salvi.n, ll)i.s, IXjSt, 8. 



Sr. CiiMi. Tiill v,.|-y short. .-.Mn-rlv half th.> lon-lh "f th- hca.l. Winy aii.l tail alxml 

 ...lual. llin,l,.r part of tin' ,towm aii.i liic s,-a|.iilar au.l ii.t,.rscapnlar n-io.i ol' ti.o l.a(.-k and 

 nnnp almost l.lack. .-uvaUr,! witii wliito. Tail <lnsky, the H.illn-r.s barred thron-hout with 

 hrown (tin- .'olor uravish on ihu under .nrfa.'e). Heneath white; the ..ides, upper part ol 

 hreast, and iiinler tail-eoveits reddish-hrown. Uj.per pajts, with the exceptions men- 

 tioned, reddish-l.rown. Leii-th, 4..".it; win-. 1.7.'.; tail, 1.75. 



IIaii. Eastern I'lcvinee of rnited Slates, west t.. Loup Fork ol' Platte. 



Tlieni is a rlosoly allied vavii'ly fvum Mc.xieo and (Guatemala (C. chijnns, 

 S(i..\Tr.K & S.vi.viN','pr. Z. S., ISr.'.i, S; wliicli dille.v.s in the characters stated 

 Ih'Iuw. 



White dorsal streaks extendiiifT lo the rump, v.hieli i.s .•onspienously Landed with 

 brown, ami somewhat spotle.l with wliiiisli. Heneath, incindir.;,' linin-,' of 

 winj;s. liyht cinnamon-brown; throat and belly paler, almo-st white; sides and 

 eris,sMim very ol)s,.letely barred with darker, aii.l faintly .spotted with whitish. 



Feathers of" iu}r"lu"' ''"''^' »'''''•*. ''"'' ^^■'''' ^'"' "'"''"' "'"^'■'"■'■'' ''>' ""' l'''''"' ''''^"'■'• 



Tarsius, .W long. //,//<. Ea.stern T'rovhiee of United States . . . C. stellaris. 



Streaks on baek eonliiied lo inter.seaiiiilar region; rump and upjier lailrnv.^iis 



ahnost plain n'ddi.sli-brown. nenealii much paler than in .sli'lhiri.s, without any 



apprceiable iiidieation of bars or s|iots on sides and erissmn, (.r of the fulvous 



of th.' jugular feathers. Inside (.f wings snowy-white. Tar.sii.s, .72 long. 



y/<(/.. Mexico and Guatemala ; lira/.il? ('. eh<i'n,s. 



The diHereiices between these two varieties are just l)arely iiiti)recial>le 

 when specimens of tlie two, of eorrespondino; setisons, iin; cunijiared. Two 

 Mexican e.xiiniples {elqidns) dilVer ni«tre Ironi eacli other tliiiii one does 

 from North Americiin siiecimens; hecause one (a typictd s]ieeiinen received 

 from Salvin) is in tiie worn, faded, niidsiimmer ]iliiniiioe, and the other in the 

 jierfect autnnmiil dre.ss. I'.esides the hinder tarsi of tiiese Mexiciin liirds, 

 t .>eir tails, and even their hills, are h)njj;er than seen in Nortli Amerietm skins. 

 Hut while these dilfereuces between tiie North Amerii'an tind Mexican birds 

 iire Just ai.i.reciid)le, there is one from I'.razil (fiKOlT, Sr. Don Fred. Albu- 

 • lueniiie) which is exactly intermediate between these two varieties in color, 

 while in size it is even smaller tliiin the North Aniericiin ones, measuring,' as 

 follows: wino', l.dd; tiiil, l.tiO; culnien, .4."), tarsus, .(11. 



Kven if recoonizable as lielonoino to diil'erent varieties, these .specimens 

 are eerttiinly all referable to one species. 



Hahits. The Siiort-billetl Marsh Wri'n is very irreoidurly distributed 

 tlirouglunit the United Stutes, being fmiud from lieorgia to the Ihitish 



