WINTER WREN. 431 
shores? Was it by following the course of the St Lawrence, or by 
flying from one island to another across the Gulf? I have seen it in 
almost every State of the Union, but only twice found it breeding 
there, once near the Mohawk River in New York, and again in the 
Great Pine Swamp in Pennsylvania. It breeds abundantly in Maine, 
and probably in Massachusetts, but few spend the winter even in the 
latter State. 
The song of the Winter Wren excells that of any other bird of its 
size with which I am acquainted. It is truly musical, full of cadence, 
energetic, and melodious ; its very continuance is surprising, and dull 
indeed must be the ear that thrills not on hearing it. When emitted, 
as it often is, from the dark depths of the unwholesome swamp, it 
operates so powerfully on the mind, that it by contrast inspires a feel- 
ing of wonder and delight, and on such occasions has usually impressed 
me with a sense of the goodness of the Almighty Creator, who has 
rendered every spot of earth in some way subservient to the welfare 
of his creatures. 
Once when travelling through a portion of the most gloomy part 
of a thick and tangled wood, in the Great Pine Forest, not far from 
Maunchunk in Pennsylvania, at a time when I was intent on guarding 
myself against the venomous reptiles which I expected to encounter, 
the sweet song of this Wren came suddenly on my ear, and with so 
cheering an effect, that I instantly lost all apprehension of danger, 
and pressed forward through the rank briars and stiff laurels, in pursuit 
of the bird, which I hoped was not far from its nest. But he, as if 
bent on puzzling me, rambled here and there among the thickest 
bushes with uncommon cunning, now singing in one spot not far dis- 
tant, and presently in another in a different direction. After much 
exertion and considerable fatigue, I at last saw it alight on the side of 
a large tree, close to the roots, and heard it warble a few notes, which 
I thought exceeded any it had previously uttered. Suddenly another 
Wren appeared by its side, but darted off in a moment, and the bird 
itself which I had followed disappeared. I soon reached the spot, 
without having for an instant removed my eyes from it, and observed 
a protuberance covered with moss and lichens, resembling those excres- 
eences which are often seen on our forest trees, with this difference, 
that the aperture was perfectly rounded, clean, and quite smooth. I 
put a finger into it, and felt the pecking of a bird’s bill, while a queru- 
