BUBY-GBOWNED KINGLET. 165 



Aiidubon's account of this bird is so interesting that I will take 

 the liberty of making from it a long extract. His writing is always 

 welcome to the real lover of nature. — "The history of this diminiitive 

 bird is yet in a great measure unknown, and although I have met 

 with it in places where it undoubtedly breeds, I have not succeeded 

 in finding its nest. On the 2Tth. of June, 1833, while some of my 

 party and myself were rambling over the deserts of Labrador, the 

 notes of a Warbler came on my ear and I listened with delight to 

 the harmonious sounds which filled the air around, and which I 

 judged to belong to a species not yet known to me. The next 

 instant I observed a small bird perched on the top of a fir tree, and 

 on approaching it, recognised it as the vocalist that had so suddenly 

 charmed my ear and raised my expectation. We all followed its quick 

 movements as it flew from the tree backwards and forwards, without 

 quitting the spot, to which it seemed attached. At last my son John 

 raised his gun, and on firing brought down the bird, which fell 

 among the brushwood, where we in vain searched for it. 



The next day we chanced to pass along the same patch of dwarf 

 wood in search of the nests of certain species of ducks, of which I 

 intend to speak on another occasion. We were separated from the woods 

 by a deep narrow creek, but the recollection of the loss of the bird, 

 which I was sure had been killed, prompted me to desire my young 

 friends to dash across and again search for it. In an instant six of 

 us were on the opposite shore, and dispersed among the woods. My 

 son was so fortunate as to find the little Regidus among the moss 

 near the tree from which it had fallen, and brought it to me greatly 

 disappointed. Not so was I, for I had never heard the full song of 

 the Ruby-crowned Wren, and as I looked at it in my hand I could 

 not refrain from exclaiming, 'And so this is the tiny body of the 

 songster from which came the loud notes heard yesterday.' When I 

 tell you that its song is fully as sonorous as that of the Canary bird, 

 and much richer, I do not come up to the truth, for it is not 

 only as powerful and clear, but much more varied and pleasing to 

 the ear. We looked for its mate and nest, but all around was as 

 silent as death, or only filled with the hum of myriads of insects. 

 I made a drawing of it in its full spring plumage. A month later 

 the young of this species were seen feeding among the bushes. 



The Ruby-crowned Wren is found in Louisiana and other southern 

 states from November to March. Near Charlestown they are some- 

 times very abundant. The old birds are easily distinguished from 

 the young without shooting them, on account of the curious difierence 

 in their habits, for while the latter keep together among the lowest 



