THE WINTER WREN. 



( 7 Voglodytes h iem a lis . ) 



How rich the varied choir ! The unquiet finch 

 Calls from the distant hollows, and the wren 

 Uttereth her sweet and mellow plaint at times. 



— Isaac McLellan, "The Notes of the Birds." 



The Winter Wren inhabits that part 

 of North America east of the Rock}^ 

 Mountains, breeding chiefly north of the 

 United States and migrating at the ap- 

 proach of winter nearly or quite to the 

 Gulf of Mexico. 



This diminutive form of bird life, 

 which is also called Bunty Wren and 

 Little Log Wren, is a denizen of the 

 forest, and it is more common in those 

 forests found on bottom lands adjacent 

 to rivers. It is a shy bird, and does not 

 seek the intimacy of man as will its 

 cousin, the house wren. It is seldom 

 seen far above the ground. In many 

 places where it does not seem abundant 

 it may be quite common, for it readily 

 eludes observation in the underbrush be- 

 cause of its neutral color. It frequents 

 old logs, where it may be seen ''hopping 

 nimbly in and out among the knot- 

 holes and other hollow places, then flit- 

 ting like a brown butterfly to another 

 place of refuge on the too near approach 

 of an intruder." Some one has said, 'Tts 

 actions are almost as much like that of 

 a mouse as of a bird, rarely using its 

 wings except for a short flutter from one 

 bush or stone-heap to another ; it creeps 

 slyly and rapidly about, appearing for an 

 instant and is then suddenly lost to 

 view." 



The Winter Wren builds its nest in 

 the matted roots of an overturned tree, 

 in brush-heaps, in moss-covered stumps, 

 or on the side of a tree trunk. It may 

 be attached to a ledge of rock, and is 

 occasionally found in some unoccupied 

 building, especially if it be a log hut in 

 the woods. The nest is very large and 

 bulky when compared with the size of 

 the 1)1 rd. Dr. Minot describes a nest 

 that lie found in a moss-covcrcd stump 

 in a dark, swampy forest filled with 



tangled piles of fallen trees and branches. 

 This nest was made of small twigs and 

 moss. It had a very narrow entrance 

 on one side, which was covered by an 

 overhanging bit of moss, which the bird 

 pushed aside on entering. The nests 

 are usually more or less globular and 

 thickly lined with feathers and hair. 



This little brown bird, which carries 

 its tail pertly cocked on high, is a notable 

 singer. Many have described this song, 

 or perhaps it is better to say have tried 

 to do so. But words are too inadequate 

 to portray this sweetest of woodland 

 sounds. Reverend Mr. Langille says : 

 'T stand entranced and amazed, my very 

 soul vibrating to this gushing melody, 

 which seems at once expressive of the 

 wildest joy and the tenderest sadness. 

 Is it the voice of some woodland elf, 

 breaking forth into an ecstasy of de- 

 light, but ending its lyric in melting notes 

 of sorrow?" 



Of this song Florence A. Merriam 

 says: "Full of trills, runs, and grace 

 notes, it was a tinkling, rippling rounde- 

 lay. It made me think of the song of 

 the ruby-crowned kinglet, the volume and 

 ringing quality of both being startling 

 from birds of their size. But while the 

 kinglet's may be less hampered by con- 

 siderations of tune, the Wren's song has 

 a more appealing, human character. It 

 is like the bird itself. The dark swamps 

 are made glad by the joyous, wonderful 

 song." 



And Audubon beautifully expresses 

 the song as it appealed to him : 'The 

 song of the Winter Wren excels 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 



