THE CAROLINA WREN. 259 



In defense if its home the Thrasher is almost fearless, often placing itself 

 within reach of the observer's hand, and calling down upon him all the while 

 the most dreadful woes. The female is a close sitter, and portraits in nido are 

 not difficult to obtain. 



Nesting sites are various, but the bird shows a decided preference for 

 those which are naturally defended by thorns. Nearly every full sized Cra- 

 tegus (thorn apple) has at one time harbored a nest. Hedges of osage-orange 

 are well patronized — almost exclusively so in the prairie states further west — 

 and the honey-locust tree is not forgotten. Next after these come wild plum 

 thickets, grape-vine tangles, brush heaps, fence corners, and last of all, the 

 ground. 



No. 113. 



CAROLINA WREN. 



A. O. U. No. 718. Thryothorus ludovicianus (Lath.). 



Synonyms. — Great Carouna Wren; Mocking Wren. 



Description. — Adult: Above rufous-brown or rusty (quite variable as to 

 shade), duller or darker on head, brighter on rump, with concealed downy white 

 spots ; wings and tail like back, but finely and rather indistinctly barred with dusky ; 

 a conspicuous, white superciliary line, bordered indistinctly behind with blackish ; 

 a broad, rusty stripe behind eye ; under parts white, much washed with tawny or 

 pale rusty across the breast and on the flanks and lower belly ; sometimes the rusty 

 is so pronounced that only the chin remains whitish; lower tail-coverts heavily 

 barred with dusky ; bill and feet brown, the former decurved. Length 5.50-6.00 

 (139.7-152.4) ; average of ten Columbus specimens: wing 2.32 (58.9) ; tail 1.90 

 (48.3) ; bill along exposed culmen .67 (17.). 



Recognition Marks. — Warbler to Sparrow size ; largest of the Ohio Wrens. 



Nest, a bulky mass of grasses, hay, leaves, and trash, lined with fine grasses, 

 feathers, etc., placed in some cavity or cranny of stump, log, brush-pile or the like. 

 Eggs, 4-6, white, cream-white or light buff, thickly speckled with cinnamon- 

 brown and lavender, well distributed or wreathed about larger end. Average 

 size, .73 X .59 (18.5 X 15.). 



General Range. — Eastern United States north to southern New York, south- 

 ern Michigan and southern Nebraska; west to the Plains. Rare or casual in 

 southern New York and southern Ontario. Resident nearly throughout its 



ranffe. 



Range in Oliio. — "Abundant in southern, common and resident in middle, 

 rare in northern Ohio." Wheaton's statement still applies. 



WHEN the bird man settles down into a shady nook and begins screep- 

 ing, that is, making a sharp kissing sound on the back of the hand, to attract 



