160 SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN. 
songsters, delivering their medleys usually from the top of a tuft of reeds or bullrushes. 
When the bird is approached too near the song closes with a harsh and scolding 
utterance; then the singer glides down in the tangled masses of reeds where it dis- 
appears with celerity, and considerable exertion is required to drive him from the dense 
vegetation. 
Evidently our bird is far more numerous than is generally assumed, but its living 
in secluded localities and its modest color cause it to be overlooked by most people. 
Only the true friend of nature, who is accustomed to ramble about through forest and 
meadow, through marshes and swamps, knows where to find it.—I observed this Wren 
during the entire year in marshy places near the Gulf coast of Texas, and Mr. Maynard 
found it all along the eastern side of Indian River, Fla., especially in savannas covered 
with short grass which grows so thickly that it becomes matted together. 
The nest is always placed in a tussock of reeds or coarse grass, the tops of which 
- are “ingeniously interwoven into a coarse and strong covering, spherical in shape and 
closed on every side, except one small aperture left for an entrance. The strong wiry 
grass of the tussock is also interwoven with finer materials, making the whole imper- 
vious to the weather.” This globe-like structure is lined with finer grasses and some- 
times with soft vegetable down; but no mud is used in the construction. Occasionally 
we may find the nest in a grassy meadow where it is usually placed low down ina 
tussock of grass instead of hanging in the tops of swaying sedges. The eggs are 
entirely different from those of the long-billed species, being pure white, unmarked. 
They number from six to eight, measuring about .64%.50 inch. 
As early as October 24, 1881, I observed this Wren making its appearance from 
the North in south-eastern Texas. A cold norther swept over the State, and, at the 
same time, thousands of migrating birds arrived. The high grass and the weeds of the 
cotton and corn fields swarmed with different Sparrows, but Short-billed Marsh Wrens 
appeared to be especially abundant; they were such awkward fliers — being ex- 
hausted perhaps from the long journey—that one could catch them with his hand. 
One of these birds which I caught in this way I placed in a cage to observe it for some 
days. It was very lively, jerked its tail frequently, and without fear consumed the 
“ant’s eggs,’’ which I put into the cage. 
NAMES: SHorT-BILLED Mars Wren, Fresh Water Marsh Wren, Meadow Wren.—Rohrzaunkénig (German). 
SCIENTIFIC NAMES: Trogiodytes stellaris Licht. (1823). CISTOTHORUS STELLARIS Cab. (1850). 
Tryothorus stellaris Turnb. (1869). Troglodytes brevirostris Nutt. (1832), Aud. 
DESCRIPTION: Sexes alike. Above, brown, back and crown blackish, sharply streaked with white through- 
out. A whitish line over the eye. Below, whitish, shaded with clear brown across the breast and on 
the sides. Tail evenly barred with fuscous and blackish. 
Length about 4.50 inclies; wings and tail about 1.75 inches. 
