138 GREAT CAROLINA WREN. 
the banks of the Ogechee. It seemed to be particularly attached to 
the borders of cypress swamps, deep hollows, among piles of old, de- 
caying timber, and by rivers and small creeks. It has all the restless, 
jerking manners of the Wrens, skipping about with great nimbleness, 
hopping into caves, and disappearing into holes and crevices, like a 
tat, for several minutes, and then reappearing in another quarter. It 
occasionally utters a loud, strong, and singular twitter, resembling the 
word chirr-rup, dwelling long and strongly on the first syllable; and 
so loud, that I at first mistook it for the Red-Bird, (U. cardinalis.) It 
has also another chant, rather more musical, like “ Sweet William Sweet 
William,” much softer than the former. Though I cannot positively 
say, from my own observations, that it builds in Pennsylvania, and 
have never yet been so fortunate as to find its nest, yet, from the cir- 
cumstance of having several times observed it within a quarter of a 
mile of the Schuylkill, in the month of August, I hzve no doubt that 
some few breed here, and think it highly probable that Pennsylvania 
and New York may be the northern boundaries of their visits, having 
sought for it in vain among the states of New England. Its food ap- 
pears to consist of those insects, and their larve, that frequent low, 
damp caves, piles of dead timber, old roots, projecting banks of creeks, 
&c. It certainly possesses the faculty of seeing in the dark better 
than day birds usually do; for I have observed it exploring the re- 
cesses of caves, where a good acute eye must have been necessary to 
enable it to distinguish its prey. . 
In the Southern States, as well as in Louisiana, this species is gen- 
erally resident; though in summer they are more numerous, and are 
found rather farther north than in winter. Jn this last season their 
chirrupping is frequently heard in gardens soon after daybreak, and 
along the borders of the great rivers of the Southern States, not far 
from the sea-coast. 
The Great Wren of Carolina is five ches and a quarter long, and 
seven broad; the whole upper parts are reddish brown, the wings 
and tail being barred with black; a streak of yellowish white runs 
from the nostril over the eye, down the side of the neck, nearly to the 
back; below that, a streak of reddish brown extends from the pos- 
. terior part of the eye to the shoulder; the chin is yellowish white; 
the breast, sides, and belly, a light rust color, or reddish buff; vent- 
feathers, white, neatly barred with black ; in the female, plain; wing- 
coverts, minutely tipped with white ; legs and feet, flesh-colored, and 
very strong; bill, three quarters of an inch long, strong, a little bent, 
grooved, and pointed ; the upper mandible, bluish black ; lower, light 
blue ; nostrils, oval, partly covered with a prominent, convex mem- 
brane; tongue, pointed and slender; eyes, hazel; tail, cuneiform, the 
two exterior feathers on each side three quarters of an inch shorter, 
whitish on their exterior edges, and touched with deeper black; the 
same may be said of the three outer primaries. The female wants 
the white on: the wing-coverts, but differs little in color from the 
male. 
In this species I have observed a circumstance common to the 
House and Winter Wren, but which is notfound in the Marsh Wren — 
the feathers of the lower part of the back, when parted by the hand, 
or breath, appear spotted with white, being at bottom deep ash, reddish 
