476 



NEST^ AND EGOS OF 



interwoven with fyier materials, making the whole impervious to the weather. The 

 inner nest is composed of grasses and fine sedges, lined with soft vegetable down. 

 Several nests are frequently built by a single pair of birds, but not more than one is 

 used. The eggs are si:: to eight in number, are pure white, unmarked and average 

 .64X.50. '>3- 



725. LONG-sfiiLLED MABSH WREKT. Gistothorus palustris (Wils.) Geog. 

 Dist. — Eastern United States and British Provinces, wintering in the Gulf States. 



The Long-billed Marsh Wren 

 is a common species in swampy 

 places and salt marshes through- 

 out Eastern United States, where 

 it breeds in colonies of greater or 

 less extent. The nest is globular, 

 or somewhat the shape of a co- 

 coanut, very conspicuous by Its 

 bulk and its exposed position. It 

 is built of grasses and reeda 

 closely interwoven and often 

 plastered with mud, securely fas- 

 tened to the upright swaying reeds 

 or cat-tails; it is lined with fine 

 grasses, has a hole on one side, 

 sometimes nearer the bottom than 

 the top. A single pair of these birds 

 will often build several^ nests, 

 only one of which is ever used. 

 The eggs range from five to nine 

 in number, usually five or six; 

 they are very dark colored, being 

 so thickly marked with brown as 

 to appear of a uniform chocolate 

 color; average size .64x.45, with 

 considerable variation. 



725a. TTJLE WRElir. Gis- 

 tothorus palustris paludicolaBa.iTA. 

 Geog. Dist. — Western United 

 States, east to the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, south to Northern Central 

 America (Guatemala). 



The nesting and eggs of this 

 Western form of the Long-billed 

 Marsh Wren are the same as 

 those of C. palustris of the East- 

 ern States. It nests more gen- 

 erally among the tules, more 

 rarely among the flags. Mr. Bry- 

 ant makes note of a nest found 

 in California which contained 



T25. Long-billed Maksh Wken (From Fhe Osfrey ) eggS and was WOVen among the 



almost leafless branches of a young willow, five feet above a fresh water marsh. 

 The false hests. were built as usual, but in the coarse grass near by. 



725. WOUTHINGTOIT'S MARSH WREN. Gistothorus palustris griseus 

 Brewst. Geog. Dist.^Coast -region of South Carolina and Georgia. 



