4 Expedition to the 



of sandstone before mentioned, is a little more fertile than 

 the plains along the river. It is covered with fine and short 

 grasses, and varied with here and there a copse of small 

 oaks or hazles. There are also some columnar masses of 

 white sandstone, twenty or thirty feet high, standing re- 

 mote from each other, having the debris around their 

 bases covered with shrubby oaks. 



We observed here the obscure wren,* a bird more closely 

 related to the great Carolina wren of Wilson than any other 

 we have seen; but the characters drawn from the primaries, 

 and from the marking of the tail sufficiently distinguish it 

 from that species. The bill is somewhat longer, and the ge- 

 neral tint of the plumage of a much more sombre hue. It 

 frequents the arid country in the vicinity of the mountains, 

 and is often seen hopping about upon the branches and sin- 

 gularly compressed semi- procumbent trunks, of a species of 

 juniper. 



The bill of this species approaches the form which cha- 

 racterizes the genus Certhia^ in which Wilson has placed its 

 kindred species, the Carolina wren. 



On the morning of the 7th of July, the party remaining 

 in the encampment of the preceding day. Dr. James and 

 Mr. Peale, accompanied by two riflemen, were sent out 

 to examine the mountains. These appeared most acces- 



* Genus Troglodytes- Cuv. 



T. obsoleta. Sat. Above, dusky-brownisli, slightly undulated with pale, 

 tinted with dull ferruginous on the top of the head and superior portion of 

 the back; sides of the head dull whitish, with a broad brown line passing 

 through the eye to the origin ol'the neck; primaries plain, beingentirely 

 destitute of undulations or spots: feathers ofthe tail-coverts pale, each with 

 four or five fuscous bands; chin, neck beneath, and breast whitish, each fea- 

 ther marked by a longitudinal line of light brown; belly white, flanks a little 

 tinged with ferruginous; inferior tail-coverts white, each feather bifasciate 

 with black brown; tail simple, broadly tipped with ferruginous yellow, and 

 with black before the tip; the remaining portion colour of the wings and 

 obsoletely banded; these bands are more distinct on the two middle fea- 

 thers which are destitute of the black and yellowish termination; exterior 

 plume marked by four yellowish white spots on the exterior web, and by 

 two larger ones on the inner web; the tip ig dusky. 



Length six incbes; bill from the corner of the mouth rather more than 

 one inch. 



