86 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS. 



winter in the State, as at Delight, where they were observed in small 

 numbers by Savage, and at Van Buren, where Hanna saw one bird 

 January 5. Migrants from the north reached Delight September 

 27 and by October 15 the species was common there. The thrasher 

 is a decidedly useful bird, more than half of its food consisting of in- 

 jurious insects, such as beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and cater- 

 pillars. In summer it eats some cultivated fruits, mainly raspberries, 

 currants, and cherries, but the damage done is usually inconsiderable. 

 In fall and winter it feeds largely on wild fruits, such as the berries of 

 dogwood, sumac, and poison ivy. * . 



Carolina Wren. Thryothorus ludovicianus . 



The Carolina wren is one of the commonest birds in all parts of 

 Arkansas. It adapts itself readily to civilized conditions and often 

 places its nest about houses or farm buildings, and being non- 

 migratory its cheerful ringing song may be heard throughout the 

 greater part of the year. It has been observed in abundance at 

 Lake City, Helena, Wilmot, Camden, Rich Mountain, Van Buren, 

 Pettigrew, Clinton, and Mammoth Spring. In a tract of heavy 

 timber at Turrell, May 9, I started a large family of young ones from 

 the ground. They were able to fly strongly and were chattering noisily 

 in imitation of their parents. The Carolina wren is an eminently 

 useful species. It seeks its food on or near the ground, exploring in 

 great detail every nook and cranny in old logs, tree trunks, and brush 

 piles, where it finds numbers of beetles, ants, spiders, weevils, and 

 other insects. In such places it destroys many boll weevils during 

 their season of hibernation. 



Bewick Wren. Thryomanes bewicki. 



This wren is much less common than the Carolina wren and is 

 restricted mainly to the hill country in the northern and western 

 parts of the State. It is even more domestic in its habits than the 

 preceding and indeed is a characteristic " house wren," taking the 

 place in Arkansas of the common house wren of the Eastern States. 

 It is reported as a rare breeder at Clinton and Newport. I found it 

 in small numbers at Mammoth Spring, Cotter, and Rich Mountain 

 Station (1,600 feet altitude). It is fairly common at Conway and in 

 the valleys about Pettigrew. In the lowlands this bird occurs only 

 as a migrant, recorded from Helena in March and October, and from 

 Lake City May 1 and 2. A few remain throughout the winter in the 

 warmer parts of the State, as at Van Buren, where it was observed by 

 Hanna on January 7. It does not breed at Delight, but appeared 

 there on October 14 and 15 and remained until March 10. 



