MARSH WREN. 2 Cg 



appearance of Hie common house wren, represented in Plate 

 VIII. ; and still more that of the winter wren, figured in the 

 same plate ; but with the former of these it neve'r associates ; 

 and the latter has left us some time before the marsh wren 

 makes his appearance. About the middle of August, they 

 begin to go off ; and on the 1st of September, very few of 

 them are to be seen. How far north the migrations of this 

 species extend, I am unable to say ; none of them, to my 

 knowledge, winter in Georgia, or any of the southern States. 



The marsh wren is five inches long, and six in extent ; the 

 whole upper parts are dark brown, except the upper part of 

 the head, back of the neck, and middle of the back, which 

 are black, the two last streaked with white ; the tail is short, 

 rounded, and barred with black ; wings, slightly barred ; a 

 broad strip of white passes over the eye half way down the 

 neck ; the sides of the neck are also mottled with touches of 

 a light clay colour on a whitish ground ; whole under parts, 

 pure silvery white, except the vent, which is tinged with 

 brown ; the legs are light brown ; the hind claw, large, 

 semicircular, and very sharp ; bill, slender, slightly bent ; 

 nostrils, prominent ; tongue, narrow, very tapering, sharp 

 pointed, and horny at the extremity ; eye, hazel. The female 

 almost exactly resembles the male in plumage. 



From the above description and a view of the figure, the 

 naturalist will perceive that this species is truly a Certhia, 

 or creeper ; and indeed its habits confirm this, as it is con- 

 tinually climbing along the stalks of reeds, and other aquatic 

 plants, in search of insects. 



VOL. I. 



