354 



WicKERSHAM, The Sickle-billed Curle-w. 



find him living on open prairie land, often far from water, nesting 

 on the uplands, stalking along over the dry prairie, sometimes 

 bobbing up and down like a sandpiper, at others sinking his long 

 bill, with its tender ends into the ground, first on this side and 

 then on the other, as he draws worm after worm out of its home 

 to sustain life in his graceful body. As evening falls he becomes 

 restless, his hunting comes to an end, his bobbing becomes more 



a few winters ago — and true C. palustris winters there in numbers, 

 but in spring retires northward to breed. Mr. Wayne occasionally 

 gets also in winter an individual or two of the new form here 

 described, which is very easily told at this time of year from 

 either of the others. 



The two forms of Long-billed Marsh Wrens, hitherto confused 

 under the name Cistothorus palustris, can, I think, be recognized 

 by the following brief diagnoses. Care must always be taken, 

 however, in identifying specimens, that one has properly sexed 

 specimens, as females are much smaller than males, and wrongly 

 sexed skins (unfortunately too frequent even when made by good 

 collectors) are confusing. In autumnal plumage the color differ- 

 ences between the two races are exaggerated and thus winter and 

 autumn specimens are easiest to tell apart. In worn mid-summer 

 plumage the difference in the color of the back is not so noticeable, 

 but even then the much whiter underparts of true C. palustris is a 

 strong color character. The difference in size is always constant, 

 true C. palustris being a much smaller bird in every way — wing, 

 tail, tarsus and bill — than its neighbor of the fresh-water marshes. 



Cistothorus (Telmatodytes) palustris palustris ( Wils) . 



Type locality: Tidal marshes of the Pennsylvania rivers.' 

 Distribution : Salt and brackish marshes of Atlantic coast from Con- 



1 Wilson did not give a definite type locality for his Certhia palustris, saying, 

 "It arrives in Pennsylvania about the middle of May, or as soon as the reeds 

 and a species of nymphea, usually called splatter-docks, which grovf in great 

 luxuriance along the tide water of our rivers are sufficiently high to shelter it." 



Cistothorus -palustris dissaeptus . 



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