140 WINTER WREN. 



south in May, builds a globular or pitcher-shaped nest, which it 

 suspends among the rushes and bushes by the river side, lays five 

 or six eggs of a dark fawn color, and departs again in September. 

 But the colors and markings of that bird are very unlike those of 

 the Winter Wren, and its song altogether different. The circum- 

 stance of the one arriving from the north as the other returns to 

 the south, and vice versa, with some general resemblance between 

 the two, may have occasioned this mistake. They, however, not 

 only breed in different regions, but belong to different genera, the 

 Marsh Wren being decisively a species of Certhia, and the Winter 

 Wren a true Motacilla. Indeed we have no less than five species 

 of these birds in Pennsylvania, that by a superficial observer would 

 be taken for one and the same; but between each of which nature 

 has drawn strong, discriminating and indelible lines of separation. 

 These will be pointed out in their proper places. 



If this bird, as some suppose, retires only to the upper regions 

 of the country, and mountainous forests, to breed, as is the case 

 with some others, it will account for his early and frequent resi- 

 dence along the Atlantic coast during the severest winters ; tho I 

 rather suspect that he proceeds considerably to the northward; as 

 the Snow-bird, which arrives about the same time with the Winter 

 Wren, does not breed, it is said, even at Hudson^s bay; but passes 

 that settlement, in June, on its way to the northward; how much 

 farther is unknown. 



The length of the Winter Wren is three inches and a half, 

 breadth five inches ; the upper parts are of a general dark brown, 

 crossed with transverse touches of black, except the upper parts of 

 the head and neck, which are plain; the black spots on the back 

 terminate in minute points of dull white; the first row of wing- 

 coverts is also marked with specks of white at the extremities of 

 the black, and tipt minutely with black; the next row is tipt with 

 points of white; the primaries are crossed with alternate rows of 

 black and cream color; inner vanes of all the quills dusky, except 



