BIRDS— LIOTRICHIDAE CISTOTHORUS STELLAR IS. 
865 
Sp. Ch. — Bill about as long as head. Tail and wing nearly equal. Upper parts of a dull reddish brown, except on the 
crown, interscapular region, outer surface of tertials, and tail feathers, which are almost black : the first with a median patch 
like the ground color ; the second with short streaks of white, extending round on the sides of the neck ; the third indented 
with brown ; the fourth barred witli whitish, decreasing in amount from the outer feather, which is marked from the base, to the 
fifth, where it is confined to the tips ; the two middle feathers above like the back, and barred throughout with dusky. Beneath 
rather pure white, the sides and under tail coverts of a lighter shade of brown than the back; a white streak over the eye. 
Length, 5.50 ; wing, 2.08 ; tail, 2.00. (1454.) 
Hub. — North America from Atlantic to Pacific ; north to Greenland. (Reinhardt.) 
There is only a slight tendency to paler bars on the under parts, these being broad, very 
obsolete, and confined to the sides. The under tail coverts are moderately spotted in a male. 
In a female (1556) they are immaculate, and the black of the tail is less distinct ; the size is 
considerably smaller ; the colors of the back brighter and more rufous. 
Specimens vary in the greater or less intensity of the lighter patch on the head, the crown 
sometimes appearing nearly black. The rump is generally a little brighter than elsewhere ; 
the upper tail coverts more or less distinctly barred. There is but little marking on the 
primaries. 
In some western specimens there is a brownish tinge across the breast, but otherwise there is 
but little difference. No. 7141, from Shoalwater bay, has a shorter bill than any others in the 
series before me. 
Eeinhardt (Vidensk. Meddel. for 1853, 81,) quotes 1 1 Troglodytes arundinaceus, Vieillot," as 
found in Greenland. Vieillot's species of 1807 is really Thryothorus ludovicianus, but reference is 
probably meant to his Thryothorus arundineus, which, as stated below, is the present species. 1 
List of specimens. 
Oatal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When col- 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
1456 
1555 
4744 
8838 
7142 
7141 
7140 
3 
Q 
May 4, 1844 
5.50 
4.91 
4.50 
5.00 
6.75 
6.00 
6.25 
6.50 
2.50 
1.91 
2.00 
2.00 
Mouth Big Sioux, Neb. . 
Sand Hills 
May 4, 1856 
Aug. 12 
Dr. Harden.... 
9 
Shoalwater bay, W. T.. 
Oct. 31, 1854 
Gov. Stevens 
Lieut. Williamson. 
110 
Dr. Cooper.... 
Dr. Heerrnann. 
5.25 
G.75 
3 
J. Xantus de Vesey. 
CISTOTHORUiS STELLARIS, Cabanis. 
Short-billed Marsh Wren. 
Troglodytes stellaris, " Licht." Naumann, Vogel Deutschl. Ill, 1823, 724. (Carolina.) 
Cistothorus stellaris, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1851, 77. Type. 
Troglodytes brevirostris, Nuttall, Trans. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sc. New Ser.1, 1833,98, with figure. Quoted in Manual, 
though date of volume is subsequent to 1832.— Ib. Manual, I, 1832, 436. — Aud. Orn. 
Biog. II, 1834, 427 : V, 1839, 469 ; pi. 175.— Ib. Syn. 1839, 76.— Ib. Birds Amer. II, 1841, 
138 ; pi. 124.— Bon. List, 1838.— Ib. Consp. 1850, 220. 
Sp. Ch. — Bill very short, scarcely half the length of the head. Wing and tail about equal. Hinder part of the crown and 
the scapular and interscapular region of the back and rump almost black, streaked with white. Tail dusky, the feathers barred 
1 Most recent authors erroneously refer the Troglodytes rn-imciiiinceus of Vieillot in Ois. Am. Sept., to the present species. 
The Thryothorus arundineus, or " Thryothore des Roseaux" of Vieillot, (Nouv. Diet.,) is really the same ; but on the same 
page he expressly states that the Troglodytes arundinaceus, or " Troglodyte des Roseaux" of the Ois. Am. Sept., is identical 
with Sylvia ludoviciana of Latham, as would readily be inferred from the description and figure. The habits, as indicated, 
were, however, probably based on palustris. 
