4 
MARSH AVREN. 207 
usually six, of a dark fawn color, and very small. The young leave 
the nest about the twentieth of June, and they generally have a second 
brood in the same season. 
The size, general color, and habit of this bird of erecting its tail, 
gives it, to a superficial observer, something of the appearance of the 
common House Wren, represented in Plate VIII. of this Avork ; and 
still more that of the Winter Wren, figured in the same plate ; but 
with the former of these it never 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 first of September 
very few of them are t(f 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 tlie neck are also mottled with touches 
of a light clay color 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 taper- 
ing, sharp pointed, and horny at the extremity ; Gje hazel. The 
female almost exactly resembles the male in plumage. 
From the above description, and a vicAV 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 continually climbing along the stalks of 
reeds and other aquatic plants, in search of insects. 
