WRENS 
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The House Wren is a busybody; it has the business of everybody else 
to attend to as well as an enormous amount of its own, and it raises infinite 
protest. Its energy is irrepressible; no crack or crevice in the fence escapes 
its fine, investigative bill, and scarcely a leaf stalk in the garden but is 
carefully examined above and below for such insects as it may yield. It 
bustles hither and thither scolding and ejaculating until unable to sup- 
press its mere happiness, and in spite of the heavy responsibility of ruling 
the garden, it flits to an elevated perch and fairly boils over with a rolling, 
spluttering song that seems to gush out of its little throat more quickly 
than it can articulate the notes. It is an indefatigable singer. During 
the height of its song season it can be depended on for a song a minute 
throughout the busy hours. As if this were not enough to work off its 
superabundant energy, the House Wren fills with sticks every possible 
cavity or nesting site it does not occupy. This not only satisfies its exag- 
gerated nest-building instinct, but, the method in its madness, it effectually 
prevents other birds from building within its declared preserves. It is 
intolerant of bird neighbours of either its own or other species and herein 
is shown a darker side to its character. Not able to oppose other species 
directly, it sometimes resorts to questionable practices to preserve the 
inviolability of its territory and steals into the nests of other birds in their 
absence and punctures their eggs. This may be largely the habit of some 
individuals rather than a general specific one, but it is common enough to 
deserve notice. House Wrens are delightful birds to have about the house, 
but if other species are desired or present, the busy little mischief-maker 
must be closely watched and in extreme cases eliminated. 
722. Winter Wren. LE RAILLEUR OU TROGLODYTE DES FORETS. NttnUUS hiemalis. 
L, 4 >05. A small wren of very dark, even coloration. Below, rich wood- brown only 
partly lightening, and sometimes faintly greying. Back faintly, and flanks and abdomen 
heavily, vermiculated or finely crossbarred. 
Distinctions. General wood- brown, especially the rich full colour below and the 
heavy barring on flanks and abdomen. 
Field Marks. A small, darkly coloured, brown wren; commonly found in deep 
woods. 
Nesting. Under logs or roots in deep woods. Nest of moss, lined with wool and fine 
materials. 
Distribution. North America. In Canada, across the Dominion except the prairie 
sections, north to Lake Athabaska and northern British Columbia. 
SUBSPECIES. Two subspecies have been recognized in Canada. The Eastern 
Winter Wren (le Railleur ou Troglodyte des forets de l’Est) Nannus hiemalis hiemalis 
occurs west to the mountains. The Western Winter Wren (le Railleur ou Troglodyte 
des forets de l’Ouest) Nannus hiemalis pacificus is the bird of British Columbia. It is 
darker, richer, and warmer brown, and with little or no greying on breast. Several other 
subspecies are found in Alaska, but. as yet have not been detected in Canada even in 
migration. 
A bird whose vocal powers have hardly been appreciated at their 
true worth. It is perhaps the finest songster of the northern woods. Its 
song, strangely disconnected yet continuous, composed of jerkily jumbled 
trills and staccato notes, dies down as though about to cease, only to revive 
and continue with full vigour several seconds longer. The length of a 
complete typical song is between eight and ten seconds and is thus one 
of the longest performances of any of our birds. It is shy and retiring, and 
inhabiting the densest and deepest woods is seldom heard in full song by 
the ordinary observer and still more rarely seen by him. 
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