596 
A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
Short-billed Marsh Wren : Cistothorus stellaris. S. R. 
Length: 4.50. 
Male and Female: Brown above; white beneath, washed with rusty. 
Crown and part of back streaked with black and white. White 
line over eye. Very short bill. Brown feet. 
Song: “Che, ’chet, de-de-de-de-de ! ” 
Season: May to September. 
Nest: In marshy meadows; either suspended between weeds and 
grasses or on a tussock. Closed at top, with entrance at side. 
Eggs: 6-9; pure white. 
A bird of wet meadows and reedv marshes, very shy and 
elusive, diving the grasses as a seabird does in the water. 
This as well as the next species has a habit of building several 
nests more than it uses. The reason for which is largely a 
matter of conjecture, though it has been thought to be a de- 
vice for luring prowlers away from the real nest that contains 
the eggs. 
Long-billed Marsh Wren : Cistothorus palustris. S. R. 
Length: About S inches. 
Male and Female: Above clear brown. Whitish line over eye. Neck 
and back streaked sparingly with white. Wings and tail brown, 
the latter barred. Below, white, washed with pale brown. Bill 
nearly as long as head. Dark above; lower mandible light. 
Feet brown. 
Song: Suggestive of the House Wren, but less agreeable, and at times 
quite harsh. 
Season: Summer resident. Early May to September. 
N*st : Along river borders. Made of sedge and grasses suspended be- 
tween tall reeds, above tide level. Rather bulky, with entrance 
on one side. 
Eggs: 6-10, chocolate-brown. 
These Wrens have all the alert ways and nervous habits 
of the family. They inhabit marshy and reedy river wastes, 
and often build their torch-shaped nests in little colonies. 
They are abundant summer residents all along the Housa- 
tonic River, from Stratford upward, following the course of 
tide rivers in preference to smaller streams. It has a clear 
song, but there are some notes in it that suggest a marsh 
frog. 
