450 
WRENS, THRASHERS, ETC. 
3. Paler. East of Pacific coast region to Rocky Mountains. 
plesius, p. 451. 
3'. Darker. Pacific coast region. paludicola, p. 450. 
1'. Bill much shorter than head. stellaris, p. 450. 
Subgenus Cistothorus. 
724. Cistothorus stellaris (Licht.). Short-billed Marsh Wren. 
Bill much shorter than head; plumage brown ; top of head as well as back 
streaked with black and white; upper tail coverts barred; under parts 
buffy or brownish, whiter on throat and belly. Length: 3.75-4.50, wing 
1.72-1.90, tail 1.58-1.70, bill from nostril .24-.2S. 
Distribution. — Breeds from Lake Winnipeg (Norway House) southeast 
to Georgia; in the United States west to the Plains ; casually to Utah ; 
winters in the south Atlantic and Gulf states. 
Nest. — In tussock of reeds or coarse grass, the tops of which are woven 
into a spherical nest with entrance on one side, lined with finer grasses 
and sometimes vegetable down. Eggs : 6 to 8, pure white, unmarked. 
At Provo, Utah, Mr. Henshaw found that the short-billed marsh 
wren bred in the marshes. 
Subgenus Telmatodytes. 
725. Cistothorus palustris (Wi7s.). Long-billed Marsh Wren. 
Adults. — Like paludicola , but brown of tipper parts averaging more 
rusty, bars on middle tail feathers usually more indistinct or incomplete, 
and bars on tail coverts usually indistinct or wanting. Length: 4.25-5.50, 
wing 1.80-2.12, tail 1.60-1.90, bill .55-.61. Young: top of head, nape, and 
back dull black without white spots or streaks. 
Distribution. — Breeds in Transition and Upper Sonoran zones from 
Manitoba and Ontario south in the eastern United States; west to the 
Rocky Mountains ; winters locally from southern New England to the Gulf 
states and eastern Mexico. 
Nest. — Globular, with entrance on one side, attached to upright reeds in 
marshes. Eggs : 5 to 9, chocolate, sometimes nearly uniform, but usually 
sprinkled with a deeper shade. 
725a. C. p. paludicola Baird. Tule Wren. 
Top of head and triangular patch on middle of back black ; middle of 
crown washed with brown ; back patch streaked with white; rest of back 
light brown ; middle tail feathers and tail coverts generally distinctly and con¬ 
tinuously barred with black ; under parts soiled whitish, flanks brownish. 
Length: 4.50-5.75, wing 1.95-2.22, tail 1.80-2.05, bill .48-.55. 
Distribution. — Breeds in Pacific coast region from British Columbia to 
California; south in winter to extreme northwestern Mexico. 
Nest. — A large globular structure fastened to tule stalks, and woven 
of wet tule stems, with wet grass and algae matted in, and with a lining of 
dry algae and tule pith. Eggs (1 set): 5, lavender brown, clouded or mot¬ 
tled. 
Food. — Insects. 
The wrens of the marshes are as full of song as the house wrens, 
and as they live in colonies where they all sing at once their 
swamps are as noisy as a pond full of frogs, but their voices are 
