SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN. 233 
Telmatodytes palustris, WHEATON, Food of Birds, ete, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 1875, 
563; Reprint, 3.—LANGDON, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877,.4. 
¢ 
Motacitla palustris, BARTRAM, Trav. Fla., 1791, 291. 
Troglodytes palustris, BONAPARTE, Journ. Phila. Acai., iv. 1824, 30. 
Cistothorus (Telmatodytes) palustris, BAIRD, Birds N. Am., 1868, 364. 
Telmatodytes palustris, HENRY, Proc. Phila. Acad., xi, 1859, 107. 
Above, clear brown unbarred, back with a black patch containing distinct white 
streaks, crown brownisl: black, superciliary line to nape white, wings not noticably 
barred, but outer webs of inner secondaries blackish; tail brown, dusky barred ; 
below, dull white, often quite pure, the sides alone brownish washed, and under tail 
—coverts somewhat barred. Length 42 to 543; wing about 2, tail less, tarsus 2 to $; 
bill 4 or more. ; 
Habitat, Temperate North America and Mexico; south to Guatemala; accidental in 
Greenland. i 
Common summer resident in suitable places, migrant in others. The 
Long-bilied Marsh Wren is a common resident in the extensive marshes 
about St. Mary’s and the Licking Reservoirs. It doubtless breeds in 
many other localities. In the vicinity of Columbus, I known it only as 
amigrant. Mr. Langdon givesit as a migrant in the vicinity of Cin- 
cinnati. It usually makesits spnearance here shortly after the middle 
of April and remains until after the middle of May. Inthe fallit returns 
in September and may be found throughout October. While with us, 
they frequent the binks of streams, swamps, low meadows with willows 
and swamp roses. Like the Carolina Wren, it frequently climbs trees, 
but not to a very considerable height. Their only note is short, harsh, 
and unpleasant, so quickly uttered as hardly to denote from what spot it 
comes. 
The nest is built in bushes, generally quite near the ground. It iscom- 
posed of coarse grasses and mud. It is globular in shape, with an en- 
trance on the side. The eggs number from six to nine, oval or spherical, 
so thickly marked with brown spots as to appear of a nearly uniform 
chocolate color. They measure .65 by .d0. 
Genus CISTOTHORUS. Cabanis. 
Bill much shorter than head. Hind claw equal to its digit. Otber characters as in 
Telmatodytes. 
CISTOTHORUS STELLARIS (Licht.) Cab. 
Short-billed Marsh Wren. 
Troglodytes brevirostris, READ, Proc. Philad. Acad, Nat. Sci., vi, 1853, 395. 
Cistothorus stellaris, WHEATON, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 365, 375 ; Reprint, 1861, 7, 17; 
Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 663; Reprint, 1875, 2.—LaNepon, 
Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 4; Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 188; 
Reprint, 22. 
