WINTER WREN.

395 the neighborhood of their dwelling. Their greatest enemy in this respect at present is the House Sparrow, who does not hesitate to eject the Wrens, when their premises appear to suit his purpose. This habit may in time drive the Wrens back to their original mode of life in the woods.

We should be very sorry if this should ever come to pass, for the Wrens are industrious insect hunters, prying into many out-of-theway corners which no other bird would stop to examine.

In Manitoba and the North-West, this is replaced by a closely allied species, named Parkman's Wren, which is common Pacific coast and east to the Mississippi Valley.

on the

SUBGENUS ANORTHURA RENNIE.

TROGLODYTES HIEMALIS (VIEILL.).

299. Winter Wren. (722)

Deep brown above, darkest on the head, brightest on the rump and tail, obscurely waved with dusky and sometimes with whitish also; tail like rump; wings, dusky, edged with color of back, and dark barred; several outer primaries also whitish barred; a superciliary line and obscure streaks on sides of head and neck whitish; below, pale brown; belly, flanks and under tail coverts, strongly barred with dusky. Length, about 4; wing, 2 or less; tail, 11⁄2 or less. HAB.--Eastern North America generally, breeding from the northern parts parts of the United States northward, and wintering from about its southern breeding limit southward.

Nest, in moist places among fallen trees or upturned roots, usually a ball of green moss, warmly lined with feathers, entrance by a hole at one side.

Eggs, five to six, clear white, spotted with reddish-brown.

In Southern Ontario, the Winter Wren is most frequently seen during the periods of migration, but a few remain and raise their young in suitable places throughout the country. There is a cedar swamp in West Flamboro', made impenetrable by fallen timber, moss-grown and going to decay. In the stillness and gloom of that uninviting region, I have listened to the song of the Winter Wren in the month of June, and thought it one of the most pleasing specimens of bird music I have been privileged to hear. Tinged with melancholy it may be, but there is still a hopeful sprightliness about it that seems to rise above the gloomy surroundings and point to a brighter world outside. I have not heard of the species having been observed

in winter, but it arrives from the south early in April, and lingers quite late in the fall. During the latter season, they are frequently seen in the city gardens, appearing and disappearing like mice among the roots of the bushes.

In my boyish days I was familiar with the haunts and homes of the common Wren of Britain, Troglodytes vulgaris, along the "Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon," and in song, size and color I believe it is identical with the present species.

In Manitoba this species is said to be common during the summer. Farther to the North-West it is replaced by a closely allied sub-species, named Western Winter Wren, which is the form found along the Pacific coast and in California.

GENUS CISTOTHORUS CABANIS.

SUBGENUS CISTOTHORUS.

CISTOTHORUS STELLARIS (LICHT.)

300. Short-billed Marsh Wren. (724)

Dark brown above, crown and middle of the back, blackish, nearly everywhere conspicuously streaked with white; below, buffy-white, shading into pale brown on the sides and behind; wings and tail, barred with blackish and light brown; flanks, barred with dusky; throat and middle of belly, whitish. Length, 4; wing and tail, about 1; bill, not long and very slender; tarsus, middle toe and claw, together 13.

HAB. Eastern United States and Southern British Provinces, west to the Plains. Winters in the Gulf States and southward.

Nest, similar to that of the Long-billed species, but sometimes placed near the ground; no mud used in the structure, which is very compact and warmly lined with down.

Eggs, six to eight, pure white, unspotted.

Never having happened to meet with the Short-billed Marsh Wren in any of my excursions, I consider it to be either locally distributed or less abundant than the Long-billed species, which is common in all the marshes in Southern Ontario.

Throughout Northern New England, the Short-billed species is a common summer resident, and Mr. Thompson speaks of it as being "abundant all over" in Western Manitoba. It is probable, therefore, that it is a summer resident in Ontario, but so few people follow these little birds into their marshy haunts that, at present, their

LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.

history here is somewhat concealed.

397

Mr. Saunders says it is found in the marshes along the River St. Clair, and he has a set of eggs which were taken in a marsh near Toronto.

It is found at certain places in Michigan, also in Minnesota, and is abundant in the Red River Valley. At Pembina, Dr. Coues found it to be "erratic in distribution." It is observed in Manitoba, but Mr. White has not seen it near Ottawa, and I have not yet found it in Southern Ontario, from which it would appear that it is a western species, and irregular in distribution.

SUBGENUS TELMATODYTES CABANIS.

CISTOTHORUS PALUSTRIS (WILS.).

301. Long-billed Marsh Wren. (725)

Above, clear brown, unbarred; back, with a black patch, containing distinct white streaks; crown, brownish-black; superciliary line to nape, white; wings, not noticeably barred, but 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 varied. Length, 4-5; wing, about 2; tail, less; tarsus, -; bill, or more.

HAB.

Guatemala.

Southern British America and the United States, south in winter to

Nest, a large globular mass of coarse grass and rushes loosely laced together, sometimes plastered with mud and fastened to the reeds, warmly lined with fine, soft grass; entrance by a hole in one side.

Eggs, six to ten, variable in shade, but usually so thickly spotted with chocolate-brown as to appear uniformly of that color.

The Long-billed Marsh Wren is a common summer resident, found in suitable places throughout Ontario. Near Hamilton it breeds in all the inlets around the Bay, and is seen from the beginning of May till the end of August, climbing, hopping, and swaying to and fro among the reeds in every conceivable posture. In the spring it appears to be constantly under great nervous excitement, which it works off in nest-building, often constructing two or three when only one is required. So large a number of nests, when observed, gives the impression that the birds breed in colonies, but I have not noticed this to be the case. All the nests I have seen have been so placed that they could only be reached by wading or in a boat, and sometimes they were among the reeds on a quaking bog where approach was impossible.

The mode of migration of these birds is a mystery. We are accustomed to say that they retire to the south early in September, but how do they travel? Do they rise in flocks like Swallows and go off during the night, or do they make the long journey from the Saskatchewan, where they were seen by Richardson, south to Guatemala, flitting singly, or in pairs, from bush to bush? In either case it is strange that they are seldom, if ever, seen except in the marshy tracts where they spend the summer.

Mr. White has found this species breeding near Ottawa, and it is said to be common at many points in Manitoba, which seems to be its northern limit.

FAMILY CERTHIIDE. CREEPERS.

GENUS CERTHIA LINNÆUS.

CERTHIA FAMILIARIS AMERICANA (BONAP.).

302. Brown Creeper. (726)

Plumage above, singularly barred with dusky, whitish, tawny or fulvousbrown and bright brown, latter chiefly on the rump; below, white, either pure or soiled, and generally brownish washed behind; wings, dusky, oddly varied with tawny or whitish bars and spots; tail, plain, about 54; wing and tail, about 23.

HAB.---North America in general, breeding from the northern and more elevated parts of the United States north as far as Red River settlement, migrating south in winter.

Nest, nearly always in a crevice where the bark is partially separated from the trunk of a tree. In the crevice is placed a basis of twigs, on which the nest is built, of strips of bark and moss, lined with spiders' cocoons and down.

Eggs, five to eight, dull white, spotted with reddish-brown or hazel.

This singular little bird is seen in Southern Ontario at nearly all seasons, but it is most abundant during the period of migration. About the end of April and beginning of May, it becomes quite common in the woods, and is seen flitting like a great moth from tree to tree, or winding its spiral way upward on a trunk, uttering its simple note so descriptive of the motion, creep, creep, creep. In summer a pair may be seen, occasionally, in more favored spots, evidently nesting, but at that season they are quite rare. Early in September they again become numerous, in company with other migrants who are travelling southward, and in the depth of winter I

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

399

have occasionally seen them mixed up with a small band composed of Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Golden-crowned Kinglets. These birds seem to find pleasure in each other's society, when they are spending the short, sharp days of winter in some sheltered patch of evergreens.

FAMILY PARIDE. NUTHATCHES AND TITS.

SUBFAMILY SITTINÆ. NUTHATCHES.

GENUS SITTA LINNEUS.

SITTA CAROLINENSIS (LATH.).

303. White-breasted Nuthatch. (727)

Back, rump and middle tail feathers, ashy-blue; crown and nape, glossy black, restricted or wanting in the young and many females; tail, except as above, black, spotted with white; beneath and sides of head, white; flanks and under tail coverts, rusty-brown; wings varied, black, blue and white. Length, 6; wing, 3; tail, 2.

HAB. Southern British Provinces and Eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains.

Nest, a hole in a tree, sometimes a natural cavity, or again dug by the birds with great labor, lined with hair and feathers.

Eggs, six to eight, white, spotted thickly with reddish-brown.

This is one of the few birds which remain with us summer and winter. It is quite a common species, well known to all who have occasion to be in the woods in spring, when it is seen climbing nimbly about, or hanging head downwards on the bark of a tree. In the winter time the country lads who are chopping in the bush listen with pleasure to its familiar quank, quank, which is often the only evidence of animal life observed. As a climber, it has few equals, its long hind claw enabling it to travel head downwards, a feat which even the Woodpeckers do not attempt. Its food consists chiefly of insects, which it finds lurking in the crevices of the bark. It is also said to hide away nuts and acorns in the holes of trees, a habit which may have suggested its name.

It is rather more southern in its habitat than its Red-breasted relative. Mr. White reports it as resident at Ottawa, and we find it so along our southern border, but it is not named among the birds of Manitoba, from which we infer that it is not found in that Province.