Song.—A rippling flow of melody, not as loud, but more musical than that of the [House Wren].
Nest.—In brush heaps, tin cans, hollow stumps or crevices in unoccupied buildings; made of piles of grass, weeds, etc., lined with feathers; eggs white, sparingly specked with reddish brown (.65 × .50).
Range.—Eastern N. A., breeding from the northern edge of the U. S. northward; winters from its breeding range to the Gulf.
SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN
724. Cistothorus stellaris. 5¼ inches
This species can readily be distinguished from the next, as the whole crown is streaked with black and white, whereas that of the Long-bill is uniformly colored. Both species are marsh birds, at home among the reeds, to which they attach their globular woven nests, with the little entrance in the side. The eggs of this species are pure white. It is found in eastern N. A. from the Gulf to southern Canada.
LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN
725. Telmatodytes palustris. 5¼ inches
The bill of this species is .5 inch or more in length; that of the last is .4 inch or less. This species is by far the most abundant. Its eggs are so profusely dotted with dark brown as to appear a chocolate color. Breeds from the Gulf to Massachusetts and Manitoba.