Troglodytes obsoleta, Say.
Myothera obsoleta, Ch. Bonap. Amer. Ornith vol. i. p. 6, pl. 1, fig. 2.
Rocky Mountain Wren, Nuttall, Manual, vol. i. p. 435.
Adult Female. Plate CCCLX Fig. 4.
Bill nearly as long as the head, slender, slightly arched, compressed toward the end; upper mandible with the sides convex towards the end, flat and declinate at the base, the edges sharp and overlapping, with a very slight notch close to the declinate tip; lower mandible with the angle long and narrow, the dorsal line very slightly concave, the sides sloping outwards and concave, the tip narrow. Nostrils oblong, basal, with a cartilaginous operculum, open and bare.
Head oblong; neck short; body slender. Legs of ordinary length; tarsus longer than the middle toe, compressed, with eight anterior distinct scutella, and two lateral plates forming a sharp edge behind. Toes of moderate size, the third and fourth united at the base, the first large, the outer considerably longer than the inner. Claws rather long, moderately arched, much compressed, with an abruptly tapering, very acute tip.
Plumage soft and loose. Wings of moderate length, convex, broad and rounded; the first quill very short, the second a quarter of an inch shorter than the third; the fourth longest, but scarcely exceeding the third and fifth. Tail rather long, much rounded, of twelve broad, rounded feathers.
Bill dusky, with the edges pale yellow. Iris hazel. Feet dusky. Upper parts light dull yellowish-brown, and, excepting the rump, transversely barred with greyish-brown; the wings barred in the same manner, excepting the primaries, which are plain; the secondary coverts with a small white spot near the tip. Tail-coverts barred like the back, as are the two middle tail-feathers; the others broadly tipped with pale yellowish-red, undulated with dusky; behind which is a broad band of brownish-black; the remaining or basal part banded like the central feathers, the outer feather with four reddish-white spots or bars on the outer web, the intervals being brownish-black, and a spot of white on the inner web. The lower parts are greyish-white, tinged with sienna, the sides inclining to yellowish-red. The lower tail-coverts are barred with brownish-black.
Length to end of tail 6 inches, wing from flexure 2 11/12; tail 2 1/4; bill along the ridge 9 1/2/12; tarsus 9 1/2/12; hind toe 4/12, its claw 3 1/2/12; middle toe 6/12, its claw 2 1/4/12.