Certhia palustris, Wilson, Am. Orn. II, 1810, 58, pl. xii, fig. 4 (Penna). Troglodytes palustris, Bon. Obs. Wils. 1824, No. 66.—Aud. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 500, pl. c.—Ib. Birds Am. II, 1841, 135, pl. cxxiii.—Reinhardt, Ibis, 1861, 5 (Godthaab, Greenland). Thryothorus palustris, Nutt. Man. I, 1832, 439. Cistothorus (Telmatodytes) palustris, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 364; Rev. 147.—Sclater, Catal. 1861, 22. Thryothorus arundinaceus, Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. XXXIV, 1819, 58 (not Trog. arundinaceus, Vieillot). Thryothorus arundinaceus, Bon. Consp. 1850, 220. Telmatodytes arundinaceus, Cab. Mus. Hein. 1850, 78.
Hab. Eastern United States, from the Missouri River; Greenland? Reinhardt; Mexico, and Guatemala? Cordova, Sclater.
Var. paludicola.
Cistothorus palustris, var. paludicola, Baird, Rev. Am. B. 1864, 148. Troglodytes palustris, Newb. P. R. Rep. VI, IV, 1857, 80 (Pacific region). Cistothorus palustris, Cooper & Suckley, P. R. Rep. X, II, 1859, 190 (W. T.)—Cooper, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 75. Certhia palustris, Lord, Pr. R. Art. Inst. IV, 117.
Sp. Char. Bill about as long as head. Tail and wing nearly equal. Upper parts of a dull reddish-brown, except on the crown, interscapular region, outer surface of tertials, and tail-feathers, which are almost black; the first with a median patch like the ground-color; the second with short streaks of white, extending round on the sides of the neck; the third indented with brown; the fourth barred with whitish, decreasing in amount from the outer feather, which is marked from the base to the fifth, where it is confined to the tips; the two middle feathers above like the back, and barred throughout with dusky. Beneath rather pure white, the sides and under tail-coverts of a lighter shade of brown than the back; a white streak over the eye. Length, 5.50; wing, 2.08; tail, 2.00. (1,454.)
Hab. Pacific Coast and Middle Province of United States.
In comparing a series of Marsh Wrens of eastern North America with western, we find that they differ very appreciably in certain characteristics, which may be expressed by the following diagnoses:—
Bill lengthened, equal to tarsus. Tail-coverts above and below either perfectly plain, or with very obsolete bands, reduced to obscure spots beneath. Bands on tail broken; scarcely appreciable on the middle feathers … var. palustris.
Bill shorter than tarsus. Tail-coverts distinctly banded all across. Bands on tail quite distinct; appreciable on the central feathers … var. paludicola.
The differences between these two races is much more appreciable than those between Troglodytes ædon and T. “parkmanni”; the most striking character is the much longer bill of the var. palustris.