A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 1 of 3Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Science
A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 1 of 3
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Birds -- North America
This species possesses a great variety and power of song. It is also
said to have and to exhibit remarkable powers of imitation, with a
great variety in its appropriated notes of other birds, giving, with
modulations, the hoarse rattle of the Kingfisher, the lively notes of
the Tufted Titmouse, the simple refrain of the Ground Robin, with
those of the Grakles, the Meadow Lark, the Bluebird, and others. Like
the common Wren, the Carolina generally builds its nest in the hollow
of some tree or stump, or any other convenient cavity. At other times
it constructs its own habitation without any other protection than the
thick branches of a vine or shrub. In these situations they are long
and deep, and have an artificial roofing, often separate from the nest
itself. The materials employed in their construction are hay, grasses,
leaves, feathers, horse-hair, and dry fibres of the long Spanish moss.
They are softly and warmly lined with fur, hair, and feathers. The
nest is not unfrequently five or six inches in depth, while the
opening is not large enough to admit more than one bird at a time.
They sometimes raise three broods in a season.
It breeds as far north as Philadelphia, Mr. Audubon having found its
nest in a swamp in New Jersey, opposite that city.
Although seemingly studious of concealment, and shy and retiring in
its habits, Nuttall frequently observed it in Tuscaloosa and other
large towns in Alabama, appearing on the tops of barns and out-houses,
singing with great energy.
Dr. Cooper, who enjoyed a favorable opportunity of watching these
birds in Florida, in the spring and summer of 1859, found a nest of
this Wren in the middle of March. It was built in a small box on a
shelf in a mill, and was about four feet from the ground. It was
arched over at the top, though this was not necessary to shelter it.
This covering was formed of shavings, with a few small sticks and
straws. Four eggs were laid. The birds were very tame, and were not
alarmed by the loud noise of the mill, nor by a cat almost always
present. Another nest found by Dr. Cooper was built in a small hole in
the trunk of a tree, not more than six inches from the ground. This
nest was not arched over. Its close proximity to a dwelling-house
alone protected it from wild animals.
The eggs of this Wren are usually six or seven in number, and vary in
size and shape. They are for the most part of a spheroidal-oval shape,
though some are more oblong than others. Their length varies from .75
to .70 of an inch, and their greatest breadth from .60 to .65. The
ground-color is a reddish-white, profusely covered with blotches of
purple, slate, reddish-brown, and red. These are generally and pretty
equally diffused, and are not more abundant at the larger end than
elsewhere.
Thryothorus ludovicianus, var. berlandieri, COUCH.
BERLANDIER’S WREN.
_Thryothorus berlandieri_, COUCH, BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 362,
pl. lxxxiii, fig. 1 (New Leon); Rev. 124.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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