File:Bird lore (1902) (14755260555).jpg

Identifier: birdlore41902nati (find matches)
Title: Bird lore
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: National Committee of the Audubon Societies of America National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals National Audubon Society
Subjects: Birds Birds Ornithology
Publisher: New York City : Macmillan Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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brown and gray are the characteristic colors of theWrens and Thrashers, as they are of most brush- and thicket-hauntingbirds. With the Wrens fine black markings are common; with theThrashers and Mockers solid colors prevail. External Structure.—Although differing so markedly in general appear-ance (compare a House Wren and Brown Thrasher, for example), theWrens and Thrashers possess many points of structure in common, andwhen some of the larger tropical Wrens are examined their resemblance tothe Thrashers is obvious. Both Wrens and Thrashers have scaled tarsi,rounded or graduated tails, the outer feathers being, as a rule, much theshortest, and the outer primary is about half as long as the longest. Appearance and Habits.—The nervous, excitable manner of our HouseWren and its habit of holding the tail erect or even pointing toward itshead, is characteristic of most of the members of this group, though withthe largest Wrens the tail is not held upright. With the Thrashers and (i5S)
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2 £ How to Name the Birds i57 Mockers the tail is also important in gesture, the white markings on thetail of the latter being conspicuously displayed by a spreading of thefeathers. Both Wrens and Thrashers inhabit the lower growth, the formerbeing more secretive than the latter. Song.—Wrens and Thrashers are distinguished among birds for theirpowers of song. Our Mockingbird is probably unexcelled as a songster byother members of his genus, but there are numerous species of Mocking-birds, one ranging as far south as Patagonia, which sing equally well, whilesome of the southern Thrashers and Wrens even exceed ours in musi-cal ability. Family 15. Creepers. Certhiida. Range.—Of the dozen or more species included in this family only one,the Brown Creeper, reaches the New World, the others being distributedover the larger part of the eastern hemisphere. Season.—The Brown Creeper nests from northern New England north-ward, and in the westernUnited States his racialrepresentatives all

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