Bill, moderate, wide at base, upper mandible curved towards the end, and
distinctly notched; wings, moderate or rather long, first primary very
short, or rudimentary; tail, long; legs and feet, moderate. General
form, rather slender; head frequently with elongated crest-like
feathers. Contains several species of birds, all of which are American.
Ptilogonys nitens. Swainson. Lardner’s Cab. Cy. Birds, Pt. III. p.
285. (1838.)
Form. Slender; crest-like feathers of the head much elongated; wings
with the fifth and sixth quills longest and nearly equal; tail, long,
graduated.
Dimensions. Total length (of skin) about 7½ inches; wing, 3¾; tail, 4
inches.
Colors. _Male._—Entire plumage glossy black, with a greenish lustre,
except a spot on the inner web of each primary quill, occupying about
the middle third of its length, which is pure white. Bill and feet,
black.
_Female._—Entire plumage, except the tail, cinereous, tinged with olive
on the back and abdomen; superior wing coverts, and inferior tail
coverts, edged and tipped with white. Quills, dark-brown—secondaries
edged with white; tail, black, without lustre. _Young_—like the female;
but in the males, with the spot on the primaries discernable, though
more or less obscure.
Hab. California, New Mexico and Mexico. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.,
and Nat. Mus., Washington city.
Obs. A remarkable resemblance exists between the bird now before us and
two other species of Fly-catchers of another genus, _Fluvicola comata_
(Licht.), and _Fluvicola nigerrima_ (Vieill), both of which are natives
of South America, and we have seen the latter also from Mexico. The
three birds resemble each other in general form in a very considerable
degree, and in colors are almost absolutely the same, the prevalent
black of the plumage differing only in shade. Generic and specific
distinctions can, however, readily be made out on comparison of
specimens. _Fluvicola_ has the bill longer and not so wide at the base
and with much stronger bristles; the wings are differently constructed,
the first primary being long and well developed, not short or
rudimentary as in _Ptilogonys_. In those two species of _Fluvicola_,
which differ from each other materially only in size, the white spot is
more at the base of the wing feathers than in _Ptilogonys nitens_, in
which it occupies the middle third of the primaries. _Fluvicola comata_
is the same as _Blechropus cristatus_, Swainson, in Naturalist’s
Library, Flycatchers, p. 99, plate 7. No other species of _Ptilogonys_
is black.
[Illustration: Plate 30
The Mexican Wren
Troglodytes mexicanus (_Swainson_)]
TROGLODYTES MEXICANUS.—(Swainson.)
The White-throated Wren.
PLATE XXX.—Adult Male.
In the United States, the little House Wren is associated with so many
pleasing recollections, and possesses such pre-eminently social and
familiar habits, that one almost expects in all birds bearing the name
of wrens, to find similarity of disposition, and perhaps similar regard
from the people of other lands. But this is by no means the case. There
is really but one House Wren, and that is the little fellow who comes
punctually in the early spring, and evidently without a doubt of his
being welcome to take possession of the box or other habitation of the
previous season, perhaps of many seasons. And forthwith he commences
housekeeping, which usually, if no accidental discouragements intervene,
is very successful, as one may judge from the number of little heads
soon to be seen by peeping in at the door of his domicile.
The Wren is, in this country, nearly as much of a household bird as the
Robin, of Europe, and more than any other, not even excepting the
Martin, is universally regarded with favor. He is, however, the only one
of the numerous species of American Wrens that shows any disposition to
cultivate the acquaintance of mankind, or at all to accept of any
proffered hospitalities. Though the Carolina Wren and Bewick’s Wren both
venture occasionally into the garden or orchard, they are comparatively
shy and apprehensive, apparently, of there being danger in too great
familiarity.
The large species represented in our present plate is a native of Mexico
and California, and lives exclusively in localities remote from the
habitations of man. Though known as a bird of Mexico, it is not
represented as an abundant species in that country, and within the
limits of the United States has been observed only by Dr. Heermann, and
Dr. Kennerly.
In his notes on the Birds of California, in the Journal of the
Philadelphia Academy, II. p. 263, Dr. Heermann’s observations on the
present bird are as follows, and contain the first notice of this
species as an inhabitant of the United States:
“I first met with this bird in the fall of 1851, on the Consumnes river,
but in the spring of 1852, I procured three specimens on the Calaveras
river. It is an active bird, having a loud sprightly song, that is heard
at a considerable distance, and which it repeats at short intervals. I
found it occupied in searching for insects between and under the large
boulders of rock which, along some portions of this river, are thrown
together in confused masses, as if by some terrific convulsion of
nature.”
Dr. Kennerly, during the survey recently completed by Lieut. Whipple’s
party, noticed this Wren in New Mexico, and obtained specimens now
deposited in the National Museum at Washington city. For our present
article he has very kindly favored us with the following note:
“This active little bird was observed only among the hills along the
head waters of Bill Williams’ fork. In the most rugged and inaccessible
places it was generally found busily engaged in searching for food,
rapidly passing around and among the rocks with great activity, and
accompanying its movements with its short and peculiar chirp. It is so
constantly in motion that specimens can only be obtained with
difficulty.”
This species was described by Mr. Swainson, from specimens sent to
Europe from Real del Monte, in Mexico, and we have seen others from
various parts of that country.
The figure in the plate now before the reader, is that of an adult male,
and is about two-thirds of the size of life.
The plant represented is _Nemophila insignis_, a native of California.