Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/490

454 of the second, which is much shorter than the third ; the fourth and fifth longest. Tail rather long, broad, graduated, of twelve rounded feathers.

Bill dusky brown above, lower mandible brownish-yellow, the tip dusky. Iris hazel. Feet flesh-colour, tinged with brown. The general colour of the upper parts is dark reddish-brown, duller, and tinged with grey on the head, indistinctly barred with dark brown ; wings and tail undulatingly banded with dark brown, the edges of the outer primaries lighter. The under parts are pale brownish-grey, faintly barred on the fore-neck, breast, and sides, the under tail-coverts distinctly barred. Length 4|, extent of wings 6/^ ; bill along the ridge ^|, along the edge ^5 ; tarsus /j.

This species is most intimately alhed to the House Wren, from which it can hardly be distinguished in description, the colours being nearly the same in both. The present species, however, is considerably larger, wants the light coloured line over the eye which is conspicuous in the House Wren, and has the tail much more graduated.

Smilacina borealis, Pursh, Flor. Amer. Sept vol. L p. 233 — Hexandria Mono- GYNIA, Linn.

Leaves elliptico-obovate, ciliated ; the scape pubescent, with a corym- bose umbel. The flowers are large, and of a greenish-yellow colour ; the fruit roundish, of a beautiful deep blue. It is extremely abundant in the dark woods of Maine, growing in moist places.

Arbutus Uva-ursi, Willd. Sp. PI. voL ii. p. 618 — Decandria Monogynia, Linn.

This small creeping plant grows in pine barrens, and in rocky and mountainous places in the Northern and Eastern States. The berries are scarlet, dry and unpalatable.