I9I9. BuRKlTT. — The Wren. 87 



I may note here that I cannot find that any male helps 

 to feed the brood as long as they are in the nest, or takes 

 any interest whatever at that time. In four cases I have 

 kept the feeding female out of the nest for a lengthened 

 time, making her sound much alarm, without producing any 

 sign whatever of the male. But in the only case C in 

 which I watched the brood after being fledged, the male 

 certainly did take a very distinct interest ; whether it was 

 more in the young or in the female I cannot say. I am 

 not clear whether he then took part in the feeding. 



On the evening of the day the young left the nest I 

 found one of them perched in the entrance of C4, and 

 observed curious excitement of both parents around this 

 nest, which was explained two nights later by finding the 

 four young lodged in it, the night being cold but dry. 

 They had also been about C2, but I cannot say whether 

 they lodged in it, or how often they lodged in C4. I did 

 not like to interfere with the nests too much. C4 was a 

 very suitable nest for lodgings as it was specially deep 

 owing to its situation in a fork, but it was exposed to view 

 beside a path. 



The feeding of the young continued for at least a 

 fortnight after they were fledged — till 13th July. I was 

 thinking the female might start a second brood in C2 or 

 C4, but I suppose the 13th July would be rather late to 

 recommence. All singing of Wrens stopped about the 

 i8th July. 



On July 6th, while fledged young were still being fed, 

 the male (?) was visiting C2, and on the nth I noticed 

 this nest had been filled with moss to the entrance. The 

 old breeding nest C3 I then found had its entrance also 

 closed, but it was not filled up inside. C4 was not closed. 

 Ci had been damaged for a considerable time and therefore 

 did not play any part. 



In Case B, the female had two eggs in a second nest 

 B2 on the 27th June, fifteen days after the young left Bi. 

 B2 was 30 yards from Bi. I take it that this male had 

 also been the builder of B2 as the female would not appear 

 to have had time after tending the first brood, and I would 

 likely have seen any such late building ; moreover the nest 



