BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 315 



appearance of a cat, which throws it into a vociferous passion, 

 which does not subside till the hated enemy retires. It re- 

 mains with us from April to September, and adds much to 

 the attractions of summer by its animated and often brilliant 

 song, which, like that of the vireos. is heard in the heat of day, 

 when other birds are at rest. It has many quarrels with other 

 birds, and, small as it is, maintains its rights, and perhaps 

 something more. In the war of words it has no equal ; and 

 some other birds seem as if they gave up to it, not from fear 

 or conscience, but merely to escape its perpetual and abusive 

 din. 



The nest of the house-wren is formed with an outwork of 

 twigs interlaced with care and skill. Behind this barricade is 

 the true nest, made with grass and lined with feathers. The 

 eggs, from six to nine, are of flesh color, inclining to red. The 

 young, soon after they are fledged, seem to have all the playful 

 activity of the older birds. It is rather singular, that these 

 birds should bear the name of Troglodytes, signifying dwellers 

 in caves, when they are so remarkable for constructiveness, that 

 the male often amuses himself while the female is sitting, with 

 building another nest, which he has no thought of ever using. 



The Fresh-water Marsh Wren, Troglodytes brevirostris, 

 is a summer visiter, not uncommon, but not known as a dis- 

 tinct species, till it was described by the unwearied Nuttall. 

 It should have borne his name ; but that will be so identified with 

 the science as to need no such commemoration. It is known 

 to boys by its song, chip-a-day-day, which is so often heard in 

 the meadows. He describes its nest as made of sedge, bent 

 from the top of a grassy tuft, and forming a spherical arbor 

 with an entrance on the side. He remarks, that in a nest con- 

 taining seven eggs, three of them were larger than the rest, and 

 were fresh, while the other four were far advanced toward 

 hatching. From this he inferred that two different birds had 

 laid in the same nest. There seems no great need of crowding 

 thus, since the male employs himself in building nests, a great 

 part of which are neither wanted nor used. This species, 



