LAND BIRDS. 671 



and pieces of cotton that I laid out for that purpose. I have no good 

 record of the song, but I talve the following from my notes: "His usual 

 song is short, but very pretty; and although it is not much like that of 

 our common wren (House Wren) it resembles it in being slow at first, 

 and more rapid near the close. He has many other songs (variations, 

 it might perhaps better have been said), one of which is hke the one 

 described, only more slow throughout." 



"On May 16 two birds were seen, and it appeared to me from their actions 

 that the one that had built the nest was attempting to coax the other bird 

 to it. They were much annoyed during the day by a male Bluebird whose 

 mate was sitting on five eggs in a bird house but a short distance away, 

 and were frequently forced to retire into the lumber pile to avoid his 

 attacks. Whether for this reason, or whether for some other less apparent 

 1 do not know, but greatly to my disappointment both birds disappeared 

 on that day, and I did not see either of them again. 



The nest I saved in its box, and it is now deposited in the Museum of 

 the University of Michigan. I had made no description of the nest, and 

 at my request Mr. Norman A. Wood has kindly sent me the following: 

 'The nest is in a box 6^^ x 4^ inches, 3\ inches high, and occupies about 

 one-half of the space in the box. The foundation, or base, of the nest, is 

 composed of roots of bushes and weeds, a few sticks, and a string about 

 a foot long. The rest of the nest is made of fine rootlets, and with them 

 is a little wool or cotton [cotton, see above]; this is built up to form a rim, 

 making a cup-shaped interior 2 inches in clepth and diameter. The nest 

 is at the end opposite the entrance, which is IJ inches sciuare, and a few 

 of the roots extend to this entrance.' 



"During the same spring, 1894, I heard l)ir(ls which I took to be Bewick's 

 Wrens singing at one or two other places in the city, but did not see any 

 of them. Whether my birds returned in 1895 I am unable to say, as I 

 was away that year; but I am certain that they were not in the same 

 neighborhood, at any rate, in the seasons of 1896 and 1897." (Bull. Mich. 

 Orn. Club, Vol. VI, Nos. 1 and 2 Mar.-June, 1905). 



The nest of Bewick's Wren is similar to that of the House Wren, but 

 is likely to include more soft material such as bark, strings, feathers, wool, 

 paper, etc., and its location is nearly as variable as that of the House Wren 

 itself. In Illinois and Indiana it often nearly replaces the House Wren 

 and in some cases builds in nesting boxes, holes in trees or cavities about 

 buildings, making the nest large or small according to the cavity occupied. 

 The eggs are five to seven, sometimes eight or even nine, and are white or 

 pinkish-white, finely sprinkled around the larger end with l)rown and gray. 

 They average .67 by .50 inches. 



Ridgway states that its song is "not a voluble gabble like the House 

 Wren's merry roundelay, but a fine, clear, bold song, uttered as the singer 

 sits with head thrown back and long tail pendent — a song which may 1)C 

 heard a quarter of a mile or more and in comi)arison with which the faint 

 song of the Song S{)ari'()W sinks into insignificance. The ortlinary note 

 is a soft low 'plit,' uttered as the bird hops about, its long tail carried 

 erect or even leaning forward and jerked to one side at short intervals." 

 Its food is similar to that of the House Wren and wherever the bird is 

 abundant it is decidedly beneficial to the gardener and fiuit grower. 



'j'KciiMc \i, i)i;s(i{ii"ri(i\. 



Very siiiiilar (o liu' ( 'amliiKi Wren l.ut <lcc'i.lc-.lly sinnlliT, aiul (-..lors of l.ark and tail 

 quite different. 



Adult: Upper part.s ilvv\) uiiilirr-lirowu; ceiitj-al tail-feat Ihts Ijaired, otiiers mainly 



