SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN 267 



Nesting. — This wren not only lives in a different type of habitat 

 from that of the long-billed species, but its nesting habits are quite 

 different. 



It has been said by some authors to build a nest like that of the long- 

 billed marsh wren and in similar situations ; I have seen such supposed 

 nests of this species in collections. These nests all contained white 

 eggs and were naturally taken to be short-billed marsh wrens' nests. 

 But, as the long-billed marsh wren sometimes lays white eggs, per- 

 haps oftener than we realize, I suspect that some of, if not all, these 

 nests may have belonged to the latter species. 



It has been my experience, and I find that most authors agree with 

 me, that the short-billed marsh wren builds its nest almost, if not quite, 

 always in the types of habitat described above and not in the dense, 

 deep-water cattail swamps ; the nest is placed in sedges or grass, or other 

 low herbage, close to the ground, mud, or very shallow water, not more 

 than a foot or two above it at the most, and never at the heights favored 

 by the long-billed species in cattails and bulrushes ; the nest is globular 

 in shape and not oval, ovate, or coconut-shaped ; it is well hidden deep 

 down in the thick sedges or grasses, very different from the conspicuous 

 domiciles of the other species ; it is a ball of dry and green grasses, with 

 a well-concealed opening on the side; generally the growing green 

 grasses are woven into the ball, making it inconspicuous, and often the 

 growing grasses are arched over it, helping still further to conceal it. 

 It is a very difficult nest to find, most easily overlooked, and the bird 

 usually sneaks away from it without betraying its location. 



Three of the nests described in my notes illustrate the slight varia- 

 tions I have noted in Massachusetts nests, all of which were found in 

 fresh- water marshes near Boston. One, in a marsh where the water 

 was nearly knee deep, was in plain sight on the side of a tussock of 

 tall grass on the edge of an open place, about 2 feet above the water ; 

 it was, however, almost invisible and could have been easily overlooked, 

 as it was made of green grass woven into a neat ball and so placed as to 

 blend perfectly into the surrounding grasses. Another was beauti- 

 fully hidden on the side of a large tuft of tall grass, the opening looking 

 out to the northward across a little shallow open water between the 

 tufts ; the bottom of the nest was 12 inches above the water, and the 

 tallest grass tops were about 12 inches above the top of the nest ; the 

 concealment of the nest was made more effective by wrapping around 

 it many blades of green growing grass, giving it the appearance of 

 being made of green grass. The third, in a meadow that was not very 

 wet, was placed near the base of a tuft of tall grass only a few inches 

 from the damp ground ; it was made entirely of coarse dry grasses and 

 was lined with fine grass, feathers, and fur. One found in the same 

 marsh by my companion, Owen Durfee, was in shorter green grass, 



