SEATTLE WREN 189 



wooded islands in the lake. S. F. Rathbun says, in his notes, that 

 the Seattle wren is "partial to a somewhat rough country, to open 

 second growth, and about the edges of the cleared spaces among the 

 debris on the ground, particularly if there exists a confusion of fallen 

 limbs. A section of cleared forest in the transitorj'^ stage toward being 

 utilized, but as yet in a quite rough condition, will be found a favorite 

 spot for this wren, especially if open enough to admit considerable 

 light and sunshine." 



Nesting. — The only nest that I saw was found near Kirkland, Wash., 

 on May 10, 1911; it was placed in a natural cavity in the upturned 

 roots of a fallen tree ; as it contained five young birds, almost ready 

 to fly, it was not examined closely. Mr. Rathbun tells me that this 

 is one of the favorite spots among a variety of sites chosen ; one nest 

 that he describes in his notes was in such a situation ; it was built into 

 the cavity left where a stone had been lifted with the roots and then 

 fallen out ; it was made outwardly of small twigs, pieces of moss, root- 

 lets, sheep wool, fibrous strips of dead stalks of various plants, and 

 some bits of dead leaves, some of this material being somewhat inter- 

 laced ; it was lined with fine plant fibers and soft feathers, including 

 some of the mountain quail, a few pieces of snakeskin, and a few horse- 

 hairs. The nest measured 3 inches high and 5 inches in diameter ex- 

 ternally; the inner cavity was 2 inches in diameter and li^ inches 

 deep. 



J. H. Bowles (Dawson and Bowles, 1909) writes: 



The building sites chosen by this wren for its nests are so variable that hardly 

 anything can be considered typical. It may be in the wildest swampy wood 

 far removed from civilization, but it is quite as likely to be found in a house in 

 the heart of a city. A few of the nesting sites I have recorded are in upturned 

 roots of fallen trees, deserted woodpecker holes, in bird boxes in the city, In 

 a fishing creel hanging on a porch, under a slab of bark that has scaled away 

 a few inches from the body of a tree, or an open nest on a beam under a bridge. 



A very complete study of this wren has convinced me that it never builds 

 any nests except those used in raising the young. In other words, it is the only 

 wren in the Northwest that is positively guiltless of using "decoys." 



Eggs. — Mr. Bowles (Dawson and Bowles, 1909), who has had con- 

 siderable experience with the Seattle wren, says : "A set contains from 

 four to six eggs, most commonly five. These are pure white in ground 

 color, marked with fine dots of reddish brown. The markings are 

 variable in distribution, some specimens being marked very sparingly 

 over all, while in others the markings are largely concentrated around 

 the larger end in the form of a more or less confluent ring. The eggs 

 are rather short ovate oval in shape, and average in measurements 

 0.68X0.54 inch. 



"Two broods are reared in a season; or perhaps it would be more 

 correct to say that fresh eggs may be found at any time between the 

 middle of April and the middle of June." 



