The Audubon Societies 



263 



continued .^oinj^ u]) and down tlu" laddrr lo \vvd Ikt little hroiid until we took 

 the ladder down at ni;i;hl, so the fits would not jj;el to the nest. We put the 

 ladder up e\erv niorniiij,' and took it down at night, and Mother Wren con- 

 tinued to go up and down to ferd her little ones until they were able to fly. 

 She never was ahk' to ll\- excej)! \LTy short distances, but taught her little 

 ones by coaxing them out of tlu- nest, then flying to the top of the box and 

 coaxing them there, then to the \vvv near. Her faithfulness to her little brood 

 was a most touching sight, and one long to be remembered. The father never 

 returned and it is to be presumed thai he was killed when the mother was 

 injured. While the mother was sitting, the father would often stay on a brush- 

 heap near the house, and sing for nearly an hour. We could talk to him and he 

 would answer, but if we even looked toward the nest he would scold as fast as 

 he could. I felt sorry to have them go away, but hope they had no more 

 mishaps. — H.\rriet Anna Carpentkr, Ramsey, New Jersey. 



(This inlercstinp; observation is now and then duplicated in otiier species. .Vccounts 

 of the Baltimore Oriole and Towhec, which have been disabled by a broken limb but 

 which have persevered in caring for their young, have been printed in recent issues of 

 Bird-Lore. Had the food-habits of the Wren been better understood, it might have 

 been possible to assist the mother in finding suitable insect diet for the nestings. Grass- 

 hoppers, beetles, caterpillars, bugs and spiders are all relished by Wrens. A single brood 

 of House Wrens has been observed to dispose of about 1,000 insects in a single day, 

 which suggests the highly beneficial character of this species. — .\. H. W.] 



KINGBIRD AT NES' 

 Nest removed for convenience in photogra 

 Photograplied by Guy .A. Bailey, Genesee. 



