14(( 



OIINITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 



common, greenish moss that glows on old logs 

 and trees in damp woods. Inside it was lined 

 with some dry grass, small feathers, and hair 

 from the tails of cattle or horses. Around the 

 entrance were variously arranged the dry stems 

 of hemlock leaves, a material always used hy this 

 species when it can procure them in the forma- 

 tion of its nest, and the entrance, always in 

 front and towards the top, was so like that of a 

 mouse-hole, that a person not acquainted with 

 the subject might easily mistake the whole 

 affair as a breeding .place of that little animal. 

 When removed from its site among the rootlets 

 and mould of the "turn-up," I found that its 

 circumference was about fourteen inches on 

 the outside, while inside it was about eiglit, 

 leaving from the entrance a soft and warm 

 cavity two inches deep, for the reception of 

 of the eggs, and the cradle of the young. I did 

 not at this time see either of the Wrens in this 

 vicinity, nor hear any of their notes, but wlien 

 I next visited the spot the song of the male 

 fairy made the echoes ring around. There was, 

 however.no mistaking the nest as that of the 

 Winter or Wood Wren, for there is no other 

 Canadian bird that makes a nest in any way 

 like it, though the eggs much resemble those 

 of the Chickadee, the Brown Creeper, and 

 some Warblers. From what I could see of the 

 inside of the nest, I inferred at once that it 

 "was finished and probably occupied, and I was 

 not disappointed, for on inserting a finger I 

 found that it c(mtained a number of eggs, 

 which I afterwards ascertained to be five, and 

 perfectly fresh, liut these differed consider- 

 ably in coloration from those that I had 

 previously seen. Before the contents were 

 extracted they had a pinkish hue; the general 

 color Is clear white, but the spotting of a pale 

 reddish color, which forms an irregular wreath 

 towards the larger end, is so small and in- 

 distinct as to be scai'cely visible except on a 

 close inspection. 



Some five other nests of this species were 

 noticed this season, all in the roots of fallen 

 trees, but none of them were lined, and no eggs 

 were deposited therein, which causes me to 

 conclude that they were the work of the male 

 bird, and that the female had a true nest some- 

 where in the vicinity. The male Wren is an 

 active, restless little creature, always busy from 

 early morning till the close of evening, either 

 seeking f lod, emitting his song, making love 

 to his erpially active little consort, (juarrtflling 

 with rivals, or nesting, and in the latter art he 

 is quite an adept, and spends many of his j 

 leisure hours at this work, but he leaves the i 



lining and finishing touches to the female, and 



as she requires only one nest, in the selection 



of this she appears to act quite independent of 



the likes or dislikes of her fussy little partner, 



though the nesting place that she finally chooses 



is doubtless one, the outlines of which he had 



previously formed, and in her choice she acts so 



well and wisely as to their concealment that few 



of them are discovered, and sets of her eggs are 



ever likely to remain a rarity. Wilson, one of the 



pioneers of .\merican ornithology, states that 



he was not acquainted with the nesting habits 



of this species, and the renowned Audubon 



has recorded that in all his wilderness rambles 



he met with but one nest of this species, and 



butfew American ornithologists have been more 



fortunate. This is the fourth nest with eggs 



that I have seen in a period of twelve years' 



collecting. The i)ast spring of 1801, this 



species made its presence known, in this 



vicinity, the last week in March, and now in 



the early part of July is still in full song, but 



no nests have been seen this season, and owing 



to the destruction of much of its jirimitive 



haunts its homes have been much disturbed, 



and its hiding places variously changed. On 



the evening of the 3d of May, while on my 



way to the Pacific Coast, and when about ten 



miles west of Fort William, our train having 



stopped in a lonely place, I, among other 



excursionists, dismounted and took a r.ambling 



view of our surroundings, and listening to 



ascertain if there was any evidence of bird life 



in the vicinity, the thrilling song notes of this 



little wild wood wanderer arose in the depths 



of the wilds near by, and fell upon my ear, and 



as the sounds died away on the chilly evening 



air, it produced on my mind melancholy 



feelings, recalling as it did to my memory 



recollections of my now distant home, becoming 



every hour more distant still, and to which I 



might never return, as well as the scenes of my 



early boyhood days, long for ever gone. This 



was the only instance in which the music of 



this species was heard by me, west of the great 



lakes, until a week after. I detected the songs 



of its congener, the Western Winter Wren, in 



the wild woods of British Columbia. 



]Vm. Krlls. 

 [.istowel, Can. 



Notes from Middletown, Conn. 



During the past season I found a Kingliird's 

 nest in what to me was a very peculiar situa- 

 tion. It was placed in the cave trough of a 



