118 



THE OOLOGIST. 



NEST OF LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. 



Photo by Cleckley, Sandy Point, S. C, May 12, 1905. 

 [In the photo the bird's head was plainly visible thrust out of entrance at side 

 of nest. Owing to over-printing of photo this hardly shows in half tone.] Ed. 



jority of our summer residents. It 

 thus makes its presence known and 

 also by its lively, incessant and noisy 

 chattering, chuckling and scolding 

 cries. But one conspicuous feature 

 of his habit is lacking for at least a 

 week after his arrival, and that is 

 his ecstatic flight song. This peculiar 

 aerial flight of song-on-the-wing does 

 not begin, apparently, until the birds 

 have mated. If they are mated upon 

 their arrival, as some authorities be- 

 lieve to be the case with many of our 

 birds, I have never been able to as- 

 certain, as my studies of their charm- 

 ing habits previous to nesting or. after 

 their arrival is meagre and far from 

 complete, my negligence being due 

 to other ornithological study at this 

 time. 



This is the best time, however, to 

 study them, for the rushes afford 

 them poor hiding places, the green 



and growing tubes struggling through 

 the swinging, upright and fallen last 

 year's growth for mastery, being of 

 short height, ill conceal them from 

 the observing student. Among these 

 tubes of tangled growth the birdp 

 can be studied with comparative 

 ease, and I have always regretted 

 that I have never taken advantage 

 of such a short opportunity to learn 

 more of these interesting birds' hab- 

 its. 



This is early in May when the strug- 

 gle for supremacy of the dead and 

 living rushes transpires, which by the 

 way, always ends in a victory for the 

 latter tubes, and at this time let an 

 observer intrude upon the Marsh 

 Wren haunt and flush one of the 

 birds. It will probably fly several 

 feet and perch upon a swaying cat- 

 tail blade or a dead stalk, from which 

 position it will watch the trespasser, 



