IGO 'J^HE Wilson Bulletin — No. Gl. 



Notes on the Nesting of Bewick's Wken. — I had seen Bewick's 

 Wrens nesting in southern Ohio several years ago, but the first time 

 I ever observed tliem nesting near my old home in middle western 

 Ohio, — one hundred miles farther north, — was in the spring of 1908. 

 Here, during the month of April, a pair built a nest upon a board 

 above a door in a small building near a dwelling-house. The nest 

 was composed of twigs, weed stems, dead grass, insect cocoons, 

 leaves, and fragments of a cast-off snake skin, lined with horse-hair 

 and feathers. This is the first time I ever saw any nest that con- 

 tained pieces of a snake skin, except that of a Crested Flycatcher. 

 The male bird helped in the building. During the latter days of 

 April, six eggs were laid, and after sixteen days of incubation these 

 were all hatched. The young were fed upon worms, larvje, moths, 

 and spiders. 



During the summer, the pair built another nest in a nearby shed, 

 in w'hieh they successfully reared a second brood. The second nest 

 contained no fragments of snake skin. 



G. Clyde Fisher, Sidney, Ohio. 



Swamp Sparrow at Canton, Ohio. — Each summer since 1903 I 

 have noted the presence at Canton of the Swamp Sparrow (Melos- 

 piza georgiana) at various points in the lowlands along the w'est 

 branch of Nimishillen creek. 



For several seasons I searched unsuccessfully for a nest. June 

 4tli last, however, wliile in one of these places I noticed Swamp 

 Sparrows carrying food, and after a little hesitation, apparently on 

 my account, diving suddenly into a tliick growth of flags. 



The spot was marked carefully, and a little search revealed the 

 nest. Tt contained three young and was well concealed in a rank 

 growth of swamp grass and flags, situated well down near their 

 roots and but a couple of inches above the surface of the water of a 

 brooklet which flowed beneath. 



The parent birds did not appear greatly perturbed l^y my presence. 

 They merely hung around at a short distance and patiently watched. 

 Four days later the nest was again visited, and after opening the 

 rank growth I found the nest intact but the young birds gone. Judg- 

 ing from their size at the first visit they must have met their fate 

 at the hands of some devouring enemy. The nest, with one unhatched 

 egg remaining, was taken home, while the pleasure of finding the 

 nest of a species which Dawson states breeds but casually in Ohio, 

 was somewhat marred by conjecture as to the fate of the late tenants. 



From the number of Swamp 'Sparrows I see and hear eacli sum- 

 mer in the localities mentioned above and in a swamp Iwjrdcring 

 Me,yer's Lake, it seems evident that this sparrow breeds regularly 

 and in considerable numbers in the vicinity of Canton. 



Canton, Ohio. Edward D. Kimes. 



