Parkmans Wren 



business-like nature, one would believe would 

 weigh heavily on them. Their eggs, at least 

 six in number, are white, spotted with brown. 

 The male is in every way an exemplary hus- 

 band. From a perch nearby he cheers his sit- 

 ting mate with frequent melodious songs, and 

 occasionally brings food to her. At one wren 

 home where I was a frequent visitor, the male, 

 though according to wren custom he did not 

 take part in incubating, yet felt great respon- 

 sibihty in regard to seeing that the eggs were 

 well cared for. The female quickly grew ac- 

 customed to me and the camera, so that with 

 the latter placed two feet from the entrance to 

 her home she would return to her duties with- 

 out hesitation. Her movements were so ac- 

 tive, however, that securing the desired poses 

 of her proved difficult. For this purpose I 

 employed the stratagem of scraping the tree 

 with a long stick, which would cause her to hop 

 out to see what was up, without alarming or 



35 



