MARSH WRENS. 119 



His head is thrown up and his tail thrust 

 forward, so that they ahiiost touch, making the 

 bird look like an irregular ring or triangle 

 darting about among the weeds and bushes. 

 Very often, like the reed wren, the marsh 

 wren clings sidewise to the stem of a cat-tail ; 

 then he may take it into his head to grasp 

 two culms near together, one with each wiry 

 little foot, so that as they bend outward his 

 legs are stretched apart in a horizontal line. 



Still another prank must be described. He 

 will sometimes toss himself up in the air, then 

 drop down into the weeds with a graceful 

 flutter, singing his little song while going 

 through the droll performance. No less odd, 

 but vastly more puzzling, is the fact that these 

 wrens build more nests than they need for 

 breeding purposes, and why they do this is a 

 disputed question. Some think that the males 

 build them to give themselves something to do 

 while their spouses are hatching, and they 

 occupy them for shelter and sleeping apart- 

 ments. Others are disposed to think that 

 they are built to lead the nest hunters or 

 other foes astray, as the birds always trail and 

 tumble toward these nests when a supposed 

 enemy disturbs them. Another opinion is that 

 they are constructed merely for ornament. 



