THE WINTER WREN. 8 1 



the spot, without having for an instant removed xny eyes from it, and 

 observed a protuberance covered with moss and lichens, resembling the 

 excrescences which are often seen on our forest trees, with this diflfer- 

 ence, that the aperture was perfectly rounded, clean, and quite smooth. 

 I put a finger into it and felt the pecking of a bird's bill, while a quer- 

 ulous cry was emitted. In a word, I had, the first time in my life, 

 found the nest of a winter wren. . . . Externally, it measured seven 

 inches in length and four and a half in breadth ; the thickness of its 

 walls, composed of moss and lichens, was nearly two inches ; and thus 

 it presented internally the appearance of a narrow bag, the wall, however, 

 being reduced to a few lines where it was in contact with the bark of the 

 tree. The lower half of the cavity was compactly lined with the fur of 

 the American hare, and in the bottom or bed of the nest there lay over 

 this about half a dozen of the large downy abdominal feathers of our 

 common grouse, Tetrao umbellus. 



Audubon afterwards came upon a similar nest at Mohawk, 

 N.Y., the six eggs containing large embryos early in June. 

 One found by W. F. Hall at Camp Sebois, eastern Maine, was 

 built in an unoccupied log-hut, among the fir-leaves and mosses 

 in a crevice between the logs. It was large and bulky, com- 

 posed externally of mosses and lined with feathers and the fur 

 of hedge-hogs. The shape was that of a pouch, the entrance 

 being neatly framed with sticks, and the walls very strong, 

 thick and firmly compacted. Its hemlock framework had been 

 made of green materials, and their agreeable odor pervaded the 

 whole structure. There is evidence that they also breed near 

 Ithaca, N. Y. 



The latest intelligence, however, comes through Mr. Ruthven 

 Deane's article in the Nuttall Club's Bulletin for January, 1879. 

 While collecting birds at Houlton, Me., Mr. James Bradbury 

 showed Mr. Deane a nest under the roots of a fallen tree. It 

 was embedded in the earth which remained attached to the roots, 

 and could only be detected by crav/ling under the thick brush 

 which surrounded the tree ; even then, on looking up, all that 

 could be seen was an aperture just large enough to admit the 

 tiny birds. The nest was unfortunately deserted, in an almost 

 finished condition. It was composed of hemlock twigs, moss, 

 and a few bits of lichens compactly woven together. Early in 



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