CHATS AND WRENS. 149 



were, I suppose, given at first for his own satisfaction, 

 and afterward, when the females had arrived, these tests 

 of his power were intended for their gratification. 



Let us now consider a very different bird one not 

 common in New Jersey, or, at least, very " local " in its 

 distribution. 



About the middle of July, when most birds had long 

 finished their nesting-labors, a pair of Bewick's wrens 

 appeared in and about one of my out-buildings, and, in 

 a day or two, having fixed upon a suitable spot, began 

 to build their nest. As they were not at this time at 

 all timid, I had abundant opportunities of watching them 

 while so employed, and I must admit that there was 

 nothing poetical in their modus operandi. After the 

 first few strands of long, tape-like grass had been arranged 

 upon a beam, the birds came to the spot together, each 

 carrying a blade of grass or other equally flexible material. 

 The female then sat in the unfinished nest, arranging the 

 materials, while her mate brought others, some of which 

 he apparently wound loosely about her. This continued 

 until the foundation and sides were completed. When 

 finishing off the nest the female remained in and about 

 it, while her mate was in quest of such soft materials as 

 he could find. These were simply laid in the bottom of 

 the nest, and received no special attention until a consid- 

 erable quantity had been piled up, when the female bur- 

 rowed into it, and, as I judged, kept turning round and 

 round in it, until she had succeeded in making a com- 

 paratively smooth depression in it, just fitted to her body. 

 The larger strands on the outside, which had heretofore 

 appeared of no use, were now rudely twisted into the 

 sides of the nest and carried up until they formed a sort 

 of arch, scarcely close enough to form a roof, or to make 

 of the entire structure a globular nest, like that of the 



