Wild Birds 



Figs. 44-27. Attitudes of the House 

 Wren exhibited on stage over nest ; the 

 trunk is sawn open. 



of habit, and a good index of 

 the degree of familiarity already 

 attained. 



On the second day a high 

 wind shook the tent, and the 

 screen napped like the sail of a 

 vessel at sea, but life at the 

 nest went forward without a 

 break. Even when the wind 

 tore up the screen and carried 

 it with a crash against a neigh- 

 boring fence, the bird hardly 

 noticed it, and two minutes 

 later came bringing to its young 

 a large moth, minus wings. 



In order to expose the nest 

 itself, the stump was sawn open 

 on the fourth day, but the rou- 

 tine of nest life was interrupted 

 for only seven minutes. A con- 

 venient platform, or stage, was 

 thus made just above the nest, 

 and upon this many lively 

 scenes were enacted in the 

 course of the day. A series 

 of pictures (Figs. 1 6-30) shows 

 many attitudes of this little 

 Wren, as she strode up or down 

 to the nest-opening, as well as 

 the variety of insects carried, 

 and the treatment which many 

 of them had received. 



I once photographed this bird 

 as she stood on the stage over 

 the nest with a large grass- 

 hopper in her mouth, and her 

 behavior suggested some con- 



