The Brown Creeper and the Wrens 293 



small to admit an English sparrow and far enough above 

 the bottom to leave quite a space for the wrens to fill ; 

 for they build bulky nests of coarse materials. A i-inch 

 auger will bore a hole the right size for the entrance. 

 A gourd or old tin can may be used, instead of a box. 

 Wrens do not like the fresh appearance given by paint or 

 recently dressed lumber. The box may be placed 8 to 

 12 feet from the ground, in a tree in the garden or orchard, 

 or in an arbor. A pair of wrens once entered a chamber 

 window that was left open, and made their nest in a 

 slipper. 



Name the nesting places you have known wrens to use. 

 Of what materials do they make the nest? Do they 

 raise more than one brood in a season ? Do they return 

 in spring to their old home? 

 At what date do they ap- 

 pear in your locality? Do 

 they become accustomed to 

 the people they frequently 

 see, and permit them to 

 approach quite near? Do 

 they ever fight with birds 

 that would dispossess them 

 of their nesting sites? Do 

 they ever take possession of 

 nests built by other birds? 

 When a wren is singing, can 

 you see any motion of its 

 throat or of other parts ? 



The Carolina wren. The u.s.Dept. of Agriculture 



Carolina wren is larger than FIG. 178. Carolina wren. 



