EXCITEMENT IN THE FAMILY. 175 



ground, coming within ten or fifteen feet of us, 

 without appearing to see us at all. In fact they 

 had, after the first day, paid no attention to us, 

 for we never had disturbed them, never went to 

 the nest till sure that both were away, and kept 

 still and quiet in our somewhat distant seat. 



About this time they began to show more 

 anxiety in their manner. The first exhibition 

 was on the fourth day since we knew the young 

 were hatched (and let me say that I believe 

 they were just out of the shell the morning that 

 we found the father feeding). On this fourth 

 day the singer perched near the nest-tree, three 

 or four feet from the ground, and began a very 

 loud wren " dear-r-r-r ! dear-r-r-r ! dear-r-r-r ! " 

 constantly repeated. He jerked himself about 

 with great apparent excitement, looking always 

 on the ground as if he saw an enemy there. We 

 thought it might be a cat we had seen prowling 

 about, but on examination no cat was there. 

 Gradually his tone grew lower and lower, and 

 he calmed down so far as a wren can calm, 

 though he did not cease his cries. I did not 

 know he could be still so long, but I learned 

 more about wren possibilities in that line some- 

 what later. 



During this performance his mate came with 

 food in her beak, and evidently saw nothing 

 alarming, for she went to the nest with it. Still 



