THE WREN 291 



*, 



resort by the cock during the breeding season. This is shown by the 

 following account supplied me by Mr. F. B. Kirkman : " I had a cock's 

 nest under observation during June and July 1910. The cock was to 

 be seen either in, on, or near it daily, and at all times of the day in 

 June, less frequently in July, after which his visits were only occasional. 

 His favourite singing perches were near it. At intervals he left by an 

 .almost unvarying route to go to a neighbouring garden, where presum- 

 %bly he visited the breeding-nest. On June 16, in the early morning, 

 I saw the hen make her appearance for the first time. She seemed to 

 be inspecting the nest, while her mate, in a state of high agitation, 

 sang close by. The inspection was apparently not satisfactory, for the 

 hen soon disappeared, and did not return. The cock remained in a 

 state of unusual excitement all the morning, singing repeatedly and vehe- 

 mently, and I saw him carrying building material to the nest. Nothing, 

 however, came of this visit. Once only did I flush the cock from the 

 nest at night (June 7), at least I presumed it was he. The nest was 

 built on the underside of a thick arch of climbing roses, and, though 

 well constructed about the lower part, had a hole in the roof. It was 

 perhaps this that prejudiced the hen against it, if always it be assumed 

 that she had any intention of putting it to use. Perhaps she wished 

 simply to make clear to her husband that her eye was upon him." 



From all this it will be evident that there is yet much to learn 

 about these unlined nests. How many are built by each cock? 

 When more than one, to what use is each put ? Is it certain the cock 

 alone builds them ? When they are subsequently lined, which of the 

 pair performs the duty ? And last, but not least, how are we to 

 explain the origin of these supernumerary nests ? 



After leaving the nest, the young continue to be fed for some time 

 by the parents. On one occasion a pair were seen feeding a newly- 

 fledged brood in an open nest placed low down in the fork of a tree, 

 and made of moss and other material very loosely put together, 

 and without any lining, possibly built for the occasion. 1 When the 



1 F. B. Kirkman, in litt. 



