TROGLODYTES. 195 



about the last week in May : it is constructed of grasses and 

 sedges, and is pensile, or rather suspended in tall grass in 

 fresh-water meadows, which is woven into the body of the 

 fabric. I have never noticed any mud in the materials, and 

 doubt if any is used. The entrance is on the side ; it is a 

 small hole, just under the greatest bulge of the nest : the 

 whole fabric is lined with soft down from flying-seeds, and 

 sometimes a few feathers. The eggs are sometimes eight or 

 nine in number, usually about six : their color is pure-white, 

 and the shell is extremely thin and brittle. The dimensions 

 vary from .57 by .44 to .50 by .40 inch. But one brood is 

 reared in New England. 



The habits of this bird are not so well known as those of 

 the preceding, as it is a much more shy bird, and always 

 avoids the presence of man. When its nest is approached, 

 it hovers near the intruder, chattering and scolding in a 

 violent manner. It is hardly ever seen in the neighborhood 

 of the salt water, and seems to be found only in the mead- 

 ows in the vicinity of fresh water : its food consists princi- 

 pally of small insects, and spiders, which it is almost 

 constantly employed in capturing. Its song is short, and 

 consists of a repetition of the syllables, 'che, 'chet, de-de-de- 

 de-de. This is uttered when the bird is perched on a low 

 bush, or tuft of grass. A peculiarity of this bird, and also 

 of the preceding species, is its habit of building a number of 

 nests in the same season : it is believed by many persons, 

 that this is done to secure protection ; because, when a 

 person searches for the nest occupied by the female, the 

 male always decoys the intruder to the neighborhood of one 

 of these empty ones. 



TROGLODYTES, VIEILLOT. 



Troglodytes, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept., II. (1807) 52. (Type T. cedon.) 

 The characters of this section will be found sufficiently indicated in the synopsis 

 of the genera on a preceding page. It comes nearest to Cistoihorus, but is distin- 

 guished by weaker feet and much smaller hind claw, which, instead of being equal 

 to or longer than the remaining portion of the toe, is decidedly shorter. 



