300 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



For the A'ew England Farmer. 

 OBNITHOLOGT. 

 BY S. P. FOWLER. 



The family of wrens in the United States and 

 Territories is composed of twelve species, and in- 

 • eludes the genus regulus, (crested wrens) and 

 the Troglodytes or proper wrens. The only 

 species I have observed in Danvers are the house 

 wren, winter wren, marsh wren, golden-crested 

 wren and ruby-crowned wren. The common 

 house wren, (Sylvia Domestica, of Wilson,) 

 which I intend more particularly to notice, is the 

 most numerous species found in Massachusetts. 

 It has become completely domesticated, is never 

 seen in our woods and forests, and seldom no- 

 ticed far from the habitations of men. With the 

 protection it everywhere receives, it is singular 

 it is not found more abundantly, as it rears two 

 broods of young in a season, and lays from six 

 to nine eggs. Its habits are very peculiar and 

 eccentric, possessing individuality in a high de- 

 gree. It is never moved by a particle of grega- 

 rious emotions so common in birds ; on the con- 

 trary, two pair of wrens can never endure each 

 other's presence in a garden, a quarrel always tak- 

 ing place, and one of them is forced to quit the 

 premises. Although quite a small specimen of 

 ornithology, it is smart and courageous, petulant 

 and imperious. It seldom fails to assault the 

 peaceable blue-bird, when preparing to breed in 

 the neighborhood, by visiting its nest in the own- 

 er's absence, and committing outrages, of which 

 one would suppose such little birds would not be 

 found guilty, but leave such exploits to be per- 



speak more particularly of the male,) are not 

 confined to constructing in connection with his 

 mate, a cradle for his young, but embrace other 

 than this, a constant instinctive desire to labor, 

 when nothing useful is produced, in building 

 nests not wanted, and but half form 3d. The 

 wren is busy in this unproductive work, simply 

 because he must be employed, cannot afford to 

 be idle. 



We see this industrious trait of character in 

 men and think it commendable. I have never 

 seen anything like it in birds, with the exception 

 of the one under consideration, and it has also 

 been noticed in the house wren of Europe. This 

 labor is usually performed by the wren, when 

 not particularly engaged with its own affairs, by 

 odd jobs, as we say, chiefly when the female is 

 engaged in incubation, when time passes slowly 

 with him, helping to fill up a long day in June ; 

 with other engagements, such as stolding at the 

 cat, as soon as he gets his eye upon her, prying 

 into every nook and corner of the garden, by 

 creeping about more like a mouse than a bird, 

 and striving to obtain a general meddlesome 

 knowledge of the affairs of all birds in his neigh- 

 borhood. This labor, as we have before intimat- 

 ed, consists in forming as many half-finished 

 nest as he can find boxes in which to build. 



A friend of mine, desirous of getting as many 

 of these birds to breed in his garden as possible, 

 placed some two or three boxes in his grounds 

 for their accommodation. In conversation he 

 observed to me one day, that his boxes were all 

 filled with wrens, and was much pleased with the 

 supposed fact. Knowing the singular propensi- 



formed by the cautious, piratical crow, or the jy ^f j^is bird to engage in useless labor, I re 

 fillibustering blue jay. These visits of ,^jj,.j^j,(l upon - - - 



handsome 



. . „, jpon examination he would probably 



the wren to the domicil of the blue-bird are for fi^j ^^ ^^^ p^jr of wrens in his garden. Ah ! 

 the purpose of demolishing its nest, or sucking \^^^^ g^ys he, I saw the birds go in and out of 



its eggs, and if surprised in these felonious inten- 

 tions by the return of the mild, but justly indig- 

 nant bird which wears the blue coat, it evades 

 its deserved punishment about to be inflicted, by 

 fluttering to the ground on its short curved wings, 

 when it conceals itself in the shrubbery or pass- 

 ing along under cover, a few rods, it rises again 

 to the top of a tree, and utters its hurried, trill- 

 ing notes in defiance. 



While thus invading the premises of others, 

 the wren is very careful of its own ; not a bird 

 can come near them for honest and peaceful pur- 

 poses, without a hostile threat, or severe scold- 

 ing, such an one as no other songster, but the 

 one in a drab colored dress, knows how to inflict. 

 Notwithstanding all this, the little churl possess- 

 es good qualities, alike noticeable in birds as 

 well as men. Its domestic habits are admirable, 

 taking the best care of its numerous ofispring, 

 being careful to warn them of the dangers, which 

 beset their youthful flights, and of the cruel hab- 

 'ts of the feline race, as every stealthy maraud- 

 ing cat, (our birds' greatest enemies and tormen- 

 tors,) would be compelled to admit, could these 

 felines, (which should be shot, every one of them, 

 when found in a garden,) be made to testify. 

 The wren is also an industrious bird, its industry 

 being peculiar, and not noticed in other birds. It 

 builds a large nest, if we regard its surroundings, 

 composing a foundation of short crooked sticks, 

 that one would suppose would be very difficult to 

 be managed by so small a bird. His labors, (I here 



the boxes, and build their nests. I replied, we 

 will examine them, and see if we can find eggs or 

 young. Upon examination we found in all the 

 boxes, but the one that was the true domicil of 

 the wrens, nothing but a mass of short, crooked 

 sticks ! I never had but one pair of wrens in my 

 grounds at the same time, although I have heard 

 persons say they had two pair in the spring, but 

 one of them was caught by a cat. I suppose, in 

 this particular case, grimalkin's character had 

 suffered unjustly, which so seldom happens in 

 the imputed cases of bird-catching, I am particii- 

 larly desirous here to notice. In my grounds 

 the wren raises two broods in a year, and its 

 sprightly and tremulous note is heard as late as 

 the 20th of September. But little is known of 

 its migratory habits ; where it goes in autumn, 

 and from whence it comes in spring, no ornithol- 

 ogist knows. It manages with its short wings 

 to migrate beyond the limits of the union ; most 

 probably to Mexico. It comes to us in the night,, 

 and its pleasing, lively note, is first heard upon 

 a pleasant morning in the early part of May. 



Knowing, friend Brown, your love for birds, 

 I send you with this communication an olive-jar 

 expressly prepared for kitty wren. In these jars 

 I have found them more inclined to breed than 

 in anything else, having had one of them in my 

 garden for many years. The way and manner 

 of placing it upon a pole, I have, I think, in- 

 formed you. 



Danvers'port, April l^th, 1859. 



