CHATS AND WRENS. 151 



chirp most shrilly if any one happened to be near, flutter- 

 ing the while in a most distressed manner, as though de- 

 termined to make those who might be passing believe 

 that she had a nest up on the roof, or anywhere, except in 

 the spot where it really was. This habit was so marked 

 as to attract the attention of the members of my family ; 

 and, if the out-building a work-shop which was continu- 

 ally visited during the day happened to have any person 

 in it when she arrived with food for her young, she would 

 dart back as rapidly as she came in, and go through her 

 accustomed antics on an adjoining building, while still 

 retaining the food. By the middle of August, the young, 

 although but scantily feathered, had left the nest, and in 

 a day or two, old and young departed from the neighbor- 

 hood. 



The song of the Bewick's wren is very fine and more 

 melodious than that of the common house-wren. There 

 is not in it, however, or in any of the various utterances 

 of the female, any trace of mimicry or ventriloquism, and 

 when I saw the anxious wren labor with both voice and 

 body, and with all her might, to make her supposed ene- 

 mies believe her painfully acted and harshly uttered lie, 

 I could not but recall the advantage of the chat, in being 

 able to remain comfortably at home, and send his voice 

 on an errand, whenever and wherever it seemed neces- 

 sary. 



With reference to this wren's nest, it may be said that 

 this species usually builds a very commodious and neat 

 structure in a concealed spot, and not, as in this case, on 

 the top of a window-frame, in full view, like a peewee's. 

 It was really an instance of what is often seen in nest- 

 building, carelessness and laziness on the part of the 

 builders. In my studies of birds' nests, I have found ex- 

 posed positions chosen, because the twigs and branches 



