1118 REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



soon after arrival, in fact, some rears arrive mated. I have seen 

 them looking for a nest site March 25 (1897). Prof. Shannon found 

 a nest, containing one egg at Greensburg, April 12, 1896., and I have 

 found young just out of the nest early in July. They return every 

 night to roost in the nest after they are able to fly. The period of 

 incubation is fourteen days. They persistently return to the same 

 nesting place. Mr. John Wright, of Bartholomew County, told me 

 of a pair that nested on an old mantel in a deserted house three years 

 in succession. The first two years they built in a tin can, but the 

 third year, that having been removed, they built on the mantel. Mr. 

 E. R. Quick informs me in 1897, at his house, a pair nested and reared 

 their first brood of six in a gourd. The second set of 5 eggs were 

 laid in a ball of twine in a binder. Then the female was interrupted. 

 She laid another set of six in the gourd first occupied; with these 

 were put the five found in the binder, and out of the eleven were 

 hatched eight young, making a total of fourteen young hatched by one 

 pair of Wrens in a season. The same careful observer in the spring 

 of 1891 found a pair building a nest in the drawbar of a freight car. 

 which was standing on a siding at Brookville. Their songs were 

 heard at Brookville March 30, 1896, and in 1897 continued until 

 August 30. In fact, one sang a few notes October 14, 1897, which 

 is the latest I have found them in the fall. They have a finer rattling 

 note than that uttered by the Carolina Wren. The common alarm note 

 is plit. It has several songs, all accompanied by a greater or less num- 

 ber of stridulations. I give a few attempts to interpret its songs. 

 But I must confess that often the attempted interpretations by others 

 convey no meaning to me. One song I have written chip, chip, chip, 

 te-da-a, te-dee; another, cheep, cheep, che-we-e-e-e. A third song sounds 

 something like whee-to-weet, a-her, che-chee; while one of its most famil- 

 iar efforts seems to be expressed by chick, click, for me-<>, for you. 

 They, too, are great insect catchers. 



169. GENUS TROGLODYTES VIEILLOT. 



a 1 . Wings folded not reaching end of tail. Subgenus TROGLODYTES. 

 6 1 . Above umber brown ; back usually indistinc^y barred. 



T. sedon Vieill. 300 

 6 a . Above grayish brown ; back usually distinctly barred. 



T. aedon aztecus Baird. 301 

 a 2 . Wings folded reaching nearly or quite to end of tail. 



Subgenus ANORTHOTJRA Kennie. T. hiemalis Vieill. 302 



