Vermont Bird Club 13 



in this connection in taking the trip too seriously, trying to go too 

 far or to see too many or too remarkable phenomena. 



D. Vacation work. It is during the vacations, not only the sum- 

 mer varations, but also those that come in the winter and spring, that 

 the parents and children can work together to the best advantage in 

 making progress in the observation and study of nature. If the trips 

 which are organized are planned to be in the nature of picnics, either 

 by land or by water, the numbers of children and adults who will be 

 glad to participate will be thereby increased. The children should be 

 encouraged and helped to write down their observations to use when 

 school opens in giving their reports. 



If the schools offer courses in nature study, these plans may be 

 somewhat modified and the purpose of making the work as enjoyable 

 as possible and encouraging out-of-door life and trips into the woods 

 will be found a valuable aid by the school teacher. 



The suggestions given above are planned in hope that it may be 

 possible to make such organized effort on the part of the grown-ups, 

 and the children also, tend toward the increase of interest and enjoy- 

 ment that we should all take in the objects for which the Botanical 

 and Bird Clubs were organized and are so hopefully maintained. 



NESTING OF THE SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN 

 IN VERMONT 



Harold G. Rugg, Hanover 



This last summer it was my good fortune to visit with two other 

 members of the Hanover Bird Club, a swamp in Thetford, Vt., long 

 famous to the bird lovers of Hanover. I was induced to take the trip 

 on being assured that I should see a colony of the short-billed marsh 

 wren. On previous visits the same season to this swamp, my friends 

 had found nests of the marsh hawk containing four eggs, of the Ameri- 

 can bittern containing five eggs, and nests of some of the smaller birds 

 as well as one of this rare little wren. 



I had hoped to find this swamp interesting also from a botanical 

 point of view, but was disappointed. The vegetation in this Thetford 

 swamp, several acres in extent, is mainly grasses and sedges with 

 alder scrub. Wading through the deep sedges I was soon startled by 



