A QUARREL BETWEEN JENNY WREN AND THE FLY- 

 CATCHERS. 



C. L. GRUBER, 

 State Normal School, Kutztown, Pa. 



FOR a number of years a crested 

 flycatcher has built his nest in 

 a hole in an apple tree in my 

 yard, about twenty feet from a 

 house constructed for the habitation 

 of the wrens. Jenny usually showed 

 no animosity toward her neighbor; but 

 one spring, while nest- building was in 

 progress, she suddenly seemed to have 

 decided that the flycatcher's abode was 

 in too close proximity to her own 

 domicile and deliberately invaded the 

 flycatcher's domains and dumped the 

 materials of his nest on the walk be- 

 neath the tree. When the flycatcher 

 returned the air was filled with his pro- 

 tests, while the wren saucily and de- 

 fiantly answered him from the roof of 

 her own dwelling. The flycatcher im- 

 mediately proceeded to build anew, 

 but before he had fairly commenced, 

 the pugnacious wren made another 

 raid and despoiled his nest again. 

 This happened a third time; thenthe fly- 

 catcherandhis mate took turns in watch- 

 ing and building. While one went out in 

 search of building material the other 

 remained on guard just inside the door. 

 The situation now became exceedingly 

 interesting, and at times ludicrous. 

 Jenny Wren is a born fighter, and can 

 whip most birds twice her size, but she 

 seemed to consider the flycatcher more 

 than a match for her. The first few 

 times after the flycatcher made it his 

 business to stay on guard, the wren 

 would fly boldly to the opening, but 

 would flee just as precipitately on the 

 appearance of the enemy from the in- 

 side. After each retreat there was a 

 great deal of threatening, scolding, 

 and parleying, and Jenny several times 



seemed fairly beside herself with rage, 

 while the flycatcher coolly whistled 

 his challenge on the other side of the 

 line of neutralit}'. The wren now 

 adopted different strategy. She flew 

 to the tree from a point where the fly- 

 catcher could not see her, then hurried 

 along the limb in which the flycatcher 

 lay concealed and circled around the 

 hole, all the time endeavoring to take a 

 peep on the inside without herself being 

 observed, in the vain hope that her 

 enemy might not be at home. Sud- 

 denly there would be a flutter of wings 

 and a brown streak through the air, 

 followed by another as the flycatcher, 

 shot like a bullet from the opening in 

 the tree; but the active marauder was 

 safely hidden amid the grapevines, and 

 the baffled flycatcher returned to his 

 picket line, hurling back epithets and 

 telling Jenny that he would surely 

 catch her next time. In this manner 

 the strife continued for several days. 

 Then a truce seemed to have been ar- 

 ranged. Certainly the flycatcher was 

 still on guard, but the wrens went 

 about their work and did not molest 

 the flycatchers except at long inter- 

 vals. I thought the flycatchers had 

 conquered; but one morning when I 

 came out, there on the walk were three 

 broken, brown-penciled eggs, nest, 

 snakeskin, and all. The flycatcher had 

 put too much trust in the wren's un- 

 concernedness, and came back to find 

 himself once more without a nest. But 

 Jenny seemed to have desired only one 

 more stroke of revenge, and the fly- 

 catchers finally succeeded in raising 

 their family in front of the home of 

 Jenny Wren. 



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