*THE * OOLOGIST> 



VOL. VIII. 



ALBION, N. Y., NOV., 1891. 



No. 11 



The Great Carolina Wren. 



The half has not been told of these 

 pleasing little birds. Here, they are 

 with ns all the year; and every day we 

 are delighted with their sweet song 

 from the time the first streaks of morn- 

 ing light begins to appear in the East, 

 until approaching darkness compels 

 them to seek shelter for the night. 



They are hardy little fellows, endur- 

 ing the winters of the Middle States. 

 They may recede from their more north- 

 ern abodes, yet they are as common in 

 winter as in summer, at least from 

 Maryland southward. There they are 

 said to be common at all seasons, 

 though never in great abundance. Here 

 they are more plentiful than any other 

 of the Wren family. 



We have the Bewicks, Winter and 

 House Wrens, but none of them are 

 very plentiful. The Carolina Wren 

 frequents shrubery and undergrowth 

 of all sorts, where it is oftener heard 

 than seen. Not that it is at all a timid 

 bird, for it often comes about the gar- 

 den and out-houses, and will frequently 

 take up its abode in an unoccupied 

 dwelling house, if it can find an open 

 or a crevice of any kind that it can pos- 

 sibly get through. When we came 

 home from the North, last Spring, a 

 pair had taken up their abode in our 

 kitchen, placing their nest over a win- 

 dow. The previous spring they they 

 came in and started their nest on a 

 mantle in one of the rooms, but that 

 did not seem to suit their fancy, so they 

 changed it to a shelf in one corner 

 when they completed their nest and de- 

 posited five little speckled eggs which 

 now grace our cabinet. They are so 

 capricious in the matter of a nesting 

 place, that one can hardly say what 

 their preference is, if indeed, they have 



any choice. They will build in any odd 

 nook or cranny — entering out-houses 

 through a knot hole or between loose 

 boards like the House Wren; taking a 

 hollow stump or tree; settling in the 

 midst of a thick bush or in a piece of 

 bark curled upon a fence rail; any- 

 where in fact, that offers a snug retreat 

 Neither are they particular as to the 

 kind of material of which to build their 

 nests, which is rather bulky structure 

 composed of fibrious roots, leaves, grass 

 in fact, any trash they can find conven- 

 ient. It is more or less shaped like a 

 ball, with a side entrance. In this they 

 lay five or six eggs, and by the time the 

 little ones are ready to leave the nest, 

 they have grown 'till the little home is 

 completely full. After they leave the 

 nest, the parents keep them about them 

 for a few days, during which time they 

 are in a state of perpetual panic, show- 

 ing their intense worry in redoubled 

 restlessness. If we attempt to approach 

 the nest, the bird slips quietly off and 

 hurries away with a low fluttering near 

 the ground, or scrabling and hopping 

 from one bush to another, invariably 

 mocking us with it rollicking song as 

 soon as it feels sure it has lured us 

 away from its nest. It shows however 

 the restlessness and prying curiosity of 

 of its tribe, and if we keep still a few 

 minutes, it will return to take a sly 

 look at us, peering from among the 

 leaves with an inquisitive air, and per- 

 forming odd nervous antics, as if it were 

 possessed with the very spirit of un- 

 rest. When disturbed it chatters in a 

 harsh tone, as if resenting the intrusion. 

 This is its ordinary note when angry, 

 alarmed, or in any way distressed. Its 

 song is quited a different thing — loud, 

 clear and highly musical. I scarcely 

 know of a bird that possesses a richer 

 voice. It also has the power of mock- 



