Notes from Field and Study 



299 



Meanwhile a pesky little Sparrow, sitting 

 about 5 feet away, had watched the efforts 

 of the Robin with interest, and no sooner 

 did he see the dainty morsel in its bill, 

 than the little pirate darted Kke an arrow 

 toward the Robin, picked the worm from 

 its bill and flew swiftly about 20 feet away, 

 to enjoy its booty undisturbed. 



The Robin, on the other hand, was so 

 completely taken by surprise by this bold 

 attack that it stared motionless for several 

 seconds after the receding bandit, and 

 then started unruffled to dig for another 

 worm. — C. BoNNiG, Detroit, Mich. 



The Wren, a Housebreaker 



Late in March a pair of Bluebirds took 

 possession of a box on a slender pole in the 

 corner of our kitchen-garden and April 18 

 began to build their nest. The next day 

 our Robins began to build on a platform 

 on the southern end of the front porch. 

 Late in May a pair of Chippies came house- 

 hunting and finally chose a very bushy 

 place in the crimson rambler, high up in 

 the rose-trellis on the front porch. About 

 the same time a Wren came to the box be- 

 longing to a small boy some 200 feet away. 

 The Wren came into the yard occasionally 

 but was promptly chased out again by 

 either the Bluebird or the mother Robin, 

 and sometimes quiet little Mrs. Chippy 

 joined in the chase. 



June 2, the Bluebirds went away with 

 their four speckled babies, and then the 

 Wren came oftener to the yard and garden. 

 Several times I saw him fly from the grape- 

 arbor into the rose-trellis but supposed 

 he went there for the aphides which were 

 abundant on the crimson rambler. After 

 the mother Chippy had been sitting for 

 several days, I noticed one afternoon as I 

 sat on the porch with my sewing, that she 

 was not on her nest. When three-quarters 

 of an hour had passed without bringing 

 the Chippy to her nest, I investigated. In 

 the nest were two cold eggs. One was all 

 right, the other had a small, clean-cut 

 hole in it, and a third one lay on the ground 

 broken. I suspected the Wren, but felt 

 almost ashamed of myself for doing so. 



The last of June the Bluebirds came back 

 for a second nesting, and after looking over 

 the new box put out for them, decided 

 that they liked the old one better, and the 

 mother bird set to work to re-line the nest. 

 One morning after I knew there were eggs 

 in the nest, I heard the Wren scolding 

 softl}^ in the garden. The Bluebirds were 

 away. I stepped out on the upper back 

 porch to see where he was and f oimd him on 

 the wire running between the two Blue- 

 bird boxes. I threw a stone at him but did 

 not frighten him at all, and he went on into 

 the Bluebirds' nest-box. As I turned away 

 to go down and drive him off, he came to 

 the door of the box and threw out an egg. 

 I rushed downstairs and out to the garden 

 where I could reach the wire, gave it a 

 sharp pull, setting the box to swaying, and 

 the little Wren tumbled out and flew 

 away. On the ground beneath the box lay 

 three broken eggs, and the nest was empty. 

 Now I know why the other birds dislike 

 the Wren and chase him away when he 

 comes to the yard. I should like to ask 

 Bird-Lore whether this is a trait of the 

 Wren family or is this particular Wren a 

 degenerate member of the family? — Mrs. 

 Arthur F. Gardner, i^S Maple Avenue, 

 Troy, N. Y. 



A Family of Brown Thrashers 



The Brown Thrasher is usually a shy 

 uncompanionable bird, displaying none 

 of the friendliness for people so notable in 

 the Robin and Phoebe. He is frequently 

 seen about thickets and roadside under- 

 growth, which afford ample means of con- 

 cealment. He flits shyly about at a safe 

 distance from the observer, protected by 

 intervening brushwood, and as he is seldom 

 seen at rest, it is not easy to observe him 

 closely. 



The presence of a pair of Thrashers 

 about a brushwood in my field led to the 

 discovery of a nest deep among the dead 

 branches, and it contained three newly 

 hatched young. Desiring an acquaintance 

 with this interesting family, I frequently 

 visited them during the day. The old birds 

 remained at a distance until I was within 



