^otes from JTiellJ anti Ifetutij 



A Wren Nest Tragedy 



On May 30, 1916, I noticed the Wrens 

 had not built in the hanging Wren-house, 

 so I cleaned it out thoroughly. In less 

 than an hour a pair were hard at work and 

 soon the nest was finished and a Wren was 

 on the nest. 



Then one day I noticed great excite- 

 ment. Madam would not go in or near 

 the house. Her mate coaxed and coaxed 

 with continual singing, from house to 

 tree and over again. Such scolding from 

 her and twittering and fluttering ! 



Finally she flew to the roof of the house 

 but only for a second, then away, then 

 back again. Then she tried the porch, a 

 hole in a post, anywhere for a nest, then 

 back to the house and in. She looked as 

 though she was trying to pull the nest 

 to pieces. Then away and back, pulling at 

 it three different times. Then both flew 

 away, and I never saw them again. 



Upon investigation I found she had 

 pulled out her three eggs, put tiny holes 

 in them, and thrown them on the ground. 

 Has any one ever heard of a bird doing 

 that before? — M. C. Nisbet, Irvington-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



The Cape May Warbler 



I was interested in reading in the April, 

 19 1 7, issue of Bird-Lore the statement 

 regarding an increase of the Cape May 

 Warbler. 



For several years past I had not seen 

 one of these Warblers, but during May, 

 1916, they appeared in comparatively 

 large numbers in and near Boonton, N. J. 



This was true of many others of the 

 Warbler family; those uncommon in 

 former years being present in large 

 numbers, particularly Bay-breasted and 

 Blackburnian Warblers. There were days 

 when numbers of the birds were to be 

 seen in the trees and shrubbery, and it 

 was possible to get very close to them so 



that they could be easily identified, even 

 without the use of glasses. — Edward 

 G. Kent, Jersey City, N. J. 



An Experience with an American 

 Bittern 



One day last fall a newspaper in a 

 nearby city printed a story of a "strange 

 bird in a battle with two savage bull- 

 dogs" and told how the local constable, 

 whose aid was sought to shoot the bird, 

 captured it by throwing a blanket over 

 the bird's head and identified it as a 

 "Spanish Corseva," common in Argentina. 



It sounded like a real nature-faking 

 story, yet thinking some member of the 

 Heron family was in trouble, I traced it, 

 after considerable effort, to an old stable, 

 where, in a dark corner, I found an 

 American Bittern. 



The bird may have hit a wire or the 

 branch of a tree and fallen to the ground 

 in someone's dooryard, where it was 

 attacked by the dogs, but it was useless 

 to try and make the people believe the 

 bird had not been the aggressor and first 

 attacked the dogs. 



The Bittern did not appear injured, 

 though weak from lack of food, the whole 

 corn offered by its captor not being relished 

 as a substitute for small fish and frogs, so 

 I thought to take it to the shore and let 

 it go where food was plentiful. 



I had often heard stories of wounded 

 Herons striking at people's eyes. Never- 

 theless, I was taken unawares when the 

 Bittern, with a lightning-like thrust, gave 

 me an exhibition of how she speared fish. 

 Fortunately, the blow fell on the end of 

 my nose and again within an inch of my 

 eye, causing the blood to flow freely, and 

 after that I kept my face out of range. 



I wanted a photograph of the bird 

 before letting it go, so focused my camera 

 on a rock where I placed the Bittern and 

 jumped back, planning to press the bulb 

 before she flew away, but I was much sur- 



(264) 



