House Wrens as I Know Them 455 



worms. The wealth of a strong-, young bird was at his dis- 

 posal. 



It was 8 in the evening of our fifth day out-of-doors. The 

 woodlands were full of Olive-backed Thrushes and Hermit 

 Thrushes that had come down to the swale to drink and 

 bathe with the Robins. I called the Thrush a full half hour 

 before he answered me in the usual grove. He came reluct- 

 antly. He was nearly as large as a full-grown bird. His 

 tail was two inches long. iWhen I called, the woods seemed 

 alive with Thrushes. To my "Come, Pet!" the Hermits re- 

 sponded chuck! chuck! p-e-e-p! and the Olive-backed an- 

 swered whit! zi'hit! ivhit! whit-ye, whit-ye-er! The Thrushes 

 were in full song. The warm, misty, moonlit woods fairly 

 palpitated with their wonderfully beautiful strains. 



The young Thrush partook of thirteen small grasshoppers. 

 As I put him on a high perch for the night he floated out 

 into the swale. I looked for him carefully in the low spruce 

 where he seemed to alight. He was not here, but I heard 

 the plashing of his wings in one of the sedgy little pools. The 

 Olive-backed Thrushes called persistently, insistently, a few 

 feet from where I stood. 



The moonlight, the mist, and the birds were bewitching, 

 but it was growing late and I had to tear myself away. 



After this exeprience I called and hunted for the Thrush 

 several days, but he never came again to my summons. He 

 had heard "the call of the wild" and responded! 



HOUSE WRENS AS I KNOW THEM. 



BY MARY E. HATCH. 



I have always been especially fond of birds, but particu- 

 larly is this true of the little house wren. 



While I watch eagerly each spring for the return of the 

 birds, and rejoice in seeing each new species come back, yet 

 there is a little more joy experienced upon seeing my favorite 

 wrens once more than in beholding all the others. 



