16 Union Bay 



might seem, to some people, to be a logical explanation of 

 this common practice of the wrens. One of the birds about 

 the pool stopped when three nests were completed, but the 

 other did not quit until four finished nests were closely 

 grouped in its territory. I had always understood that the 

 unoccupied nests were not lined with cattail down, but my 

 faith in that theory was shattered when I watched a bird 

 most of the afternoon as it carried and placed cattail down 

 in three nests. If any tule wren had reason to omit placing 

 down in its unfinished nests, it was this particular bird, a 

 resident of a narrow strip on the south side of the marsh, for 

 I found that it had constructed seven nests in its limited 

 territory. This exceeded by three the most I had seen up to 

 that time. 



I timed the movements of one of the birds which lived on 

 the edge of the pool. While I was present, it made six rounds 

 of its territory, the longest trip requiring twelve minutes and 

 the shortest, ten. Its path was not always exactly the same. 

 Sometimes it flew close to the canoe and looked me over. It 

 lowered its tail at the end of every burst of song, and raised 

 it when singing was resumed. When I stood in the canoe, it 

 moved back in the cattails. When I sat down so that I was 

 almost concealed, it moved near enough to see me. Tempo- 

 rary bursts of curiosity often brought it very close. Now and 

 then I could touch the base of the cattail on which it perched. 

 But all of these short flights were but detours from the main 

 journey as were its occasional trips to the lone, nearby willow 

 where it nervously perched and sang. It made sallies against 

 any blackbird which alighted in the tree but without attack- 

 ing—just expressing its displeasure by an unusual burst of 

 song. The redwings, totally indifferent, moved only when 

 they so pleased. The wren seldom flew to the top of a cattail 

 stalk, but began singing about halfway up, after which it 

 moved slowly upward and finally stopped just under the 

 head or on the head itself. 



