484 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



his throat and tongue vibrating with uncontrolled deUght as the melody 

 gushes forth. 



Jenny Wren is more agreeable to her human than to her feathered 

 neighbors. I have frequently noticed that wrens visit all the boxes placed 

 about the garden or orchard for the occupation of Bluebirds and White- 

 breasted swallows, and fill them with sticks and other nesting materials. 

 Some of my nature-loving friends would have me believe this is to have 

 a nest ready as soon as the new one is needed for the second brood, but 

 I am inclined to the belief that it is done to prevent any neighbors moving 

 into the houses which are about the wrens' happy hunting ground. Further- 

 more, I have noticed that the wren frequently visits the nests of the Yellow 

 warbler, Chipping sparrow and other species which nest about the garden, 

 and picks sniall holes in the eggs so that they never will hatch. I am 

 inclined to think that this habit, like the similar one of the Catbird, is 

 to prevent too great competition in hunting the early worm when their 

 6 or 8 greedy young ones are crying for food, for the wren makes only 

 short flights from its nest in search of food and must necessarily find 

 a plentiful supply near home. For this reason it must take care that it 

 has only a few near neighbors when the nesting season is at its height. 

 I have often wondered how the wren can escape the numerous cats which 

 are found about the house and garden, but they seem perfectly able, like 

 the English sparrow, to cope with the domestic cat, whereas almost none 

 of our other birds have this facility. If anyone wishes to have wrens 

 about his garden he can prevent the English sparrow occupying their 

 houses by making the entrance hole only one inch in diameter, which the 

 wren can enter with ease, while the English sparrow can not occupy the 

 house. 



