The Rambles of an Idler 



to reduce to pulp some of the old nest. Cap- 

 turing several of these ill-tempered creatures, I 

 failed to find any of the nest material about 

 them, so I may be mistaken, but in the course of 

 two weeks the interior of the nest was a good 

 deal broken down. 



For some days before the hornets ceased their 

 visits, a wren came and my initial thought was 

 that the bird, too, was after nesting material, 

 but this was not the case. The place was now 

 admirably adapted for a roosting-spot, and a 

 day-time-resting-place as well; for male wrens, 

 it would seem, occasionally get tired and appre- 

 ciate a quiet corner where they can take up a 

 ■thread of thought instead of forever tugging at 

 the line of duty. This very reasonable view of 

 life is disputed, however, and discussion more 

 emphatic than polite sometimes occurs. It all 

 would be very amusing were it not top-heavy 

 with weighty suggestion. 



Nature, unaffected by man's activities, is al- 

 ways near, and great areas of it often closer at 

 hand than we suspect. An acre is but a mere 

 dot on the map of many a farm, but let that 

 same acre be a bit of woods or marsh, and at 



76 



