24 OUR SOUTHERN BIRDS 



This habit of building in all sorts of odd 

 places makes the Wren a veritable tricksy Puck 

 to superstitious people who think it is "bad 

 luck" if a bird builds in one's clothes. I have 

 seen strong men turn pale and tremble on dis- 

 covering a Wren's nest in some forgotten pocket 

 or shoe! 



Marsh Wrens, both the Long-billed and the 

 Short-billed varieties, are found in brushy places 

 near the water. Like other Wrens, they carry 

 their tails erect and all their movements are 

 rather jerky. But their nests are peculiar — 

 globular affairs woven of grasses, entered from 

 the side, and laced tight to the criss-crossed 

 stems of reeds or other undergrowth. The eggs 

 of the Long-billed are almost chocolate brown in 

 color; but those of the Short-billed are pure 

 white. 



CAEDINAL 



In all the world there is nothing braver than 

 the heart of a singing bird. Can you think what 

 it means to be so small and so beautiful in a 

 world full of guns and traps, of cats and hawks, 

 of crafty snakes and crows and squirrels and 

 blue jays all of whom rob the nest, — and yet to 

 sing and sing again that all nature is good, is 

 good ! 



Of all the birds who endure our winters with 

 their inevitable hardships and perils of storm, 



