The Wren-Tits 
That relatively little is known of the nesting habits of the Wren- 
Tit is due to two causes: first, the boundless immensity of their nesting 
cover—the traditional needle in a hay stack presents a less discouraging 
outlook; and, second, the studied secrecy with which the nesting birds 
approach or leave or cling to their nests. Not even a sudden blow upon 
the nesting bush will startle the Wren-Tit into a noisy betrayal. If 
it quits the eggs at all, it will do so quietly by a deliberate movement, 
which is presently halted to await further developments. Even if quite 
sure of detection, or while the nest is under inspection, the bird will 
oftenest pause on the opposite side of the bush, either silently, or uttering 
a harsh, rasping note of protest. Both birds will join in the defense; 
and though the accusations are genteel, the white eye of the Wren-Tit 
knows how to be very stern. One observer, Mr. Wright M. Pierce, 
of Claremont, notes 1 how one bird on such an occasion dropped to the 
ground and feigned lameness, the familiar decoy ruse, accompanying 
its solicitous demonstration by “a hissing sound intermingled with sharp 
croaks.” 
Nests are placed at very moderate heights, two or three feet above 
the ground, in any sort of cover, provided only it is dense enough; though 
Mr. Mailliard records 2 one instance of the Wren-Tit’s building twelve 
feet up in a live oak tree. The nest is a well-built cup of wrapped grasses 
and bark-strips, settled firmly upon a support of horizontal branches 
or clustering stems. The grasses chosen are invariably browned or 
grayed with age, and the bark is stripped from the stalks of last year’s 
weeds. Cobwebs help to bind the exterior, and the lining is of horse¬ 
hair, if possibly obtainable. (One wonders how American birds ever 
managed before the advent of the horse.) 
Eggs, from three to five in number, are deposited late in March 
or early in April in southern latitudes, in late April or early May further 
north. These, when fresh, are of an exquisite turquoise green color; 
but the green element soon fades, and cabinet specimens are pale nile 
blue. Incubation, participated in by both sexes, lasts 15 to 18 days, 
and the young occupy the nest sixteen or seventeen days longer. The 
children accompany their parents to slightly higher levels in late June 
or July, or else remain closely at home, according to the configuration 
of the country. 
Though we have spoken explicitly of the appearance of the Wren- 
Tit, it is as a vocalist that the bird is best known. Indeed, it is safe to 
say that the bird is heard a thousand times to once it is seen. The “song 
cycle” of this species is, perhaps, less affected by or dependent on the 
1 The Condor, Vol. IX., Sept., 1907, p. 152. 
2 The Condor, Vol. IV., p. 95. 
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