24 The Carolina Wren; a year of its life. [January, 
was often heard to whistle late in the night. Probably it was 
dreaming, which is not to be wondered at, considering the activity 
of the bird’s brain when awake. 
Thus for six months this bird lived quite alone. It certainly ~ 
never wandered far at any one time. It was seen at too short in- 
tervals for this. But if lonely it was not morose, and to all ~ 
` appearance throve admirably from September to March. 
From March to September it lived another life. As early as the 
7th it appeared upon the scene with a companion. The two were 
very noisy and deinonstrative. I could not detect much evidence 
of affection, and at times their actions were strongly suggestive 
quarreling. This, however, did not last long. In the course 0 
a week they had settled all their little differences, and hunted the 
spiders in the outbuildings, and early insects everywhere, in com 
pany. The song of the male bird was now more varied and fre- | 
quent, yet never with a trace of mimicry of the notes of othe 
birds. Its song in volume exceeded even the clear whistle of the 
cardinal grosbeak, and could be heard distinctly for half a mil 
during a still morning. 
March 18 was a pleasant, spring-like day, and an early Mary 
land yellow-throat was singing merrily. This drew me out of : 
doors, and I noticed directly that the Carolina wrens had co 
menced nest-building. Both birds were busy carrying long grass 
strips of inner bark of shrubs and an odd thread or two that wei 
found near by. One bird examined the clothes-line carefully, b 
could not succeed in unraveling any portion. 
Following the wrens, I found they had located on the “ee | 
surface of one of the plates of the frame of the barn. The nest 
was directly under the roof, and quite filled the space between 
upper surface of the plate and the shingles, about six inches. The 
nest, when completed, except the lining, was quite a foot in length. 
It was, in fact, a mere shapeless mass of loose material. Into 
the female wren burrowed and remained most of the time, wA! 
the male bird brought softer fibers and chicken feathers. W 
these the cavity was lined and the nest completed. 
March 24 an egg was laid, and anothereach day until the 29th, 
when the hen commenced setting. During the days that followed 
the male bird was very active in supplying his mate with 
and took his turn in caring for the eggs, but evidently under pF 
test; this I conclude from the super-merry songs he uttered © 
