, Birds Tioga Oo. N. Y. Alden l^oring.; 



I 63. House Wren. Common. Builds in 



' Martin boxes and natural cavities of trees. 



. The eggs, six to eiglit in number, usually six, 

 are of a pale reddish flesh color, covered vpith 

 fine dots and sprinklings of a darker color. 



I' The measurement of the egg is 5-8 in. by 1.5-32 

 in. Occasionally two broods, are reared in one 

 season. The nest is composed of sticks, horse 

 hair and feathers, is very bulky and neatly 

 constructed; the hollow is quite deep. This 

 pugnacious little bird is a very industrious 

 nest builder, carrying sticks tJiree to four 

 inches in length. 



I^anitoba Birds, i^rrn.lOBi. 

 Robert Miller Christy. 



One one cccasion I was told that a Wren, 

 ( Troj/kxlyteg neclon,) had built its nest in the pock- 

 et of a coat liung on the door of a ferryman's 

 house on the Souris River. 



O.&O. X.May.;Q3:.p.;7-7- 



Ot &0, sr, Jane. 1Q90. p.82 



Pbesistkncy at Nest-Building in a House- Ween. — A House- Wren 

 (Troglodytes aedon) has this season manifested a strong predilection for the 

 nozzle of a pump for a nesting- site. The pump being in daily tase, the 

 nozzle, much to our surprise, was repeatedly found to be obstructed with 

 sticks. An iavestigation of the novel incident led to the discovery of the 

 cause, it being found that a House-Wren was industriously at work carry- 

 ing materials into the pump for the construction of its nest. The bird 

 was finally left one morning to carry on his work, when, at the end of two 

 hours, it was found that he had filled the pump so full that water could 

 ' not be obtained until a part of the sticks had been removed. The nest, 

 through the necessary use of the pump, was three times destroyed before 

 the persevering little fellow abandoned his work. — Abbott W. Fhazar, 

 Watertown, Mass. Buli. N , O , O, 2, July, 187 7 . p. ff. 



Contemporary with the Mockingbirds in sea- 

 son of breeding are the Hjiuac Wrens. I observed 

 the first completely fledged young of this species 

 this year on the 0th of April. These Wrens 

 breed liere in profusion ; and they are not par- 

 ticular as to where they build their nests, for I 

 have found them breeding in woodland stumps, 

 mortices in fence posts, old cattle skulls, and two 

 of ray friends, not given to oological inqun-y, 

 have Ibund a nest apiece in tlie pockets of their 

 respective coats which hung, unused, on pegs in 

 their rooms. 



Unusual Nesting. 



I have received from Mr. William A. 

 Mastin the following, dated Williamsburg, 

 W. Va., February 17, 1802: "I mailed you 

 yesterday a set of Wren's eggs found in a hay 

 mow on Cherry Kiver on the last day of 

 .January. Is it a usual occurrence? I have 

 the nest; will send or bring it out if you 

 wish. ..." The eggs undoubtedly belong to 

 tlie House Wren {Troijlodytes wJon), but aver- 

 age slightly larger. Mr. Mastin's address is 

 Richmond, Nicholas County, W. Va. 



I found, on blowing, the eggs were perfectly 

 f]-esh. They were five in number, but two, 

 unfortunately, were broken. Thad. Svrber. 

 j Wlilte Sulpluir Springs, W. Va. 



0.& O.Vol.l7,ApiiX 1892 p. 69 



O.&O. X, Dec. 1885. p. /<}0. 



The present writer can recall a somewhat 

 similar instance to that related by Mr. Bryant. 

 In this case a pair of ^M^^Nm^{TnH,lodyUs 

 wdon) cliose a box for their nesting place, that 



was intended to shelter a clothes-line. The 

 rope was wound around a spindle inside the 

 box, and the birds made their enti-ancc into tlie 

 hos thi-ough tlie hole that was left for the line 

 to pass out. Here they built their nest on th- 

 top of the rope. Every Monday morning tlie 

 clothes-line was unwound to hang tlie family, 

 wash upon it, and then there would appear at 

 the bottom of the box the rubbish that the 

 wrens h.ad brought in to construct their ne.st. 

 For several weeks the birds persevered, con- 

 structing their nest with infinite labor, only to 

 find it pulled to pieces each week when the 

 ■ _rope was unwound. 



„<,o uii iiic slue lacing Ule rope that moved the pulley. The 

 opposite side could have been used for this purpose, and 

 doubtless with less danger to life or limb, but a preference 

 seems to have been shown for the other. Wliy this was so 

 remained an unsolved problem tor sometime; but when 

 each bird was seen to alight upon the rope at the top of the 

 derrick and ride down to the nest, the reason became appa- 

 rent. Never did Linnet enjoy the rocliing twig with half 

 the zest that these eccentric creatures did their ride adown 

 the rope. A hundred times a day, wlien the necessity 

 arose, they treated themselves to the same pleasure, the 

 rope moving at the rate of tbirty-flve feet in a second of 

 time. Six days out of seven, from morning until night, 

 they had the benefit of this mode of conveyance, and noth- 

 ing occurred to disturb their peace and harmony. In due 

 time a family of happy, roUicltiug children was raised, and 

 the nest in the derrici? deserted. 



/ o.&o. X. juiy.isss.p. nn 



0,&0. XII. Sept. 1887 p. 144 -/ VJ~ 



