4 • /o '?,„«iinw's Nest —Noticing a Wren often flying in 



/ 7Tf fsSs wll r« tit it had 'adapted a Swallow's nest 

 ' and out of a shed last wee 1 ^^^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ 



to its own ts ^^av 1.^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^^ 



s,mdarly used, J^t M e ^^^^ ^ , p.^triige " 



• rSr; K iZ-ld .< Kadsbad."-E. F. (Southwell)/ 



N6st of the Winter Wren. 



■ cubation, but on inserting a finger I found 



that it was not even lined ; so I then 



As my observations and impressions thought that like the others it would be 

 regardmg the nesting and other habits of forsaken ; but some days after I found that 

 this species (Troglodytes HiemaUs), in it was being lined and on the 17th I noted 

 former years, have already been recorded, that it contained one egg; then I feared 

 I will on the present occasion confine my that having touched it the bird would de- 

 notes to my experience on this subject for sert it, but three days afterwards I found 

 the season of 1S92. tlae bird " at home" and as well as I could 



I first heard the pleasing melodies of tell three more eggs were added. On 

 three individuals of this species on the the 22d, as I concluded that the full set 

 morning of the 7th of April, though it is had been deposited, I removed the nest, 

 probable, as the weather had been favor- ^nd found that it contamed five eggs, 

 able, that it had made its advent in this The nest itself was placed m the "roof" 

 vicinity a week earlier. When first no- «f the "turn-up," mostly kept in position 

 ticed, it was in full song, and was com- bj a ""mber of small rootlets, so that the 

 mon afterwards, though the different in- ^ont, sides and part of the bottom were 

 dividuals were continually shifting their suspended and pretty thick, while the top 

 places of habitat. Now one was heard on back were but little separated from 

 the margin of the clearing; then, in a th^ mould of the " root." It was mostly 

 short time, its thrilling notes came from composed of moss, with a few small 

 . , „ r J A brambles and a "lot of the dry stalks of 



the middle of the deep swamp, and may "J"*'""'^* . , ^ 



be an hour afterwards its music rose and hemlock leaves in the front, especially 

 fell in the centre of the highland wood, ^''"""d ^'^^ ^]f^-^ ^ ^ 



And I noticed several mornings, when I This "find" considerably changed rny 

 had remained out all night in the sugar- P^-^vious ideas regardmg some of the 

 bush, that the species was the first, as day habits of this species. 



^ , . ^, , , . It now appears that the bird does not 



began to dawn m the eastern sky, to greet -t-- »» i^i' ^ . , . 



, -u 1 • 1^1. desert her nest on account of it being 



the coming day with Its charming melody. , 



As the season advanced I was on tlie look- touched by the human hand but if she 

 out for the nesting-places of the species, has decided to occupy the skeleton nest 



, , A ^ c A f f„,- r,r.^ »o^i. that the male has formed, she will do so 



and was pleased to nnd, not lai tiom each ' 



, . • • 1^1 whether it has been touched or not, if she 



other and in my vicinity, several newly ^""^ _ • , , V , 



formed nests, giving me expectations that ^ot otherwise much disturbed. It also 

 I would afterwards collect therefrom one ^PP^ais to nest more than once in the 

 r^i ■ I, t ■ „ii season, as I have reasons to believe that 



or more sets of their eggs, but in all these ^v^', 



early "finds" I was disappointed; for th^B nest was the second for that bird that 

 none of them were finished. As previ- ^ its time of commencing to 



ously remarked in other articles on this '^e spring appears also to vary 



subject, I believe that this nest-making on ««veral weeks. Five appear to be the 

 the part of the Woodland Wren is the general complement of eggs deposited m 

 , ^ ^, 1 V,- 1 II ■^ •„ „ each set. This is the number found in 



work of the male bird, who leaves it m a „ , . , ^ , 



. , r It „ „„A ^u^„ -f tire three last nests, of which I have taken 



certain stage of completeness, and then, if , , , . r ■■,.^^,,^r — 



, . , , ° , i f 4.1 particular notes, and the last two of which i.Vll. Jan. 



desirable on the part of the female, she _ ' a., ^ ^ r {90 ti W 



t are now m my collection. The first of 



puts in the lining preparatory to deposit- J , „ , 



r , r. tu G..„t „f T,.^„ T Uo^ these three sets was taken on the ibth 



in? her eegs. By the farst ot June 1 had 



. \ „f .„ii..f;„<. of May, the second on the 25th of that 

 given up all expectations of collecting any 



of the eggs of this species, but on the 12th month, and this one on the 32d of June, 

 of that month I was taking a last look at The eggs in this set, to the naked eye, 

 some nesting places of other species, and appeared to be pure white, with a pinkish 

 had just secured a fine set, 1-5, of the tinge, but this latter hue disappeared on 

 Canadian Warbler, when, on approaching the contents being extracted, and then, 

 the margin of a little woody dell, on the when held up between the eye and the 

 northeast corner of wildwood, and near light of a lamp, a number of small dot- 

 where I was often at work, in a new clear- tings of a reddish hue appeared over the 

 ing, the song of this species rose near by. I surface, especially towards the large end. 

 thought I would take a look. Beneath a I may here remark that I prefer to " blow" I 

 large hemlock root that, after the trunk small eggs in the light of the lamp, be- I 

 had been sawed off, had fallen back to cause, by holding up the specimens be- I 

 about two feet off the ground, as I stooped tween the eye and the light, it can tlie I 

 down, so that I could get a view beneath, better be seen if all the contents are ex- 

 a Wren darted out of its nest close to tracted ; and if not by holding the egg hole 

 the entrance and flew away. Judging side downward over the heat the remain- | 

 from the time, my first impressions were cler of the contents ooze out. 

 that here was a nest containing either QtAt 0 VoL1 7, Opt. W^it%.{s^% 

 young or eggs in an advanced state of in- J ' ""^^ 



