C is to thorns stellari^. 



Canton, Ivlass. 



1S9S. The Marsii Wrens Call C.. stellarls ) were pretty evenly 



July 10. distributed over the entire meadow. About a dozen males wefe 

 (No. 2). heard singing in all. They did not appear to prefer or avoid 

 any particular kind of grass but the nests at this season are 

 oftenest built ivi the fine tussock grass accordiiig to Llr. 

 Bowles !s experience. The early Juiie nests on the other hand 

 are almost invariably in the Phalaris which, of course, is the 

 only grass tall enough at that season to afford the necessary 

 shelter. 



I saw in all to-day ten nests of this species, two last 

 year's nests still firmly held aiaong the old grass, six 

 "cock", "false", or "decoy" nests, and two nests with seven 

 incubated and three fresh eggs respectively. Of these ten 

 nests two were in Phalaris, seven in tussock grass, and the 

 tenth (the nest with 7 eggs) in a tract of cut grass but sup- 

 ported by both cut and tussock grass intermixed and inter- 

 twined. All ten nests were composed of dry grasses of last 

 year's growth but all but one of the new nests were so com- 

 pletely covered outwardly by the interlaced stems of the liv- 

 ing grasses by which they vtrere surromided and supported that 

 at the distance of a few feet they appeared wholly green. 

 They differed from the typical nest of the Long-billed Wren 

 in being considerably smaller, shallower and hence much round- 

 er and more symmetrical, and in lacking all trace o£ the 



27 



