A Day on Dead Creek. 



Nests of Long-billed Marsh Wren. 



It has often been noticed lliat the Long-billed 

 Marsh Wren (relirKitmlytcs piamtrif), builds many 

 more nests tban are occupied hy the birds, and 

 it lias been suggested that perhaps this was done 

 as an aumseraent, by the males, while the females 

 are sitting on their eggs. Mr. J. W. Preston, of 

 Baxter, Iowa, writes that lie is ot opinion that 

 the true reason is on account of meadow mice 

 getting into them; and that this wreu will not 

 remain in the nests when they have been dis- 

 ^ lurbod in any way. In case of the latter event 

 happening the wrens al once build a new home; 

 and Mr. Preston says he has seen more than fifty 

 new nests in one small marsh, all of which were 

 deserted, and some of them contained portions of 

 egg shells, evidently the woik ot mice. 



Quite near this nest^I took one of a Long- 

 billed Marsh Wren with two entrances instead 

 of one. One was much larger than the other 



Notes on the Nesting of Some of 

 the Rarer Birds of Chester 

 County, Pa. 



liT TIIOMA.S 11. .lACKSON, Wli.ST CIIKSTKK, t'A. 



During the latter part of May, 188(1, while ex- 

 ploringaii cNicnsive swamp within a few miles 

 of West Clicster, niy attention wa,s attracted by 

 a strange, unliuniliar bird not(^ coming from a 

 clump ot Calaiims that gr<'vv in about two feet 

 of water. Pausing a moment to listen for tlie 

 song again, tlio bird Hew from its liiditig place 

 to a ti'ee near by, uttering at the same time 

 its liar.sh, rattling song. 



In it I recogiii/ed tlir r.ong-billed M ar.sli Wren 

 {Tchwiliiibjh-K i,<ihi>il rh) :i s|icc'ifs which though 

 quite conniioii in llie adjoining County of 

 Delaware, has never l)cCore been .seen, or Its 

 nest found within our limits. 



A further search revealed a nuraher of finish- 

 ed, though unoccupied nests, located iu clusters 

 in various parts of the swamp. 



At this time there were probably eight or ten 

 nests iu ditferent stages of c(unposition, but 

 none of them contained eggs. About tliree 

 weeks latei-, on the 12lh of June, in comjjany 

 with a friend I again visited the locality. The 

 birds wore still there; one of tliem, probably th(> 

 mal(% singing constantly, and (lying restlessly 

 from one spot to another. After searching the 

 whole ground ovec, iiuil examining twenty or 

 inorenesls, \vc:il lasi cii ino upon the right one 

 in a bunch ot tall (Jalanuis, containing six eggs. 

 Five of these were well advanced; the sixth 

 perfectly fresh. 



It is possil)l(' that there might have been two 

 or more paiis ot (liese birds iu the swamp, as it 

 seems almost inci<'dible that a, single pair of 

 t,hem could consti'uct so many nests; but I 

 could not find any more birds. 



This set of eggs was a typical one ot the 

 Long-billed Marsh Wren, though probably 

 somewliat darker than llie average. The uest 

 was c(imi)ORed mainly ot i;oarse blades ot grass 

 (tussock) woven in with tbe leaves ot the Cal- 

 amus, and lined witli jjieces of dead leaves, a 

 few feathers and other soft material. It hung 

 about eighteen inohes above the watei-, and was 

 by no means a conspicuous object. 



' 0.&O.XlI,Feb,18e'7.p.av- 



BY C. H. PAKKHILL. 



About half way between Lake Champlain and 

 Snake Mountain, that historic land mark of 

 Eevolutionary times, lies a marsh forty or fifty 

 rods wide and miles in extent, througli whieii 

 winds a black sluggish stream known as Dead 

 Creek. June 11th, 1887, accompanied by a 

 fnend, we st.-.rted for a day's collecting amons 

 the reeds of this marsh. 



Ai'nviiig upon the scene, we found the Long- 

 biUed Marsh Wren in large numbers and at^nce 

 began searchingTor their eggs. After examin- 

 ing at least one hundred nests we gave it up i 

 not having taken a single set. We came to the ' 

 conclusion that it was early for them. While 

 pushing our boat among the reeds to examine 

 one of their nests, [ discovered a nest of the 

 Virginia Pail. It was composed of grass and 

 reeds raised about six inohes from the water, 

 was quite shallow, and contained eight eggs' 

 slightly incubated. The bird remained onThej 

 nest when we were within six feet of her, andj 

 even then did not fly till I touched her with a 

 pole 



Towards night the Bails set up a cackle from 

 all directions, accompanied here and there by 

 the deep base voices of the American Bittern. 



We learned that if we would get at the inhab- 

 itants of the marsh we must come prepared to 

 wade in the mud and water. 



Our next trip was made on June 18th, when 

 we went provided with an extra suit of clothes. 

 Upon arriving at the place of action we imme- 

 diately prepared ourselves for our day's tramp 

 in the mud and water, which was up to our 

 boot tops, with an occasional liole which would 

 take us in to our waist. Our first capture was 

 a Carolina Rail, which I shot as it flew out of 

 the reeds. We also found a large number of 

 nests of the Red-winged Blackbird. 



C)n one side of the marsh was a taugle of 

 willows from six to ten feet high. In the thick 

 tops of these the Wrens had placed their globu- 

 lar nests, and a good many are attached to the 

 tall reeds, some not more than a foot from the 

 walei- and olbers at least ten feet high. Their 

 nests are certainly a curiosity in the line of 

 bird architeetui-e, not unlike a coeoanut in 

 shape. They ai-e composed of a mass of grass, 

 reeds and dead vegetation, with an entrance on 

 one side, sometimes near the top and again near 

 the bottom, wdiich is nearly closed up with the 

 down of the willow and the cat-tail, with which 

 the nest is iiued. We exandned a largo number 

 of these nests aiid succeeded in taking half a 

 dozen sets of their little chocolate-colored eggs. 



As we went ashore for our dinner we took a 

 stroll through a hard wood near by, where we 

 took several small birds, two nests of the Wood 

 Pcwee, and found halt a dozen of the Summer 

 VVarblei', which we did not disturb. 



On returning to the bi)g tlie first bird which 

 we started was an American Bittern, wliich I 

 shot. As 1 went to secure iny bird my friend 

 exclaimed that he had f(mnd the nest. It was 

 as large around as a bushel basket, flat on top, 

 built of coarse grass, reeds, etc., and contained 

 four fresh eggs. Upon digging into the nest 

 we discovered the fifth egg which had been 

 completely buri(ul from sight. We succeeded 

 during tlie afternoon iu securing three more 

 specimens of the IJittern. 



As the sun went dowu the Rails set up their 

 usual cackle and we tried to trace some of 

 them out, but after a faithful search we gave it 

 up, not having succeeded iu starting a single 

 one from the reeds. 



Towards evening, mud-begrimmed and thor- 

 oughly fatigued, we returned to land in quest 

 of a much needed bath ^.cj^^^re^^ ^s^ee^,. ^^^^ 



