MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
11)7 
this depends largely on the season. In the spring of 1904, which was an 
average one, the first nest containing eggs was found the 15th of May. 
Their food as determined by examination of 9 stomachs, consists of cater- 
pillars, ants, beetles, spiders, moths and many other small winged insects. 
The song of these birds is beautiful, resembling somewhat the song of the 
house wren with its rippling, bubbling, gurgling notes. Chapman, speaking 
of their singing, says, “it is quite beyond their control; they seem filled to 
overflowing with an inexhaustible supply of music. Sometimes, like a mine 
of melody, it explodes within them and lifts them from the dark recesses of 
the flags up into the air above.” 
The marsh wrens are nervous little bodies constantly on the move, jerking 
their tails up over their backs, hopping from one stem to another, or rising 
on fluttering wings a few feet above the rushes. 
They seldom venture far from the thick tussocks and are never met with 
outside of the marsh or within it except at this particular spot. This well 
represents how limited a bird may be in its habitats, when in the chosen 
environment it flourishes in large numbers. The question of protection must 
be the paramount object for remaining secluded in the dense sedges, because 
the same kind of food can be obtained in larger quantities in the more open 
portions of the swamp. 
I have been fortunate enough to see the marsh wrens when they returned 
from the south in spring. It was a little after daybreak when they appeared 
along the river bank. Instead of flying over the more open bushy spots 
to the reeds beyond, they sought cover as soon as possible and covered the 
remaining distance near the ground, running under logs and brush as the 
house wren is wont to do. From this it can be inferred that protection is 
one of the principal factors involved at this time. It is noticeable that the 
nesting site appears to be chosen with regard to winds, as where the nest 
is built near the edge of the river, and consequently exposed to strong winds, 
it is built in the strongest, most compact tussocks present, while in the pro- 
tected places, as between the clumps of willows and the bluff, the nests are 
placed near the top of tufts of slender marsh grass and reeds which offer little 
resistance to wind and are easily blown down in the exposed positions. 
Because of their short, broad wings, they are poor flyers and this probably 
accounts for their desire to seek protection as much as possible. 
American Coot. Fulica americana Gmel. About the first of April a few 
Coots appear and spend most of the time feeding in the shallow pools among 
the water lilies and in the open river. More of these birds would probably 
remain if it were not for their resemblance to ducks which cause them to be 
shot at repeatedly. The nests are completed by the last of May. Several 
are found each year among the rushes and flags, sometimes near the river, 
but generally in the most inaccessible spots in the swamp. The nests are 
usually surrounded by water, and are never built where water is not standing. 
Composed of the dead stems and rubbish which are procured in the vicinity, 
they stand only a few inches above the water. The interior, or rather the 
surface of the nest, as it is very shallow, is often damp from the wet decaying 
material of which the foundation is composed. Dead reeds and flags, com- 
pose the bulk of the nest and are often heaped together from the material 
lying about it. For this reason the nest is difficult to locate. The habit of 
breaking down the flags surrounding the nest is often the only clew to its 
location. This appears to be a common trait of the Coots wherever a nest 
is located, as many places were found where the green shoots had been pulled 
up or broken down, forming a patch five or six feet in diameter. The pink 
