Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-05-02
The Carolina Wren in Florida.
MRS. MARY TREAT.

The most familiar bird that frequehts
the grounds is the great Carolina wren
tThruottoruS adoUicianuS). ms oo!u
and voluble songster is about six lncnes III
length, considerable larger than the mouse
wren (TroqlodyteS 0dOn), and very lnquls-
tive and egotistic withal. lie comes INTO
nv study while sit quietly at the taple
and asserts his importance, while ne ioUkS
me squarely in the eye, and then cooliy
proceeds to inspect the various Things III
The room. He peers behind the pictures,
ON the wall and looks in every nook ana
corner. Evidently he is thinking OF taxing
ND permanent quarters in my ROOM WIFI :,
out rs much us saying, by your le'Ve;
Tie mate is more timid; she SIMPLY
stands in the doorway while her selI-com-
pIacent lord is making his tour OF oosef-
walton. Yet meek and quiet as she seems
she is. in truth, the master-spirt, ana mas
her own way at last.
Unlike the house wren, they do not use
sticks in the construction of their nest, DuO
AN abundance of the sOftest material tley
can ret. We had brought from the WOODS
quantity of fern-ike moss which we nau
stripped from decaying logs and hau pay
ed it on the ground beneath one CT lhe
trees. This moss, so light and spongy'
was lust the thing for the little builders
ever so much better than the long gray
TSlla,uisia which they had been using
They would alight upon it and chatter over
its merits and both seemed agreed us 10
its excellent qualities as building mate
rial ,c-
They worked tremendously together LOT
several days, the male stopping every now
and then to express his happiness IN II io9u
prolonged strain of music. But the It,
male proved very fickle-minded. All at
once, without any apparent reason She
changed her mind with regard to the loca-
ton of the domcilc, and chose the other
end of the piazza, near where we most
frequently sat. Evidently the male did
not like this. She had already changed
the location several times, and he had
quietly submitted but now he seemed to
be reasoning with her, and was determined
not to yield to this new whiln OF hers ana
she was as fully bent on having her way
He continued work where they had COM
menced, and she pcrsistentlY went on IN
the other corner. Occasionally he prevail
ed upon her to come and inspect his work.
and with heads close together they would
chatter over it, Then he would drop
down upon the railing of tile piazza and
throw up his head and express his delight
in rapturous song. But it was no use; he
could not win her back, neither could she
prevail upon him TO assist her in the other
corner; they would meet upon the ground
and chatter over the moss and then ny
with it to their respective corner, looking
askance ut one another.
The female worked very diligently for
more than IL week, while the male, with
less to do, devoted half his time to song
and vain attempts to lure her back. 1t
was May when they finished building; and
now the male, fairly beaten, yielded grace
fully. He accompanied her to her coy
nest, and lovingly chatteredover the pearly
treasure deposited there; he seemed to for
give her then and there, and no longer Wis
tied the other nest, and hcncelorth was
most devoted partner.
While the little proprietors were away,
| took occasion to examine their work. |
found both corners filled in with u large
quantity of material and in one side OF
this abundant mass was the soft symmetrl-
cal nest. The eggs were nearly or quite
white. The nest that the male completed
was more beautiful than the females and
how she could have refused such cozy
quarters is mystery. -Harper's Maga-
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