The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-22

Where we made our mistake was In putting up two wren houses. It was a natural mistake. under ,the crcum- stances. We supposed that the house Shortage is acute among birds as it is among the rest of us. It isn't. Thanks to cats, small boys, hawks and owls. -there are more houses than birds This excess was what made all the trouble.
 Last year we put up one house. It was duly discovered and occupied or course. there were disputes about it's To- cation and availability, but as there was only one house, it had to do.
 A wren family was raised in it, and the offspring are presumably living hap oily ever after. Of course, we don't know positively about that. It was only the parents that came back this year
 The father wren turned up about the middle of May and went straight to the old house. We could tell by his enthu- siastic welcoming of himself that it was home sweet home to him.
 He tucked few twigs into the door way, just by way of filing claim on it, and then went out to page his wife. Three days later she came along. She looked at the house and appeared to feel that it was good to be back again. Ot
 
 all the twigs her husband had put in 1t. She has held low opinion of his house. building ability ever since she has been coming around here.
 But as she was leaving overheard the last twig of his collecting, her beady eye fell on the other house, which is about a hundred yards way in cherry tree.
 We needed no interpreter to know what she was saying. as sha angrily called out to her mate.
 Why go back to this old place when there a nice house over there?'' sns said.
 "Hum," responded her husband "so there is. I hadn't noticed lt.''
 "Of course you hadn't. You wouldn't trouble yourself to look around You'd let me live here in this lealxy old hovel all my life, and never so much as hunt for decent place to live in.' =
 Well we've lived here for two years, haven't wei" q
 ..Yes two years of absolute misery--no nest material except those clumsy twigs.l that you keep gathering, and every day ! of my life spent in terror of cats"
 'Oh, all right said the father wren. l wearily, "lets go and take look at the ! other house.
 He flew over to it and looked in. l closely followed by the lady.
 s.Entrance too big, he said, as he | cooked his eye inside, "a eat could reach | his paw inside and snake you and the | kids out in less time than you could chirp for me"
 "A lot of good it would do to chirp 1 for you" snapped Mrs. Wren Even 1T you were here, you'd be scared into fit. 1 and a minute cat walks up the path l you always have an engagement in the next block. Let me look in.'
 Thrusting her partner off the perch at l the door she examined the interior of the new house. .sSplendid.', she cried. Clean, mod ern, lots of air and light. If you had to spend your time in stuffy dungeon like that other house, you'd appreciate decent living conditions"
 But what about the cats and the eparrows? Do you want to have them dropping in for a meal every time they | feel hungry and taking couple of the \ children away on their insides?" '.Nensense, Isn't there always danger f of cats and sparrows? Didn't I live in constant dread of them all the time we II were raising our last family? Is my II life anything whatever but constant ehudder for fear ofS cats and sparrows? II And if I have a chance to shudder in H comfort in a clean, airy house instead i1 of in an lll-ventilated. messy tenement r house. is there any reason why you. who spend all your time singing songs h other wrens wives. should deny md that simple pleasure?
 'But the cats couldn't climb up thaI pipe that holds up the other house, "a tnow that well enough"
 .sThey never tried. that's the reaaI It's my opinion that cat can cll anywhere it likes. The fact that always there and ready to pick eyes out if they showed their ugly