Evening star., 1945-04-25
This and That
ChGrleS f. Tr1ce1Deu.
FALLS CHURCH, Va.

Dear Sir:
The phoebe birds have finished an
other swinging nest in the identical spot
under the caves OF the sunroom which
they used last year. constructed OF mud
foundation with twigs and grasses en-
twined in such round formation as only
an artist could conceive.
MY only domestic bird, Rhode
Island hen, laid six eggs during the week
of Easter in the corner Of the front
porch, despite the fact that comfort
able house is at her disposal.
The surprise of all was the noise
which awakened me at m, similar to
a dogs bark, when I switched a light
on to see handsome animal resembling
a skunk, Just 2 feet from the porch. but
thinking at first it was my neighbor's
white cat, I was amazed to see its coat
was entirely white except an under
meath of black when it moved, and the
creepy movements were those OF skunk
Could it have been an ermine?
IT have learned recently that the
wrens need not be expected until after
the last frost OF the season. and eagerly
await their return.
Sincerely yours, Q. +. q.
House wrens seldom come before the
middle of April, no matter how warm
it has been-or how many frosts. They
simply are not expected until after the
last frost of the season" because they
normally do not come until April Is or
later.
This small creature is favorite OF
most persons, not only because of its
bubbling song and beauty OF feathers
and movements, but also because OF the
general interest which attaches to it.
Few songsters have appealed more to
watchers than this, showing again that
it is not size which attracts, but char
acter.
Saucy, bold, colorful, interesting
is our common wren, whose inches in
length - including the tip-tilted tail,
comprise a lot of bird.
Jenny Wren, as the female is called,
is the more picturesque of the pair. She
has the name-her mate seldom is called
anything. except occasionally Johnny,
but he does not bear his name as uni
versaAy as she does hers.
Every one, whether particularly inter-
ested in birds or not, has heard of the
expression Jenny Wren" There even
has been novel called by the name.
Jenny is the bold one. She is the one
who selects the nest, and builds 1t. He
carries sticks, and tries to help, but most
often she pulls them out again, and
brings her own.
She is a faithful wife, but her mate
often takes another wren to wife dur
ing the season.
If he leaves her, she is not perplexed,
but selects another mate.
The eggs are usually to 8. There
were in a nest In our own yard. The
eggs have pinkish tone, due to spots
on white ground.
Never investigate the wren nest too
closely. Both birds will stay away, if
they see too many humans around.
The returns to the nest are so quiet
that they will not be seen.
It is easy to think that wren nest is
deserted. Sometimes in such cases people
give the eggs away, or even offer the
whole nest to friend.
This is mistake. The mother bird
is only waiting peace and quiet to re-
turn. She seldom if ever deserts her
nest, once the eggs are laid.
The male wren does the singing. He
pours forth perfect flow of chatter
but does not do much else toward bring
ing up the young.
He will bring choice insect, now and
then, provided he has not taken another
wife in the meantime. In that case,
Jenny Wren is left alone to feed the
gaping mouths, and supervise the gen.
eral education Of the young ones
Few birds eat more insects. Investiga-
ton has shown that at least 98 per cent
of the food belongs to this class. The
per cent of seeds, ETC., is believed to be
taken accidentally with the insects. Vic
tory gardeners, in particular, should well
come the wrens.