white moss, it is made of that material; and with green moss
if against a tree covered with the same, or in a bank. Thus
instinct directs it for security” Mr. Jesse mentions in his
Gleanings, “ that he has a Wren’s nest in his possession,
built amongst some litter thrown into a yard. It so nearly
resembled the:surrounding objects, that it was only discovered
by the birds flying' out of it. Some of the straws of
which it is composed are so thick, that one wonders how so
small a bird -could have used, them.” Without wishing to
detract from thecharacter of the Wren for intelligence,- I
cannot, however, but believe that the proximity of materials
may frequently influence the choice of situation and substande.
In the eighth volume of the Magazine of Natural History,
a correspondent says, in-watching a pair of Wrens building
their nest in an old road, I noticed that one confined itself
entirely to the construction of the nest,, which it never left
for a moment; whilst the other was as incessantly passing
and repassing with materials for the structure. These materials,
however, this helper never once attempted to put into
their places; they were always regularly delivered to. the
grand architect that was employed in constructing the
building.
The nest is large, in reference' to the small size of the bird,
generally oval in shapes domed over the top, with a small
hole at one end or on the side; the dining is mostly composed
of feathers. The eggs are usually from seven to ten
in number, but a larger quantity has been assigned to them.
They measure seven lines and a half in length, by. six lines in
breadth : they are white, with a few pale red spots, but sometimes
without any spots. The young are hatched after about
ten days’ incubation, during which time the male feeds the
female while she remains on the eggs, and afterwards both
parents are most assiduous in supplying their numerous offspring
with insects in their'various-states and worms. In
reference to the depth of the nest, and the number of young
ones, by which it is sometimes occupied,— for it is said that as
many as sixteen have been found in one nest,—a remark by
Willughby has been thus paraphrased by Grahame in his
poem on the birds of Scotland,—
“ But now behold the greatest of this train
Of miracles, stupendously minute j .
The numerous progeny, claimant for food
Supplied by, two 'small bilip, and feeble; wings
Of narrow range ; supplied— ay, duly fed—
Fed in the dark,’ ând yèi not one forgot !
The Wren produces two broods in the season. ,
This little bird is generally dispersed over England; and
Mr. Thompson informs me that it is common throughout
Ireland ; it is also found in Scotland, in Orkney, and in
Shetland. M. Nilsson says it is resident in Sweden ; and it
is by the Fabers considered as an inhabitant of the Faroe
Islands, of Iceland, and of Greenland. I t is even more
abtmdant in the northern ,thpn in the central parts of Europe.
It is however resident in Spain and Italy all the year ; Mr.
H. E. Strickland^says it is common at Smyrna ; and the
Zoological Society have received specimens from Trebizond.
The beak is rather shorter than the head, slender, slightly
curved and pointed the upper mandible dark brown, the
under mandible pale wood brown the irides hazel over the
eye and ear-coverts a streak of pale wood'brown ; the. top of
the head, neck, and back, reddish brown, barred transversely
with narrow streaks of dark brown the feathers of the wings
and tail rather more rufous in colour than those of the back,
and the dark bars are more distinct ; the greater wing-coverts
with three or four small, round, bead-like spots of white ; the
primaries barred alternately “with tawny brown and black ;
chin and throat plain greyish buff, becoming more brown on
the belly ; flanks, and under tail-coverts, reddish brown, in