434 WINTER WREN:
Weiss» oe thickets of gorsc, .111,1 by hedges, where it attracts, notice by
the liveliness of its motions, and frequently by its loud chirring noise.
When standing, it keeps ite tail nearly erect, and jerks its wholes body ;
then hops about with alacrity, using its wings at the sauic time, and
continually enunciating its rapid chit. In spring and. sununw, the
male has a vcrv pleasing, full, rich, and mellow song, which it repeat*
•at; intervals ; and even ill autumn litui on tin« |ap>. in winter,, ,i>t may
often be -heard hurrying over its ditty, the loudness and: clearness of-
Which, as proceeding from so diminutive a creature, is apt to exi>ite
surpris.., oven after it has teen long familiar.
" During the. breeding season. Wrens keep in pair*, often ¡11 mifW>
quented parts, such n» bushy dells, mossy woods, the banks of streams,
and stony places, overgrown with brambles, sloes, and •other shrubs ; but.
they are also to be found in shrubberies, gardens, and hedges1, in the
immediate vicinity of human habitations, to which the wilder individuals
áléo approach in «¡men They are not properly speaking shy,
as they conceive themselves to be secure at- the distance of twenty or.
thirty yards : but on the approach of a personjlkgiy conceal themselves
in holes among" stones, or tie roots of bushes..
" I Mow-not a more pleasant object to look at tlian tlie Wren : iti
is always so smart and cheerful. In gloonu weather, other birds often
seem melanèholy, and in rain the Sparrows and®oeçhes stand .silent on
the twigs, with drooping wings and- ruffled plumage. But to the Wren
all weathers àré alike. Thè big drops of the tliunde-r-showcr no more
wet it than the drizzle of an easterly haar ; and as it peeps from beneath
the bramble, Or glances from a hole in the wall, it seems asisnug
asia kitten frisking on the parlour rug;
" It is amusing to watch the motions of a young family of Wrens
just. come abroad. Walking among- furze, or broom, or juniper, you
are attracted to some bush by hearing issue from it a lively and frequent
' Repetition of'a sound which resembles the syllable chit. On
going up you perceive an old Wren flitting about the twigsj and presently
a yòung one flies off, uttering a stiffled chirr, to. conceal itself
among tie hushes. Several fellow in succession, while the parents
contìnue tô liiittor about., in great alarm, uttering their loud chit. chit,
chit, with indications of varied degrees of excitement. On open ground
a young Wren might.easily he run down, and I have heard it-asserted
that an old one may soon he tired out in time of snow, when it cannot
WINTER WREN. 435
easily conceal itself. And yet,even in such a case, it is by no means
easy- to .keep it in sight, for on the side of a bank, or by a wall, or in a
thickets it will find a hole where one least expected it, and creeping in
some crevice beneath the snow, reappear at a considerable, distance.
" The food of-birds can ¡10 determined only by Opening their crops
or stomachs, or by observation directed to living individuals, the former,
however, being the only sure method. The Wrens which I have
opened generally contained remains of insect* of various kinds, with
larvae, and sometimes pupa1 ; but-I have also found in them: seeds,, and
Mr Mkviu.k WOOD states.tbaf they sometimes eat red currants. In
the stomach of an individual examined in December 1830,1 found many
small hard seeds, an entire pupae, and numerous fragments of the shells
of pupae, and eh tra of coleopterous' insects.. So small a bird having so
slender a bill, might; doubtless* be taken for a typical entomophagist ;
but it- is probable- that no species of this order confines itself exclusively
to. msecte.
" The Wren pairs about -thè-middle of spring, and begins early in
April to construct its nest, which varies much in form and composition,
according to the locality. One brought ine by mv son is of astonishing
size compared with..that, of its architect, its greatest diameter
being se.ven inches, and its height five. . Having been placed on a flat
surface under a hank, its base is of a corresponding form, and is composed
of layers of decayed ferns and other plants,, mixed with twigs of
herbaceous;: and woody vegetables. Similar materials have been employed
in raising the outer wall of the nest itself, of which the interior
is spherical, and three inches in diameter. The wall is composed
of mosses of several species, quite fresh and green, and it is arched
over with-lorn leaves and straws. The mosses are curiously interwoven
with fibrous; roots and hair of various animals, and the inner surface is
oven-arid compact, like coarse felt.. To the height of two inches, there
is a copious lining- of large soft feathers, chiefly of the Wood Pigeon,
Hut also of the Pheasant and Domestic Duck, with a few of the Blackbird,
The aperture, which is in front, and in the form of a low arch,
•two inches, in breadth at the base, and an inch and a half in height,
has its lower edge formed of slender twigs, strong herbaceous stalks,
and-stems of grasses, the rest being felted in the usual manner. It
contained live ug:gs- of an elongated oval form, averaging eight- lines
in length, and! six lines in breadth, pure white» with some scat