344 Jennings's Oniithologia, 



Mark the design their nests among, 



Observe the wonders of their song, — 



Their habits, their intelligence, — 



And say not, Jifan alone has sense^ 



But, See the steps of Providence." Page 18. 



This is accompanied by a note, occupying the greater por- 

 tion of seven pages, in which brief descriptions are given of 

 the nests of several birds ; for example : — 



" The wren's nest," he says, " is globular, and very often 

 made of green moss, both within and without. It has a small 

 hole on the side of it, just large enough to admit the bird. It 

 is generally affixed to some tree, and behind it, at a few feet 

 from the ground, so as not to be immediately in sight. The 

 wren seems very partial to trees having ivy growing about 

 them, most probably as, by its leaves, the nest is more effec- 

 tually concealed. It does not seem to prefer any particular 

 tree : the nest will be found very often attached to the elm or 

 the ash ; sometimes against an ivied wall, sometimes in the 

 thatch of a house, and sometimes in a hayrick. In such cases 

 the materials of the nest will often also be varied." In a sub- 

 sequent note he says, " Its nest is generally adapted to the 

 place against or under which it is made. Thus, ahhough its 

 usual structure is green moss, yet, if it build against the side of 

 a hayrick, it is composed of hay ; if against a tree covered 

 with white moss, it is made of that material. This is not, 

 however, an invariable habit, for I have known a wren's nest 

 constructed of green moss at the edge of the thatch of a house, 

 the colour of which w^as very different from the nest itself. 

 Something, doubtless, depends upon the ease or difficulty with 

 which materials can be obtained. Montagu says that the 

 lining is invariably feathers. This is not, I think, correct. I 

 believe, when made with green moss, its lining is generally of 

 the same material." (p. 243.) 



We can add our testimony to that of Mr. Jennings, for the 

 incorrect statement of Montagu, which has been copied, we 

 perceive, by Atkinson, in his Comjjendium of the Ornithology 

 of Great Britain, who says it is " invariably lined with fea- 

 thers ; " but, among some hundreds of wrens' nests which we 

 have seen, we never saw one lined with feathers, nor any thing 

 besides moss, usually some of the softer i/ypna. The adaptation 

 of the external part to the place where it is fixed, is also quite 

 at variance with our observation. The wren, indeed, is very 

 careful in selecting a snug concealment ; but among ivy leaves, 

 or under the hanging brow of a river bank, where the nest most 

 frequently is, how is this adaptation to be accomplished ? It 

 would be wrong, however, to assert that no wren ever built a 



