Frag??ients of Ornithology, 547 



attached to his dwelling; here, if he enters and whistles a 

 call-note, a robin invariably comes hopping along, will perch 

 upon his finger, pick up his allowance of crumbs from the 

 palm of his hand, and then return: this he has been in the 

 habit of doing for the past two or three years ; and my friend 

 is not dead. How is it that vulgar prejudice should attach 

 such an ugly idea to so beautiful, sprightly, and familiar a 

 bird ? 



The Wren is occasionally almost as pugnacious as the 

 robin : indeed, little folks appear to be more subject to violent 

 paroxysms of anger than those of larger growth, or we take 

 more notice of it in them than in others, probably from the 

 ridiculous exhibition which they occassionally make of it; for 

 in proportion to its intensity is its imbecility. I was once at- 

 tracted by the chattering of a wren, in the midst of a hedge, 

 at a considerable distance; but, as her scoldings (if I may 

 so term it) continued and increased as she wound her way 

 through the thick of the hedge, I directed my attention to 

 the spot. Here I discovered that the wren was in pursuit of 

 a weasel : she hopped from twig to twig, just over the weasel's 

 head as it passed along, making all the noise her little throat 

 was capable of, and pecking at her enemy with all her might. 

 The weasel bore the annoyance with philosophical indiffer- 

 ence : he did not deign to cast a look at his little tormentor, 

 but passed on heedlessly, and thus the relative parties con- 

 tinued until I had lost them in the distance. 



The minute Gold-crested Wrens are very abundant with us, 

 hanging their compact nest to the pendulous branches of the 

 fir tree and the larch tree, and making the groves echo, oc- 

 casionally, with their shrill and powerful pipings. 



The Wheatear, or white rump, is almost exclusively con- 

 fined to the sides of our mountains ; it is amongst the very 

 first of our spring visitants, and enlivens the dreary and 

 heathy sides of the hills by its rapid and continued motions. 



The Wagtails. — The yellow wagtail almost incessantly fol- 

 lows the cows, continually flitting before their noses whilst 

 they are grazing, deriving its livelihood, I presume, from the 

 insects which they disturb. [V. 288.] The pied wagtail is a 

 constant attendant upon the plough, picking up worms and 

 insects from the furrows, and frequently exercises itself as a 

 pedestrian flycatcher, performing the operation with much 

 dexterity. The grey wagtail is not so common as the others ; 

 but it shows itself, even in the depth of winter, when we 

 have a bright sunshiny day ; and it is again lost to our view, 

 until another genial day arrives. Where does it hide, and 

 how does it support itself in the intervals ? 



qq 2 



