THE ST. KILDA WREN 



{troglodytes hirtensis) 



T)ERHAPS we may be forgiven for taking an 

 exceptional interest in the fate of this bird ; 

 for we had the pleasure of ascertaining that it 

 differed in certain respects from the Wren found in 

 other parts of the British Islands. In 1884, when 

 we brought the first known specimen from St. 

 Kilda, the bird was common enough on all the 

 islands of the group, and its cheery song could be 

 heard everyAvhere. No sooner, however, was its 

 specific distinctness pointed out by Seebohm in the 

 Zoologist and by ourselves in the Ihis, than it 

 became a coveted object by collectors of British 

 birds and eggs, and specimens of both were eagerly 

 sought. The natives of St. Kilda, urged on by the 

 greed of gain, were not slow to take advantage of 

 such an opportunity for making money, and the 

 species has suffered sorely in consequence. That it 

 will ultimately become as extinct as the Great Auk 



