c;o STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. 



from a hole, or its knowing little head pop from behind a wall, as merrily 

 as possible. 



The nest is such a wonderful piece of workmanship, that people have 

 never been weary of praising it. The clever little bird takes the utmost pains 

 in its construction. All kinds of plants enter into its composition. 



Here are mosses to make the walls, and it is arched over with fern 

 leaves, and stems of grass, and twigs of trees, all twisted and matted to- 

 gether in the most beautiful manner. 



The nest is in the shape of a ball, and has an opening in the form of a 

 low arch, just large enough to admit the wren, and the inside is lined with soft 

 feathers to make a bed for the young ones. Sometimes the nest is placed in 

 a hole in the wall or of a tree, or amongst the thick boughs of the honeysuckle 

 or clematis. Indeed, it is put in all kinds of places. 



The mother bird is the real architect, and her mate sits by and sings. 

 He does not give her much help, thinking, perhaps, that his music is enough. 

 The song is rich and mellow, and can always be listened to with pleasure. 



While he sings his partner works. She fetches and carries the moss and 

 the leaves, and is often seen dragging a bundle almost as large as herself. 



If any one looks at her, she disappears into some nook or corner; but we 

 may be sure her bright eye is peering from the retreat, and eagerly watching 

 the movements of the intruder. The instant he is gone, out she comes with 

 her usual bob and jerk, and contrives to drag the bundle onwards to the nest 

 with unabated zeal. 



The only tools she ever uses are her beak and claws, and she gives the 

 nest its shape by turning her body round and round, and pressing against the 

 sides with her breast and wings. When it is finished, the texture is so close 

 that not a drop of rain can enter, and in this snug little dwelling the mother 

 wren lays a great number of eggs. 



Very soon begins the task of feeding the young birds, a task which the 

 little wren carries on with the same untiring energy. The little mouths are 

 always open, and it is no easy matter to fill them. All day long the careful 

 mother goes backwards and forwards, bringing flies and insects, and whatever 

 food she can find, to satisfy the craving of her brood. She has been seen to 

 go to and fro as many as two hundred and seventy-eight times in a day ! 



The little birds, with such good feeding, grow very fast, and at length the 

 happy moment comes when they may leave the nest. 



