i)(; Pictures of Bird Life 



hole ill which they nest with chiy tiiid mud, so as to reduce 

 the size of the opening. 



The AVren, though not niucli bigger than tlie Goldcrest, 

 and hke it of sliort and feeble tliiJ'ht, is also in the habit 

 of migrating, though more irregularly. 15oth on the west 

 and east coasts of Scotland and the east coast of England 

 it has been recorded in the returns furnished by the lighthouse- 

 keepers as arriving generally in small numbers. Once, 

 however, mention was made of "great numl^ers seen in the 

 Isle of INIay." 



Its nest is ^ye\\ known, but is none the less a wonderful 

 construction for such a tiny being. It is very nuich 

 addicted to building a number of nests which are ne^er 

 used. The materials of these nests are cleverly adapted 

 to their siu'roundings. If among ivy or green leaves, 

 they are cosily made of green moss. A very finomite 

 situation is in the side of a haystack, and then the 

 material used is invariably hay ; while, should it be in 

 dead ivy or dried plants, it is made of dead and withered 

 leaves. 



A well-known frequenter of the farmyard, as well as the 

 stream-side and meadow, is the Pied AVagtail. This ])ird, 

 though only clad in sober black and white, is exceptionally 

 dainty and elegant in a])})earance and ways. It trips along 

 so lightly, constantly Hirting its tail-feathers up and down ; 

 then running a few paces, it stops suddenly and darts off in 

 another direction or Hies to some stone or post. The flight 

 is Aery undulating, and the note, constantly uttered on the 



