THE WRENS. 315 



and dull chestnut; tail-feathers dull chestnut, barred across 

 with dusky blackish j head like the back ; lores and sides of 

 face dull ashy, the ear-coverts washed with brown; eyebrow 

 ashy-grey; cheeks and upper throat ashy; the lower throat 

 and breast ashy, slightly washed with brown ; sides of body 

 reddish-brown ; barred with dusky, especially distinct on the 

 lower flanks and under tail-coverts, the latter having white 

 tips to the feathers ; axillaries brown ; under wing-coverts 

 ashy, washed with brown ; quills dusky below, ashy along the 

 inner web ; bill dark brown, paler below ; feet paler brown ; 

 iris dark brown. Total length, 4*2 inches ; oilmen, 0-5 ; 

 wing, 1*85 j tail, 1*2 ; tarsus, 07. 



Adult Female.— Similar to the male. Total length, 4-0 ; wing, 

 1-85. 



Young. — Very like the adults in colour, but has the wings 

 and tail less distinctly banded ; the breast more rufescent, the 

 feathers also obscurely mottled with brown edgings ; abdomen 

 also rufescent, and with scarcely any dusky bars. 



Range in Great Britain. — Generally distributed throughout the 

 whole of the three kingdoms. The birds which inhabit the 

 outlying islands of Scotland are larger than those found on the 

 mainland. Thus the Wrens of the Shetlands are slightly larger 

 than those found in Great Britain, while the S. Kilda Wren, 

 A. hirte?isis, is larger still, and approaches in size A. borealis 

 from the Faeroe Islands. A considerable migration takes place 

 every autumn on our eastern coasts. 



Range outside the British Islands. — Distributed generally over 

 Europe, extending as high as 64 N. lat. in Scandinavia and 

 nearly as high in Northern Russia, its breeding range being 

 limited by no°E. longitude. It is found in Northern Africa, 

 and occurs in Asia Minor and Northern Palestine as far as the 

 Caucasus and Northern Persia. 



Habits. — The Wren is one of our most familiar species, and 

 is as great a personal favourite as the Robin. Its familiarity 

 justifies the affection with which it is regarded, for, like the 

 Robin, it is one of those tame little visitors which frequent the 

 girden and the neighbourhood of houses in winter, where it will 



