TITS, WRENS, WAGTAILS, SHRIKES, ETC. 



395 



The Wren. 



or Kilty Wren, holds almost as popular a 

 position as Robin himself. Associated as both 

 are in many a nursery tale, and 

 in being residents and winter 

 visitors to our gardens and houses during 

 inclement weather, their familiarity justilies 

 the affection with which they are regarded. 

 The Wren is lively in its habits, hopping cheerily 

 from place to place, seldom flying far, but 

 keei)ing principally to the hedgerows or gardens, 

 though oftentimes climbing trees, running round 

 and round them in search of the insects or 

 larvie that may be secreted in the bark. It 

 has an exceedingly pretty song, loud and of 

 great strength considering the size of the bird, 

 and very nearly resembling some of the notes 

 of the Canary. 



Tlie Wren is one of the smallest of British 

 birds, being only about 4 inclies in length, and 

 until closely inspected of apparently unpretend- 

 ing plumage. Then in the various shadings of 

 its sol)er-ci)loured feathers beauty is to be dis- 

 cerned. The head and neck arc briglit rusty 

 brown, barred with darker brown ; the back 

 reddish-brown, also marked transversely with 

 bars of darker brown ; the cheeks, chin, throat, 

 and breast are dusky grey, tinged with brown 

 towards the abdomen ; from the base of the 

 bill, over the eye to the back of the ear, runs 

 a narrow streak of dusky grey ; the wings are 

 reddish-brown, each feather barred with darker 

 brown, the outside feathers being lighter. 

 The tail, which is carried in a tilted-in-the-air 

 fashion, the wings dropping below it on either 

 side at the tips, is also reddish-brown, barred 

 in the same manner with darker brown. 



The nest of the Wren is extremely interesting ; 

 it is built of a variety of materials, the selection 

 of which is generally determined by the nature 

 of its surroundings. In shape it is spherical, 

 with a dome, and a small aperture at the side. 

 It is built in a variety of situations ; in fact, 

 no place seems to come amiss when necessity 

 occasions. A favourite spot is against the 

 trunk of an old ivy-clad tree or old wall over- 

 grown with moss, bramble, and honeysuckle. 

 Plenty also are built in the hedgerow, ivy- 

 covered banks, and under the eaves of hay- 

 stacks ; and they have even been found between 

 the leaves of a cabbage and in disused garments 

 hanging in outhouses, and other curious s])ols. 



From their merry and lively habits. Wrens are 

 exceedingly pretty additions to the aviary. 

 They should be provided with some small 

 covered boxes, or the outside husk of a coco-nut, 

 having a hole cut in them, and lined with moss, 

 as these birds, although staying in England 

 when wild during the winter, are very subject 

 to cold wlien in confmement, and always huddle 

 up closely together for warmth when roosting. 



They are also fairly successful at our exhibitions 

 if exhibited in good condition of plumage and 

 health. A cage similar to that for a Gold 

 Crest answers well for the Wren, and also 

 a similar diet, occasionally adding a little boiled 

 Inillock's liver, grated, and giving a supply of 

 live insects or grubs ; failing these, a mealworm 

 or two cut into pieces. A bath should always 

 be given. 



The Tree Creeper, Cerlhia fumiliaris (Linn.), 

 Family Ccrthida\ is resident and widely distri- 

 buled over the British Isles. 

 The Tree j^ frequents old-established 



■ woods and parks, and is re- 



markable for its extremely long, slender, curved 

 bill ; its pointed tail, with stiti shafts ; and its 

 long hind claws. Owing to its retiring habits 

 and its trick of suddenly retreating behind the 

 tree or branch upon which it is resting, the Tree 

 Creeper is not easy to discover. It flies only on 

 necessity, more usually progressing in short, 

 jumpy flights from one part of a tree to another, 

 running and clinging to the trunk and branches 

 like a miniature Woodpecker, and with the 

 dexterity of a mouse. Herein lies the use for 

 its long claws and the stiffened shaft feathers of 

 its tail. In favourable spots its weak, sibilous 

 note, Wheist, will be heard repeated at short 

 intervals, and, locating it, the bird will be seen 

 scaling a tree trunk or branch ; the least sound 

 causes it to jerk round to the opposite side with 

 lightning-like rapidity, where it pursues its 

 way with an occasional peep to ascertain whether 

 the cause of alarm is still present. The tree's 

 summit or end of a branch gained, the bird 

 swiftly falls as it were or •' jumjis" to the base 

 of some other tree, and again commences its 

 spiral course upwards, searching the bark for 

 insects and their larv;e. 



It is a small bird, about 5^ inches long. The 

 general colour above is light tawny-brown, 

 shading to a darker tint on the rump and tail, 

 with light bufi centres to the feathers on the 

 head and back, which give these parts a very 

 pretty bespangled appearance. The primary 

 feathers of the wings are dusky-brown, with a 

 diagonal band of yellowish-white crossing them 

 and the secondaries about the middle, forming 

 practically three bars ; nearer the tips there is 

 another pale band on the outer webs. Over each 

 eye is a streak of silky-white running in a down- 

 ward direction to the throat and encircling a 

 jiatch of tawny below the eye ; the lower por- 

 tions of the face, throat, and under parts are 

 silky- white. All these colours are beautifully 

 shown in our coloured plate. 



The Tree Creeper is not a ditlicult liird to 

 keep in captivity, and is quite a i)opular exhibi- 

 tion bird. A show cage similar to that for the 

 Golden-crested Wren is suitable, but instead 



