i8



On the Blue Wren.



over large for Mr. and Mrs. Phil, and baby Phil wonders whether

its parents will offer to pop such a huge creature into its tiny

maw.


I must now briefly bring this account up to date.


Early in September the male commenced a full moult, and

now, at the beginning of October, scarcely a vestige of his old

glory remains. The tiny blue feathers, cast from the head, and

blown out of the cage by the birds’ wings, would lie on the

carpet, and on the oilcloth in front of the cage, and looked like

little specks of blue wash. At first I did not realise that the

specks were feathers. The changes of plumage at the wrong

time of the year, and the general confusion over the seasons, and

also the cold, greatly tried the bird, and I thought I should lose

him ; but he is maintaining his ground well, and I now have

great hopes that he will survive.


Many feathers in the cage showed that some other bird

was in moult. Whether it was only the young bird, or whether

the two adult females also moulted, I cannot speak positively ;

probably all have been moulting ; but the two females have kept

their health and plumage remarkably well. The young bird has

certainly been moulting, but retains the feminine plumage and

light-coloured bill, so I suppose it must be a female. My hopes

that it may be a male are sometimes raised by seeing it sitting

side by side with the Spinster Aunt ; but I am not very hopeful.


During the day, the four birds may often be seen cuddling

together, but at night, while three roost on a twig in the open,

side by side, the fourth, presumably the Spinster Aunt, hangs on

to the side of the cage under the shelter of some green baize.

During the day they frequently make use of a box I have placed

in the cage, but I am not aware that they ever roost in it.


Although the four often cuddle together for the sake of

warmth, it is more often only the three, the odd female being

still treated as a stranger.


For several weeks they were terribly frightened at the

approach of any one. The baby, when caught in the garden to

be transferred to the house, was terror-stricken. Now, however,

they are getting moderately tame, and never attempt to fly out



