ST. KILDA WREN. 153 



parvulus hirtensis lives and, I hope, flourishes still, in 

 spite of Mr. Dresser's no doubt well-intentioned efforts 

 to pluck it from the tree of ornithological life, prompted 

 as they were more by eagerness to inflict a thrust at its 

 humble discoverer, than by any laudable desire for a 

 correct statement of facts, or arrival at truth ; especially 

 when we remark his readiness to describe yet another 

 full-blown species (not sub-species, mind you, such an 

 expression has neither use nor meaning to the old school 

 of ornithologists) of Coal Titmouse from Cyprus, under 

 the very euphonious and classical name of Parns 

 Cypriotes ! One would have wished that he had been 

 equally consistent in his masterly treatment of the 

 SaxicolcB ; in his unwarrantable amalgamation of Paius 

 tenerijfce with Parns nltrnviarimis ; and similarly dis- 

 cerning in the case of the Marsh Titmouse, British 

 examples of which, however dubiously, now go down to 

 posterity (wrapped in an ill-concealed sarcasm), thanks 

 to the acumen of Dr. Stejneger, under the name of 

 Parus pahistris drcsscri ! 



But to return to the breeding area of the St. Kilda 

 Wren. So far as is known this insular form of the 

 Common Wren is confined to the group of Atlantic 

 Islands known collectively as St. Kilda. And here I 

 may remark that "the few pairs which inhabit the 

 island " are by no means " extirpated " or even likely 

 to be. 



Breeding habits : The St. Kilda Wren is a resident 

 on the islands whose name it bears. It may be met 

 with in every part of these bare treeless islets, where 

 not a single bush of any kind flourishes. It hops about 

 the rocks and on the face of the broken sea-cliffs ; 

 dodges about the rough walls that divide the crofters' 

 gardens from the grassy downs, and frequents the 

 "cleats" or sheep shelters. The bird very probably 



