94 Bird-keeping, 



merry little creatures perish during a hard frost. They 

 are very inquisitive birds, and will soon become fami- 

 liar; with those who offer them food, although their 

 natural wariness keeps them at a distance, at first ac- 

 quaintance. They have a melodious song, and are so 

 blithe and active, hopping about incessantly and jerk- 

 ing their little tails, that they are universal favourites, 

 and many people have tried to keep them in cages 

 and aviaries. They may be reared from the nest on 

 bread soaked in boiled milk, ants' eggs, and meal- 

 worms ; but they require a great deal of care in feed- 

 ing them with a quill, lest their delicate little bills 

 should be hurt ; and they are dainty in their food, and 

 require great variety in it: they should be fed on 

 Nightingale's food, with boiled carrot, parsnip, a little 

 hemp-seed, flies, ants, caterpillars, and soft fruit, espe- 

 cially elderberries ; and they must be kept very warm 

 during winter. They are prone to die of consumption, 

 and must have a spider every two or three days, if 

 they show symptoms of this disease. Bechstein says 

 he never succeeded in keeping a Wren more than a 

 year in confinement ; and it is much better to make 

 these attractive little birds our outdoor friends, by 

 furnishing them with shelter and food during the 

 winter, than to attempt to keep them in a cage. Most 

 of them live in families, and keep themselves warm by 

 huddling close together in numbers. On cold winter 

 nights they often seek shelter in cow-houses, and under 



