THE WREN. 47 



tying the wings of a woodlark with a limed twig on 

 his back, and letting him run to the place where there 

 is a male of the same species. By this means the 

 bird-fancier may obtain whatever kind of singer he 

 prefers. 



Wren. If in winter, a white-throat trap is set in a 

 place much frequented by these birds, and meal-worms 

 scattered within and around it. In this the wrens 

 will surely be caught. They may be entrapped in 

 autumn with spring-traps and springes, by hanging 

 elderberries before ; but after every precaution they 

 generally break their legs. 



Wren, Gold-crested. As they are not fearful, they 

 may easily be caught by gently approaching the tree 

 where one is perched, and merely striking it with a 

 limed twig fastened to a pole long enough to reach it. 

 It may be brought down also with water, in the manner 

 adopted by M. Le Vaillant; that is, by first putting 

 into a gun the common charge of powder, then a wad- 

 ding of silk, then, as soon as the bird is within reach, 

 two spoonfuls of water are poured in and covered with 

 a second wadding of silk, which must not be rammed 

 down hard, lest the water should reach the powder 

 below. This load, discharged at the distance of twenty 

 paces, is capable of wetting the bird so completely 

 that it may be taken by the hand ; but if there are 

 hedges in the neighbourhood, or if a stronger bird be 

 fired at (a chaffinch, for instance), it may easily 

 escape. 



Many gold-crested wrens may be caught by means 

 of a hut set for any small birds, when the way to 

 attract them is known. They come in great numbers 

 to the water-trap, and by their often repeated call of 

 tzitt, tzitt, give notice of sunset and the arrival of 

 larger birds. 



