1 684 



THE PERCHING BIRDS 



by a race remarkable for its long bill, while the Japanese wren is darker and more 

 rufous on the under parts than the British one. Mr. Seebohm considers, however, 



that in the color of the 

 upper parts the various 

 forms of wrens com- 

 pletely intergrade, so 

 that it is impossible to 



$M draw a line anywhere 



/^^^^^ti^^sa^-r^SSm. .'BBlBSSiiK^ ,. , ., , . , 



between the palest desert 



forms from Algeria and 

 Turkestan and the dark- 

 est tropical forms from 

 Kashmir and Sikhim. 

 A pale form of wren in- 

 habits even the desolate 

 Behring island. 



The common wren 

 is one of the most fa- 

 miliar of European birds, 

 its sweet ringing song 

 being heard at almost 

 every season of the year, 

 not excepting frosty 

 weather. The wren 

 builds a pretty domed 

 nest, varying in material 

 with the situation; one 

 of the most unattractive 



that we have seen being built of strong wheat straws with a little hay added 

 to the dome. Other nests have been made of green moss studded with lichen 

 on the outside, but whatever the material employed the nest is always domed. 

 The eggs are white, finely spotted with red. Mr. Dresser remarks that ' ' the 

 wren has a peculiar habit of building nests which are not required for the pur- 

 poses of incubation. Although it does not appear that any one has been able 

 satisfactorily to show for what purpose they are constructed, my own opinion is that 

 they are intended as houses of refuge during cold or inclement weather, and this has 

 been shared by many other naturalists. The wren appears to be susceptible of cold; 

 and, during the winter, an entire family will creep into a convenient hole, and by 

 huddling close together retain as much heat as possible." We have captured wrens 

 in their roost in winter, but failed to keep them alive, although they are often ex- 

 posed for sale in the Paris bird market. The wren generally rears several broods in 

 a season, and the old birds attend their offspring with the utmost assiduity. 



The European wren is not, it must be confessed, much of a musician, but 

 some of the South American representatives of the family are renowned for their 

 powers of song. Among them stands pre-eminent the so-called organ bird, or 



WRENS AND THEIR NEST. 



