86 IVILLO W- WREKS. 



placed the sticky birdlime on bracken stems 

 around the poor bird's nest, which was in a tuft 

 of grass and heather, and as she alighted with 

 food for her young ones she was caught and 

 held fast. It was a piteous sight ! The five 

 hungry little nestlings were cheeping for food, 

 the bright eyes of the mother-bird looked up at 

 me as if appealing for help. The boys were as 

 grieved as I was ; but what were we to do ? I 

 could not let the poor victims die of starvation, 

 so I resolved to take the willow- wren and her 

 family home and see if I could feed the little 

 ones and release the glued wings so as to give 

 the mother-bird power to fly once more. With 

 great pains I did succeed so far that the bird 

 could plume her feathers, and, after a few days, 

 she could again use her wings. I fed the young 

 birds, and in this duty the tender little mother 

 aided me, and would even take food from my 

 hand and put it into the gaping beaks that were 

 always ready for small morsels of raw meat or 

 meal-worms, on which diet the young wrens grew 

 and flourished, until I was able one fine day to 

 release the mother and children and rejoice in the 



