370 COMMON WREN. 



persons. Its sprightly and active manners, and 

 3te loud and clear cry of alarm, call attention ; 

 ^hile Its cheerful song in spring, and its utility in 

 destroying insects, together with the small injury 

 which it commits upon any of our crops, secures 

 its protection. It is found in woods, and in the 

 most retired the wanderer is frequently arrested 

 by its shrill note, or its rapid flight across the 

 path ; it dwells also in the midst of cultivation, 

 delights in the garden, and in winter may be 

 found near the farm yard among any heap of 

 sticks or rubbish, using them as a shelter or as a 

 retreat from danger ; and it is found also on 

 grounds covered with a scanty foliage, but strewn 

 with rocks, where it can hide and travel under. 

 The' nest is constructed under some hanging 

 bank, or amidst the ivy or natural creepers which 

 cover rocks or walls, even sometimes in a hedge 

 or thick evergreen ; it is a structure large in pro- 

 portion to the size of the bird, being almost equal 

 to that of an ordinary sized hat ; it Is built chiefly 

 of moss, and is circular or domed, having an 

 entrance hole on the one side ; and it is often so 

 skilfully concealed, and so interwoven with the 

 moss or herbage around, as to be with difficulty 

 observed. In winter, the Wren comes nearer to 

 the house and garden, often in small parties. It 

 may be seen even in the most severe weather 

 seeking for its sustenance, and sheltering itself in 

 outhouses, or among rubbish, at night roosting in 

 holes, or under the eaves of houses and ricks, 

 several taking up their sleeping place in the 



