Morning Visitors. 141 



no one disturbed him, at last he grew bold enough to 

 perch morning after morning on the rail at the foot 

 of my bed. First he seemed to examine the inside 

 of the window, then went on the floor, and, after a 

 good look round, finally finished by sitting on the 

 wooden framework for a few minutes before departing. 



This went on some time ; then a wren came too ; 

 she likewise looked- to see if any thing edible could 

 be found in the window first. Old-fashioned windows 

 often have a broad sill inside the window frame 

 being placed nearly at the outer edge of the wall, so 

 that the thickness of the wall forms a recess, which 

 is lined with board along the bottom. Now this 

 wooden lining was decayed and drilled with innu- 

 merable holes by boring insects, which threw up tiny 

 heaps of sawdust, as one might say, just as moles 

 throw up mounds of earth where they tunnel. Per- 

 haps these formed an attraction to the wren. She 

 also frequently visited an old-fashioned bookcase, 

 on the top of which it was very low I often left 

 some old worm-eaten folios and quartos, and may 

 have occasionally picked up something there. Once 

 only she ventured to the foot of the bed. After leav- 

 ing the room she always perched on a thin iron pro- 

 jection which held the window open, and uttered her 

 singularly loud notes, their metallic clearness seeming 

 to make the chamber ring. Starlings often perched 

 on the same iron slide, and sparrows continually ; 

 but only the robin and wren came inside. Tomtits 

 occasionally entered and explored the same board- 

 lining of the window, but no farther. They will, 

 however, sometimes explore a room. 



I know a parlor the window of which was partly 



