106 BIRDS AND MAN 



hand the delicate shading of the eye- stripe, and 

 the margin of the feathers of the wings and tail, 

 is exquisitely beautiful, but is almost all lost under 

 the rude handling of the bird-skinner." 



The concluding words sound almost strange ; 

 but it is a fact that this sylph-like creature is some- 

 times shattered with shot and its poor remains 

 operated on by the bird-stuffer. Its beauty " in 

 the hand " cannot compare with that exhibited 

 when it lives and moves and sings. Its appear- 

 ance during flight differs from that of other warblers 

 on account of the greater length and sharpness 

 of the wings. Most warblers fly and sing hurriedly ; 

 the wood wren's motions, like its song, are slower, 

 more leisurely, and more beautiful. When moved 

 by the singing passion it is seldom still for more 

 than a few moments at a time, but is continually 

 passing from branch to branch, from tree to tree, 

 finding a fresh perch from which to deliver its song 

 on each occasion. At such times it has the appear- 

 ance of a delicately coloured miniature kestrel or 

 hobby. Most lovely is its appearance when it 

 begins to sing in the air, for then the long sharp 

 wings beat time to the first clear measured notes, 

 the prelude to the song. As a rule, however, the 

 flight is silent, and the song begins when the new 



