44 IN A CHESHIRE GARDEN 



them to keep the ball going whilst he retires 

 from the scene to complete his own change 

 of feather. Apparently with such a tiny 

 body to cover that is not a long business, for 

 his bright little voice may be heard again 

 early in September. I always myself feel 

 inclined to say " thank you " at the conclu- 

 sion of a wren's musical effort, and have been 

 surprised to find that there are people, it may 

 be many people, who do not hear his song at 

 all of themselves, and when their attention 

 is specially drawn think it " only a bird 

 squeaking ! " 



Wrens never seem to be tame in the same 

 way that robins are, nor do they ever attempt 

 to get at the food on the stand, or to share 

 in the fowls' meals, but they often come close 

 to the windows, creeping up and down the 

 frames, in quest of spiders and other small 

 game. 



A sight was reported to me the other day 

 that I would have given a good deal to have 

 seen with my own eyes. When for two days 

 in January (1912) the ground was thickly 

 covered with snow, I put a plate of scraps 

 for the birds in the open porch. In the 

 evening of the second day of snow, when the 

 maid went to light the porch lamp, she saw 

 this plate, as she described it, full of wrens 

 (little birds with their tails turned up over 

 their backs, she called them) ; there must have 

 been, she thought, certainly not less than 



