TITS AND WRENS 45 



fifteen of them. When they saw her they 

 flew off in a flock to the creeper outside, just 

 where for two or three years there has been 

 a wren's nest. Perhaps this little company 

 was made up of the family that owned that 

 nest as their home. In was in 1909 that a 

 wren first built there among the stems of the 

 Virginian creeper close to the front door. 

 The body of the nest was quite hidden 

 between the creeper and the wall, the little 

 entrance-hole alone being visible. We con- 

 stantly saw the bird going in and out, taking 

 a turn to stretch his wings or bringing home 

 provisions for his household, and often he 

 would sit close by and give vent to his feel- 

 ings in a joyous burst of song. He appears 

 to have been pleased with the success of his 

 first venture on this site, for he has used the 

 very same nest for the last two years. 



A wren has the same directness of flight as 

 a kingfisher or a dipper; it has none of the 

 up and down course of most small birds, but 

 it follows a bee-line to its destination, with 

 rapidly-beating wings, but making compara- 

 tively slow progress. I was much struck by 

 this, as one day I watched a wren fly from a 

 low bush to a height of 40 or 50 feet up a 

 poplar, it seemed to take quite an age to get 

 there. 



