UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 23 



observing the tender care with which their parents 

 feed them. There are several nests in the tall 

 trees near my window ; and in a thick bush 

 in my quarry garden, a favourite robin, who 

 used to hop on my hand and feed there all the 

 winter, has four young ones : I have named 

 them after Mrs. Trimmer's dear little red-breast 

 family, which every child loves. 



.Robins seem less afraid than most birds of 

 the human haunts ; and my aunt says she has 

 a friend, in whose bedchamber a pair actually 

 built their nests, and brought up their young till 

 it was time to fly away. The lady used to leave 

 her window open all day; and often sat there 

 to watch their manoeuvres and to listen to their 

 sweet song. They seemed to be aware of their 

 comfortable quarters, and fiercely attacked any 

 other birds that intruded themselves. 



She also mentioned a singular circumstance of 

 a wren, a bird that is never very familiar. A 

 gentleman having occasion to repair some paling 

 that was attached to an old hollow yew tree, the 

 workmen discovered a nest in a small hole in the 

 stem, with nine little unfledged birds. He was 

 fortunately on the spot, and had it placed on the 

 window sill of his study. The old wrens soon 

 followed ; and even when it was taken into the 

 room or held in the hand, they boldly did their 

 duty to their offspring. They repeated their 

 visits for sixteen hours daily,* coming every two 



