JANUARY. 17 



They are to be heard on the tops of houses, in the central 

 parts of our cities, singing with great energy. Scarcely a 

 house or a cottage in the country is witliout at least a pair of 

 them. It is said by a friend to this little bird, that the escu- 

 lent vegetables of a whole garden might, perhaps, be pre- 

 served from the depredations of insects by a few pairs of these 

 small birds." 



The wren is often seen running over the fences and stone 

 walls like a little squirrel, creeping in and out of' holes and 

 the crevices of woodpiles, hunting for various kinds of insects. 

 particularly for spiders and moths, that lie concealed in their 

 retreats. It is curious to observe the celerity with which he 

 moves about on these hunting expeditions, running so unlike 

 a bird that he is often mistaken for a mouse. The wren is 

 very pugnacious, and will drive away all other birds that in- 

 trude upon what he regards as his own premises. This trait 

 in his character may be made to serve a useful purpose, ren~ 

 dering him the guardian of our cherry trees during the ripen~ 

 ing of their fruit. Place a wren box upon the cherry tree~ 

 you wish to protect, in May, and it will seldom fail to be 

 occupied by a pair of wrens. These little birds, from that 

 time regarding the cherry tree as their own property, will not 

 only devour all the insects that infest its leaves and branches,. 

 but will also drive away every bird that alights upon the tree. 

 When the fruit is ripe, no robin or any other bird that comes 

 there to eat the cherries is allowed one moment's peace ; and,, 

 by the pugnacity of the little pair who have built their nest 

 upon the tree, the fruit is saved. 



The Passerine birds, including the sparrows and finches, 

 are classed among the granivorous birds. They nevertheless 

 consume vast multitudes of insects, on which their young are 

 exclusively fed. It is remarkable that most of the birds that 

 live entirely upon seeds and fruits when they are old, feed 

 their young upon insects and their larva3. This fact is one 

 of the wonders of that mysterious instinct that directs a bird 

 to choose for its offspring, a description of food entirely differ- 

 ent from that to which it is led by its own appetite. Being 

 in the habit of raising two or three broods of young, in a sea- 



VOL. XXI. NO. I. 3 



