THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE HEDGEROWS. 149 



characteristic and handsome. They are grayish or 

 purplish-white in ground colour, streaked and pencilled 

 and spotted with dark brown and gray. As we pass 

 by these elder bushes in the hedge let us peep at the 

 Wren's nest, snugly placed in the ivy growing round one 

 of the rotten stumps. It is almost concealed amongst 

 the perennial foliage, and little but the round entrance 

 hole is to be seen. The Wren is one of Nature's cleverest 

 architects she builds a matchless globular nest, full of 

 engineering skill. In the first place dead leaves have 

 been used, with a little moss and dry grass to bind them 

 together ; then moss has been used to well line the 

 structure, which is finally lined with a warm bed of 

 feathers. Round the hole, which is in the side near the 

 top, numerous grass-stalks have been deftly woven. 

 This part of the nest receives the most wear and tear 

 owing to the repeated movements of the owners in and 

 out of their little castle, and is therefore strengthened 

 with these long wiry grasses. Other nests of the Wren 

 are made externally almost exclusively of moss or dry 

 grass, according to the situation in which they are 

 placed, for the Wren, like the Chaffinch, assimilates the 

 outer portion of its home as nearly as possible with 

 surrounding objects. I have seen it amongst the haw- 

 thorn stumps thickly garnished with green leaves from 

 that tree. The eggs are five or six in number, pure 

 white, spotted and freckled with pale brownish red, and 



