120 HUNTING THE WREN. 



undue influence over the male population, that she by her sweet 

 voice induced numbers to follow her, till by degrees she led them 

 into the sea, where they perished. This cruel exercise of power 

 was continued for a length of time, until at last it was apprehended 

 that the Isle of Man would have no protectors left. At this crisis a 

 knight-errant sprang up, who discovered means of counteracting the 

 charms used by the siren, and even laid a plot for her destruction, 

 which she only escaped at the moment of extreme hazard, by taking 

 the form of a Wren, when, by her rapid motion, she became invisible. 

 Though the Manx fairy thus escaped instant destruction, a spell 

 was thrown over her, by which she was compelled, once every suc- 

 ceeding year, to resume the form of this bird, with the definite 

 sentence that she must ultimately perish by human hands. In 

 commemoration of this superstition, on St. Stephen's Day the 

 following ceremony is still observed in one or two localities in the 

 island. Numbers assemble at early dawn, carrying long sticks, 

 with which they beat the hedges and bushes till they start a Wren, 

 which they then pursue with great shouting from bush to bush, till 

 the little creature is so tired as to be taken by the hand or knocked 

 down by the stick (wand) of its superstitious pursuers. It is then 

 fixed to the top of a long pole, to which a red handkerchief is sus- 

 pended by way of a banner, and in that manner it is carried round 

 the district. 



A similar custom of hunting down this poor little bird, 

 and beating it to death, prevails in Ireland. Thompson 

 says : * It was the boast of an old man, who lately died at 

 the advanced age of one hundred, that he had hunted the 

 Wren for the last eighty years on Christmas Day.' On St. 

 Stephen's Day it appears that the children exhibit the 

 slaughtered birds in an ivy bush, decked with ribbons of 

 various colours, and go about to collect money, singing a 

 popular ditty, the first line of which is 



The Wren, the Wren, king of all birds. 



And the story runs that once upon a time the birds 

 assembled to elect a king, and it was agreed that that bird 

 which could soar the highest should reign and rule over 

 the feathered world. Of course, the Eagle felt sure of 

 obtaining the imperial dignity, and soared away sunward, 

 leaving all competitors far behind, as he thought. Feeling 

 it was useless to dispute the sovereignty with him, the rest 

 of the birds were about to proclaim him king, when the 

 little Wren, who had concealed himself in the feathers of 



