Popular JBtctumarg at 3m'matrtr Mature. 749 



mandible and tips of a brownish horn colour, 

 the under one, and edges of both, dull yel- 

 low ; a whitish line extends from the bill 

 over the eyes, which are dark hazel ; the 

 upper parts of the plumage are clear brown, 

 obscurely marked on the back and rump 

 with narrow double wavy lines of pale and 



WRFN. (TROGLODYTES VULGARIS.) 



dark brown colours ; the belly, sides, and 

 thighs are marked with the same colours, 

 but more distinctly ; the throat is dingy 

 white ; cheeks and breast the same, faintly 

 dappled with brown ; the quills and tail are 

 marked with alternate bars of a reddish 

 brown and black ; legs pale olive brown. 

 During the winter season this brisk little 

 warbler approaches near the dwellings of 

 man, and takes shelter in the roofs of houses, 

 barns, and in hay-stacks ; it sings till late 

 in the evening, and not unfrequently during 

 a fall of snow. In the spring it betakes it- 

 self to the woods, where it builds on the 

 ground, or in a low bush, and sometimes on 

 the turf, beneath the trunk of a tree, or in a 

 hole in a wall ; its nest is constructed with 

 much art, of an oval shape, with one small 

 aperture in the side for an entrance ; it is 

 composed chiefly of moss, or other surround- 

 ing materials, so as not to be easily dis- 

 tinguished from them, and lined with fea- 

 thers : the female lays from ten to sixteen 

 or eighteen eggs, which are white, thinly 

 sprinkled with small reddish spots, mostly 

 at the larger end. 



[For GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN, see RE- 

 GULUS.] 



The AMERICAN HOUSE WREN. (Troglo- 

 dytes domestica.) We copy the following 

 amusing account, verbatim, from ' Wilson's 

 American Ornithology.' 



" This well-known and familiar bird arrives 

 in Pennsylvania about the middle of April ; 

 and, about the 8th or 10th of May, begins to 

 build its nest, sometimes in the wooden cor- 

 nishing under the eaves, or in a hollow 

 cherry tree ; but most commonly in small 

 boxes, fixed on the top of a pole, in or near 

 the garden, to which he is extremely partial, 

 for the great number of caterpillars and 

 other larva with which it constantly sup- 

 plies him. If all these conveniences are 

 wanting, he will even put up with an old 

 hat, nailed on the weather boards, with a 

 small hole for entrance ; and, if even this 

 be denied him, he will find some hole, corner, 

 or crevice, about the house, barn, or stables, 

 rather than abandon the dwellings of man. 



In the month of June, a mower hung up 

 his coat, under a shed, near the barn ; two 

 or three days elapsed before he had occasion 

 to put it on again ; thrusting his arm up the 

 sleeve, he found it completely filled with 

 some rubbish, as he expressed it, and, on 

 extracting the whole mass, found it to be 

 the nest of a wren completely finished, and 

 lined with a large quantity of feathers. In 

 his retreat, he was followed by the little 

 forlorn proprietors, who scolded him with 

 great vehemence, for thus ruining the whole 



AMERICAN HOUSE WREN. 

 (TKOGLODYTES POMESTICA.) 



economy of their household affairs. The 

 twigs with which the outward parts of the 

 nest are constructed are short and crooked, 

 that they may the better hook in with one 

 another, and the hole or entrance is so much 

 shut up, to prevent the intrusion of snakes 

 or cats, that it appears almost impossible 

 the body of the bird could be admitted ; 

 within this, is a layer of fine dried stalks of 

 grass, and lastly feathers. The eggs are 

 six or seven, and sometimes nine, of a red 

 purplish flesh colour, innumerable fine grains 

 of that tint being thickly sprinkled over the 

 whole egg. They generally raise two broods 

 in a season ; the first about the beginning of 

 June, the second in July. 



" This little bird has a strong antipathy to 

 cats ; for, having frequent occasion to glean 

 among the currant bushes, and other shrub- 

 bery iu the garden, those lurking enemies of 

 the feathered race often prove fatal to him. 

 A box fixed up in the window of the room 

 where I slept, was taken possession of by a 

 pair of wrens. Already the nest was built, 

 and two eggs laid, when one day, the window 

 being open, as well as the room door, the 

 female wren, venturing too far into the 

 room to reconnoitre, was sprung upon by 

 grimalkin, who had planted herself there 

 for the purpose ; and, before relief could be 

 given, was destroyed. Curious to see how 

 the survivor would demean himself, I 

 watched him carefully for several days. At 

 first he sung with great vivacity for an hour 

 or so, but, becoming uneasy, went off for 

 half an hour ; on his return, he chanted 

 again as before, went to the top of the house, 

 stable, and weeping willow, that she might 

 hear him ; but seeing no appearance of her, 

 he returned once more, visited the nest, 

 ventured cautiously into the window, gazed 

 about with suspicious looks, his voice sink- 

 ing to a low melancholy note, as he stretched 

 his little neck about in every direction. 

 Returning to the box, he seemed for some 

 minutes at a loss what to do, and soon after 

 went off, as I thought, altogether, for I saw 



