WREN 349 



to lay exactly — or, at least, retain — twelve eggs in its nest, that 

 they are all hatched, but that only one survives. The wren also 

 is said to retreat into a hole on the approach of rain, but this is 

 merely in pursuit of flies, which, as is known, retire into holes and 

 crannies before rain. An English saying puts it prettily as, "The 

 robin and the giller wren are God Almighty's cock and hen." 

 The Scottish also say, " Malisons, malisons mair than ten, that 

 harry Our Lady of heaven's hen." The wood wren is about ten 

 days later of arriving than others. A proverbial saying exists to 

 the effect that no house or " family " becomes extinct which a wren 

 haunts. The tale goes that the eagle and the wren once had a 

 trial who would soar the highest, and after a considerable amount 

 of upward space had been traversed, the eagle said, " C'aite bheil 

 thu 'dhreathainn-duinn ? " "Tha mis an so os do chinn," answered 

 the wren. " Where art thou, O wren." " I am here, above thee." 

 The wren had perched itself on the eagle's back surreptitiously, 

 was able to respond as above, and win the contest. A story 

 entitled "Rann na meacann," tells how a wren and his twelve 

 children attempted to pull up a meacann (a parsnip or turnip), 

 elsewhere called burdock, the Gaelic for which, however, is 

 " mac-an-dogha." 



Cha d' thainig (cha tig) ubh mor riamh bho'n dreathainn-duinn. 

 Large egg never came (or will not come) from the wren, 

 i.e., small gifts from niggardly persons. 

 Ged is beag an dreathann is mor a theaghlach. 



Little as the wren is, its family is large. The mother wren 

 alone knows. 

 Is bigid e sin, is bigid e sin, mar a thuirt an dreathann, an 

 uair a thug e Ian a ghuib as a' mhuir. 



'Tis the less for that, 'tis the less for that, as the wren said, 

 when it sipped a bill-full out of the sea. 

 Is farsuing a sgaoileas an dreathann a chasan 'n a thigh fhein. 



The wren spreads his feet wide in his own house. 

 Is farsuing tigh an dreathainn. 



The wren's house is wide — for him. Even the most in- 

 significant may loll in his own house, as well as the 

 greatest. 

 Is fhurasda buill' an treun-fhir aithneachadh. 



The mighty man's stroke is easily known. (See Nicolson's 

 note hereto), as also version given above as to the fox 

 and wren. 

 Is moid i sin, is moid i sin, mu'n dubhairt an dreathann-donn 

 'n uair a rinn e 'dhileag *s a mhuir mhoir. 



It's the bigger of that, it's the bigger of that, as the wren 

 said when he added his drop to the great sea. 

 Is trom buiir an t-sean laoich. 



Heavy is the old hero's blow. This may be construed 

 literally, but see " Is fhurasda," etc. 



