OF SELBORNE. 207 



meadows. If the matter appears as you say in the 

 other species, may it not be owing to the dams being 



The Yellnv Wren, (Sylvia Trochilus, LATH.) This is another little 

 favourite songster, and a most deserving one it is. It visits us the latter 

 end of March, or beginning of April, and leaves us again the end of Sep- 

 tember or beginning of October. On its first arrival it enlivens our woods 

 and groves with its lively piercing song, and gay frolics, flying about from 

 tree to tree, catching the small gnats and flies that come in its way. It 

 builds its nest on the ground in a thicket amongst dead leaves and moss, 

 with a dome-formed covering, of the same materials as those lying all 

 around, so that it is impossible to find it without watching one of the old 

 ones to the nest, which in general consists of six or seven young ones. 

 They may either be brought up from the nest, or caught wild, being easily 

 tamed. When first put in the cage with a tame bird, the general food, 

 bread and milk, and eggs, should be stuck full of small flies, Aphides, 

 small caterpillars, or other small insects, in picking out which it will 

 taste the other food, and take to eat it readily. It soon becomes very 

 tame in confinement. One that I caught in September was, in three 

 days afterwards, let out of the aviary into the room to catch the flies, 

 which were numerous at that season : after amusing itself for some time 

 in catching flies, it began singing ; it did the same several other times 

 when it was let out, and in a few days began to sing in the aviary. It 

 soon became so familiar that it would take flies out of the hand, and when 

 out in the room, if a fly was held towards it, it would fly up and take it 

 immediately. 



Although the present species is so small a bird, it is very courageous, 

 being generally the master of the cage ; and as it is so fine a songster, 

 and almost continually in song, no little bird can be more desirable in a 

 cage with other birds, its note when in full song being so loud and shrill, 

 that its voice is plainly heard above the nightingale when both are in 

 full song. 



The Wood Wren, (Sylvia sibilatrix, BECHST.) This elegant and beautiful 

 little species ranks itself among my list of favourites. It visits this coun- 

 try in the beginning of April, and leaves it in August or the beginning of 

 September. It is generally found in summer amongst tall trees in woods 

 and plantations, where it is readily detected on its arrival by a shrill 

 shaking sort of note, that may be heard at a great distance, and cannot 

 be confounded with that of any other bird. On its first arrival it sings 

 the greater part of the day, and continues its song more or less through 

 the summer, except at the time it is engaged in feeding its young. Its 

 nest is built on the ground in a thicket among moss and dead leaves, so 

 that it is impossible to find it without watching one of the old ones to the 

 nest, whicli is easily done when they have young. They may either be 

 tamed or reared from the nest, and are not difficult to be caught when 

 young with a little birdlime at the end of a fishing rod, as may several 

 other species of this interesting tribe. 



As the present species feeds entirely upon insects when wild, the 

 greater part of which it catches on the wing, it will be useless to give it 



