246 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Mellowness of song. 



CHAP. XL 



" Now see thee peeping on the secret nest 

 Where sits the parent wren, in patient rest ; 



While at her side her feather'd partner sings, 

 Chants his short note, to charm her nursing day ; 

 Now for his love pursues his airy way, 



And now with food returns on cheerful wings." 



PETER PINDAR. 



THE WREN. 



THIS bird, which is found throughout Eu- 

 rope, is the smallest in this kingdom, except the 

 golden-crowned wren; it weighs about three 

 drachms; its length, from the point of the bill 

 to the end of the tail, is about four inches. It 

 commonly creeps about hedges and holes, mak- 

 ing but short flights, and, if it be driven from the 

 hedges, may easily be tired and run down. It 

 will sit upon a barn, or tree, about farm-yards, 

 where it mostly frequents, and sing exceedingly 

 fine; when kept in a cage, it will sing very 

 sweetly, and with a higher and louder voice than 



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