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he was attracted by its loud vociferations, which he found to 

 be caused by the proximity of a "Weasel, its nest doubtless 

 being near. They are somewhat pugnacious, and have been 

 observed fighting together with much animosity. In the day- 

 time they may be seen with erect tail, now here, now there, 

 creeping like a mouse among the branches. They are fond of 

 seclusion, and are of solitary habits, being never seen in flocks, 

 and seldom but in the spring in pairs, and choosing sombre, 

 quiet, and lonely places for their tenantship. 



Their flight, usually short and near the ground, is performed 

 in a straight line, with repeated fluttering of the wings. 



The young are assiduously attended to by the parent birds, 

 and fed with insects and their larvae and worms, the same that 

 they themselves feed on; these, however, are not their exclusive 

 food, for they make free with currants in the season. 



The note, which is heard throughout the greater part of 

 the year, but is not so powerful in the winter months, is very 

 lively, clear, and cheerful, and while uttering it the whole body 

 vibrates with the effort, the bill is raised and opened wide, 

 the throat swelled out, and the wings drooped. It is generally 

 given forth from the upper branch of a hedge or bush, and 

 when it is ended the singer descends from her place in the. 

 ochestra quite 'a la mode.' I was sitting in my breakfast-room 

 one morning, when I heard a loud, clear, ringing note in the 

 garden, whose authorship I could not divine, nor, on going 

 out to endeavour to do so, detect. The following morning I 

 heard it again, and this time was more fortunate. It was that 

 of a Wren! There he or she the 'cantatrice' stood, pouring 

 forth a volume of song enough almost to make the very welkin 

 echo it. I was never more astonished at anything of the kind, 

 it was so utterly disproportionate to the size of the tiny bird. 

 William Thompson, Esq. too says, 'On the yard wall before 

 my window in the country, a Wren once appeared on the 23rd. 

 of September singing with such extraordinary loudness as 

 immediately to attract other birds to the spot. First came 

 a Hedge Sparrow to buffet it, followed by a male and female 

 Chaffinch, also with sinister intent, but it maintained its 

 position against them all, and sang away as fiercely as ever. 

 A Robin too alighted beside the songster, but, unlike the others, 

 did not seek to disturb it. For this strange proceeding on 

 the part of the Wren there was no apparent cause.' 'When 

 a bird of prey appears, the little Wren often gives the alarm, 

 by uttering rapidly its note of fear, 'shrek! shrek!' so quickly 



