58 BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 



45. WREN. Troglodytes parvulus, K. L. Koch. 

 French, " Boitelet," " Troglodyte mignon," " Trog- 

 lodyte ordinaire." The Wren is common and 

 resident in all the Islands, and very generally 

 distributed, being almost as common amongst the 

 wild rocks on the coast as in the inland parts. On 

 the 7th of July, 1878, I found a Wren's nest 

 amongst some of the wildest rocks in the Island ; 

 the hinder part of the nest was wedged into a small 

 crevice in the rock very firmly, the nest projecting 

 and apparently only just stuck against the face of 

 the rock. A great deal of material had been used, 

 and the nest, projecting from the face of the rock 

 as it did, looked large, and when I first caught sight 

 of it I thought I might have hit upon an old Water 

 Ouzel's nest. On getting close, however, I found it 

 was only a Wren's, with young birds in it. I visited 

 this nest several times, and saw the old bird feeding 

 her young. I could not, however, quite make out 

 what she fed them with, but I think with insects 

 caught amongst the seaweed and tangle amongst 

 the rocks. After the young were flown I took this 

 nest, and was astonished to find, when it was taken 

 out of the crevice, how much material had been 

 used in wedging it in, and how firmly it was attached 

 to the rock. This was certainly necessary to keep 

 it in its place in some of the heavy gales that 

 sometimes happen even at that time of year ; in a 

 very heavy north-westerly gale it would hardly 



