THE WOOD WREN. 81 



which induces it to quit its little home, and return 

 to it no more; and he remarks, that almost all 

 birds will forsake the first nest in the season, if 

 frightened out of it once or twice. The redbreast, 

 the wren, blackbird, missel and song-thrushes, 

 will all do this, and will commence building 

 anotlicr home. But the bird seems to become 

 bolder in this respect, as the season advances, and 

 it has had more experience ; for after building one 

 or two nests, it will not be driven away, even if 

 disturbed while sitting, but will retiu*n again and 

 again. Some birds will even sufier themselves to 

 be taken out with the liand, and put back again, 

 and yet so cling to their homes, that even this 

 teiTor will not scare them away. 



The Wood Wren,* or Wood Warbler, or Green 

 Wren {Sf/Iria si/lcicola), is the Willie Muftis of 

 the Scotch peasant. It is a larger bird than either 

 the chift-chaff, or the willow wren, but so similar, 

 that until recently the three species liave not 

 been clearly distinguished from each other. Its 



* The Wood Wren may be distingmshed from the Willow 

 Wreu by having the upper parts of a brighter gi-een, the eye- 

 streak, the throat, breast, and flanks, clear yellow ; and the belly 

 piu-e white. 



G 



