84 OUR NATIVE SONGSTERS. 



called the furze wren, because it is among the 

 spring boughs and golden blooms of that plant 

 that it sings and builds. It is a very shy bird, and 

 when the voice or footfall gives token of an ap- 

 proaching rambler over the downs, it reti'cats 

 before him, passing from bush to bush with won- 

 derful alacrity and skill, so that it makes an almost 

 certain escape. It hides its nest, too, in the very 

 thickest part of the bush, concealing it so well that 

 few could find its tiny eggs of white hue, spotted 

 at the larger end with grey and yellowish brown. 



This bird frequents open bushy heaths and 

 commons, and sings its song while quivering over 

 the furze or broom ; or it darts along on eager 

 wing to catch the insects which have come thither 

 to sip the honey from the fragrant flowers. Here, 

 too, it gathers the dried grasses or the long stalks of 

 goosegrass, of which it fabricates its nest, entwin- 

 ing them with young and tender branches of the 

 furze, and adding to the fabric a clump of wool 

 which has probably been torn fi'om the coat of 

 some sheep which came too near to the prickly 

 branches to find its meal. The whole length of 

 the bird is rather more than five inches. In 

 Provence, where it has been observed to frequent 



