THE WREN. 101 



A very singular circumstance occurs respecting 

 wrens' nests. Many are found in an incomplete 

 state, and it would seem that, after having been 

 begun, they were abandoned by the bird, which, 

 on second thought, deemed that the site had been, 

 in some way or other, ill-chosen. These half* 

 finished empty nests are often found in very con- 

 spicuous places, instead of being well planned for 

 concealment. 



As the old Irish song says of the wren, " Her 

 family is grate." She has two broods in a season, 

 and as many as sixteen young birds have been 

 sometimes found in one nest. There must be much 

 to do in feeding a family like this, for in common 

 with all other nestlings, they are very voracious, 

 and the wrens are not far fliers, and must therefore 

 seek their food very near their home. The nest 

 is large and deep, and some of the young brood 

 must be placed at so great a distance from the 

 aperture, that one would fancy they must be sorely 

 inconvenienced for want of light and air. There, 

 however, they thrive, and, as Graham says, are 



" Fed in the dark, not one forgot." 



Jt was doubtless because of this dome-like and 



