102 BIRDS' NESTS. 



eggs are, 'next ib 1 those of the golden-crested 

 wren, the smallest found in Britain, white, 

 and sparingly speckled with light red, chiefly 

 near the larger end: and not unfrequently 

 they are of a spotless white. 



WILLOW WREN. Sylvia Trochilm. 

 PLATE III. FIG. 4. 



ON its first arrival, this pretty little warbler 

 is most frequently observed flying about the 

 tops of lofty trees, repeating again and again 

 its short but agreeable melody. As the season 

 advances, however, it chooses a humbler sta- 

 tion, and may be observed creeping about 

 bushes, banks, and hedges ; and no doubt, 

 in the course of its peregrinations, ridding us 

 of an infinity of mischievous insects. For its 

 nest, it selects a position lowlier still ; a hole 

 in a bank, under the friendly shelter of a tuft 

 of grass or furze, suits it well ; or, especially 

 on the skirts of a wood, it does not dis- 

 dain a hole or rut on the very ground. Here 



