THE SINGING BIRDS. 



269 



feathers, much resembling those of the Emu, has suggested the colonial name of the Emu Wren for 

 this species, an appellation singularly appropriate, inasmuch as it at once indicates the kind of 

 plumage with which the bird is clothed, and the Wren-like nature of its habits.' " 



The WRENS {Troglodytes) are small, compactly-built birds, with short wings and tails. Their 

 beak is small, or of medium size, thin, awl-shaped, compressed at its sides, and slightly curved at its 

 culmen ; the feet are weak, short-toed, and the tarsi of moderate height ; the wings, in which the 

 fourth or fifth quill is the longest, are short, rounded, and much arched ; the tail very short, conical, 

 or slightly rounded. The plumage is usually reddish brown, marked with black. These little birds 

 are to be met with all over the world, but are especially numerous in Europe, Asia, and America ; 



the common wren [Troglodytes famulus). 



everywhere they frequent the vicinity of trees or bushes, in whatever situation these are to be found, 

 but most commonly prefer well-watered and cultivated districts. All the various species are restless, 

 lively, and active ; upon the ground, they hop with the utmost activity, and display a rapidity in 

 creeping through the most tangled brushwood that is almost unrivalled. All are endowed with 

 agreeable voices, and some American species sing very sweetly. The nests are generally of an oval 

 shape, roofed above and furnished with a small entrance at the side ; the materials employed vary 

 considerably, according to the situations in which the nests are constructed, the places selected for 

 building being sometimes curiously chosen. A Wren, as we are told by the Rev. J. G. Wood, made 

 Us nest in the body of a dead Hawk that was nailed to the side of a barn, and another in the 

 interior of a pump, gaining access through the spout. As these birds testily little fear of man in 

 South America, they are frequently provided with convenient receptacles for their nests, in order to 

 induce them to build upon the roofs of the houses. 



