Q74 PERCHERS AND SINGERS 
THE WRENS AND CATBIRDS ' 
Troglodytidae 
In some respects, the wrens are but a short step from 
the tree-creepers, but in others they are widely apart. For 
its size the Housr Wren! is the most pert and saucy bird in 
North America. Forty years ago a pair of these merry little 
sprites took up their abode in the wild fastnesses of the 
grape arbor that sheltered our well; and I can hear their 
shrill chatter yet. It was like the piping of a piccolo. For 
eight years they and their children and grandchildren pos- 
sessed the outskirts of our dwelling, and it was a great day 
when we discovered a beautiful, feather-lined nest, nearly 
six inches deep, that the Wrens had built in an old-fashioned 
lantern that hung in the wood-house. I wish it were possible 
to have Wrens around a city dwelling, or in a Zoological 
Park. 
A Wren is known by the way it carries its tail, so very 
straight up in the air that sometimes it tilts forward. The 
House Wren is the most sociable of all our wild birds, and also 
the one most confident of its place in the hearts of its coun- 
trymen. I never knew of a Wren being killed by any one 
save a collector of bird-skins. As for myself, I would go 
Wrenless forever rather than take the life of a creature so 
winsome and trustful. Even the cats of our household used 
to respect the family Wrens. In the country, where there 
are no English sparrows, it is easy to attract these interesting 
birds by putting up nesting-boxes for them. Five species 
1 Tro-glo-dy'tes ae’don. Length, 4.75 to 5.25 inches. 
