144 THE SPARROW. 



criticised by the ornithologist. First, that the wren is 

 the smallest of birds, which is evidently an oversight. 

 Secondly, that the wren has sufficient courage to fight 

 against a bird of prey in defence of its young, which is 

 doubtful. Thirdly, that the owl will take young birds 

 from the nest. As to this last point, see ante, pp. 91-94. 

 Imogen has made mention of the wren, as follows : — 



" I tremble still with fear : but if there be 

 Yet left in heaven as small a drop of pity 

 As a wren's eye, fear'd gods, a part of it." 



Cymbeline, Act iv. Sc. 2. 



And allusions to this little bird will be found in TwelftJi 

 Night, Act iii. Sc. 2 ; Richard III. Act i. Sc. 3 ; King 

 Lear, Act iv. Sc. 6 ; Pericles, Act iv. Sc. 3 ; and Henry VI. 

 Part II. Act iii. Sc. 2. 



" The Finch " is only once mentioned, i. c. in a song in 

 Midsummer Night's Dream, Act iii. Sc. 1. In Troilus and 

 Cressida, however, when Thersites and Patroclus are 

 abusing each other (Act v. Sc. 1), the former calls the 

 latter "finch-egg." But what species of Finch the poet 

 had in view, it is not easy to determine. It may have 

 been the Bullfinch, but it is more likely to have been the 

 Chaffinch, which has always been a favourite cage-bird 

 with the lower classes. 



The Hedge-sparrow (Accentor modularis), a frequenter of 

 the same haunts, has been more frequently noticed by 



