CHAPTER I. 



THE WREN. 



Truly the little Wren, so beautifully depicted by Mr. Har- 

 rison Weir., with her tiny body, her pretty, lively, and conceited 

 ways, her short, little turned-up tail, and delicate plumage, is 

 worthyof our tender regard and love. 



The colouring of the wren is soft and subdued — a reddish- 

 brown colour ; the breast of a light greyish-brown ; and all the 

 hinder parts, both above and below, marked with wavy lines of 

 dusky brown, with two bands of white dots across the wings. 



Its habits are remarkably lively and attractive. " I know no 

 pleasanter object," says the agreeable author of "British 

 Birds," "than the wren; it is always* so smart and cheerful. 

 In gloomy weather other birds often seem melancholy, and in 

 rain the sparrows and finches stand silent on the twigs, with 

 drooping wings and disarranged plumage ; but to the merry 

 little wren all weathers are alike. The big drops of the thunder- 

 shower no more wet it than the drizzle of a Scotch mist ; and as 

 it peeps from beneath the bramble, or glances from a hole in 

 the wall, it seems as snug as a kitten frisking on the parlour 

 rug. 



"It is amusing," he continues, "to watch the motions of a 

 young family of wrens just come abroad. Walking among 

 furze, broom, or juniper, you are attracted to some bush by 



