WILLOW WREN. 
137 
noted Willow Wren: its voice is, in our opinion, one of the 
sweetest among birds ; in fact, in the quality of its tones 
it cannot be surpassed. Although of such diminutive size, 
this little bird sings as loud as the redbreast, and apparently 
with great ease, and without raising its feathers or swelling 
its throat perceptibly. Its song consists of fourteen or fifteen 
syllables, and is comprised within the compass of about five 
whole notes of music. It commences with the highest and 
gradually descends, repeating each note several times. Its 
voice is clear, full, sweet, and flutelike ; but it appears in¬ 
capable of varying its song, as it is always to be heard in the 
same form. To the curious in these things, the following 
representation may be acceptable; the song begins hurriedly 
and ends very slowly ; it seems to express, Dididide, deai/ 
deay, duay duay duay, deny deay, duay, deda deda daa da ! 
When captured, this little species appears quite uncon¬ 
scious of fear: one that we surprised upon her nest, and put 
in a cage, ate immediately all the insect-food that was offered 
her, and appeared to take not the smallest notice of us or of 
her captivity : she would not, however, recognise her nest 
and eggs; had the young been hatched, her parental feelings 
would perhaps have been aroused. These little birds bear 
confinement very well, and may be kept for one or two 
years. They readily take to artificial food, such as bread and 
milk, if tempted with a few green aphides scattered upon it, 
and well repay the care bestowed upon them, as the male 
sings incessantly. An ingenious method of inducing fresh- 
caught birds to eat artificial food, has been communicated 
to us, which appears reasonable. Great difficulty is generally 
found in inducing strange birds to eat what they are unac¬ 
customed to, unless they can be made acquainted with it 
by stratagem. For this purpose two or three living meal¬ 
worms must be put into a tumbler-glass, and set in a plate 
or saucer: round the bottom of the glass must be strewed 
