128 Wild Life in a Southern County 



which the birds came. Pear trees are a good deal fre- 

 quented by many birds ; their rough bark seems to shelter 

 numerous insects. The window was left open all night in 

 the sultry summer weather, and presently a robin began 

 to come in very early in the morning. Encouraged by 

 finding that no one disturbed him, at last he grew bold 

 enough to perch morning after morning on the rail at the 

 foot of my bed. First he seemed to examine the inside of 

 the window, then went on the floor, and, after a good look 

 round, finally finished by sitting on the wooden framework 

 for a few minutes before departing. 



This went on some time ; then a wren came too ; she 

 likewise looked to see if anything edible could be found in 

 the window first. Old-fashioned windows often have a 

 broad sill inside— the window frame being placed nearly 

 at the outer edge of the wall, so that the thickness of the 

 wall forms a recess, which is lined with board along the 

 bottom. Now this wooden lining was decayed and drilled 

 with innumerable holes by boring insects, which threw up 

 tiny heaps of sawdust, as one might say, just as moles 

 throw up mounds of earth where they tunnel. Perhaps 

 these formed an attraction to the wren. She also fre- 

 quently visited an old-fashioned bookcase, on the top of 

 which — it was very low — I often left some old worm-eaten 

 folios and quartos, and may have occasionally picked up 

 something there. Once only she ventured to the foot of 

 the bed. After leaving the room she always perched on a 

 thin iron projection which held the window open, and 

 uttered her singularly loud notes, their metallic clearness 

 seeming to make the chamber ring. Starlings often 

 perched on the same iron slide, and sparrows continually ; 

 but only the robin and wren came inside. Tomtits occa- 

 sionally entered and explored the same board-lining of the 



