IVY WREN. ORNITHOLOGIST'S TEXT-BOOK. 207 



serving in a cage, especially as it is somewhat 

 difficult to keep it in health for any length of time, 

 though, with a little care, I have no doubt it would 

 bear confinement very well, having myself had one 

 in a cage nearly three weeks. This individual, 

 which was caught in an outbuilding, during a 

 severe storm in the winter of 1831, fed readily on 

 bruised hempseed and bread, with the occasional 

 addition of a few insects. It was not so wild as 

 might have been expected, but was remarkably 

 active, and in constant motion. Having thus 

 ascertained that it might be preserved in confine- 

 ment — in spite of what compilers may say on the 

 subject — I restored it to liberty (" Nature's greatest 

 boon"), and had the satisfaction of seeing it come 

 to be fed almost every morning in the winter, 

 which convinced me that it was not displeased 

 with the liberty I had taken of caging it for a few 

 days. 



The Ivy Wren (or at least those individuals 

 which had not previously been coupled) pairs in 

 February, and the nest is sometimes commenced 

 so early as the end of March, though, if the spring 

 be a backward one, not till the beginning of April. 

 It is a curious and beautiful structure, and has 

 ever engaged the attention of all who take the 

 slightest interest in ornithological pursuits. The 

 exterior usually consists entirely of green moss, 

 with a few small twigs round the entrance ; the 

 inside is generally, though not always, lined with 

 feathers. The situations in which it may be sought 

 for are, the thatched roofs of outhouses, where it 

 makes use of the holes excavated by House Spar- 

 rows (Passer domesticus, AldrovJ and Spotted 

 Starlings (Sturnus varius, Mey.J, ivy-clad walls 

 or trees, mossy banks, or low bushes. These are 

 the usual sites ; but the bird is not very nice in 

 the choice of a situation for its nest I have found 



