248 



THAT'S IT ; 



No bird seems to resort to so many trees and 

 shrubs for the purpose of incubation as the ring- 

 dove. Not a tree, from the towering of the 

 pine to the lowly thorn, ever comes amiss to it. 

 During the winter months they are exceedingly 

 shy, seeking for safety in lofty flight the 

 moment they see you approach. The love-note, 

 or cooing of this bird, is one of those harbingers 

 of a change from the severity of winter that is 

 looked for, and listened to, by the resident in the 

 country with feelings of delight. 



The common wren will fre- 

 quently be found in the most 

 retired parts of woods, uttering 

 its shrill note, and flitting ra- 

 pidly across the path, preceding 

 the movements of the wan- 

 derer. Its nest, 416, may be 

 found among the ivy or natural 

 creepers which cover rocks, 

 walls, and trees. Where there 

 are young pines with branches 

 on the ground, and heath under 

 these, the place is especially 

 f.ivourite. 



Notwithstanding its partiality for hiding 

 places, there appears to be a good deal of 

 curiosity about this wren. Many other birds 

 which you surprise betake themselves to their 

 perches or hiding places the instant that they 

 observe you ; but not so the wren, for it leaps 

 out of the bush to reconnoitre you ; and if you 

 stand perfectly still, it will remain " at gaze " 

 for several minutes ; but if you follow it, it 

 moves to two or three places, still eyeing you 

 with a sort of wondering curiosity, till at last it 

 leaps away, you know not where.* 



In the middle states of America 

 this is called the winter wren, 

 to distinguish it from another 

 species, which comes from the 

 south in the spring. But, as 

 a winter bird, the wren has 

 none of the charms of the robin : 

 it is less familiar, though it 

 draws near to the house, and 

 seems less grateful for the 

 crumbs that are thrown to it. 



Night-jars or goatsuckers, 430, 

 may with caution be observed, 

 and their nests, which are formed 

 under tufts of grass, among heaps 

 of leaves, in the neighbourhood of 



• Partington's Cyclopaedia. 



broken limbs or old logs lying 

 on the ground. When resting 

 on the ground, these birds crouch 

 Very close to the surface, and as 

 their colours are not easily dis- 

 tinguished from those of dry 

 clods, or withered herbage, they 

 in general escape observation. 

 They do not, however, always 

 rest upon the ground, but fre- 

 quently on the branches of trees 

 that grow horizontally ; and as 

 when in this situation they re- 

 main motionless, one may pass 

 again and again without observ- 

 ing them. Their mouths, 16, 



16 



649. 



including the bill, are very 

 curious, being beset along the 

 sides with long, thick, elastic 

 bristles, which end in fine hair, 

 turned inwards ; these serve 

 as feelers, and serve to hold 

 winged insects when they have 

 been captured ; the eyes are 

 very large, full, and bluish black, 

 and the plumage beautifully 

 variegated with black and dusky 

 brown. 



When perched, these birds generally sit on 

 bare twigs. They do not perch sitting across 

 the branch, like other birds, but lengthwise. 

 When thus sitting, they frequently utter a 

 jarring noise. When disturbed by day, they 

 flutter about in a confused manner, and appear 



