WREN. 575 



no " coigne of vantage," either as a shelter from the weather, or as con- 

 cealment or protection from enemies. On the contrary, it faced the 

 public pathway, to which it was so near, that it had no little chance of 

 being demolished by the first passing lounger who should dangle his 

 walking-stick or his umbrella hither and thither, for want of other 

 amusement, to keep time with the monotonous pendulum-swing of his 

 cogitations. 



If it was the vicinity, however, of the bed of green moss that had first 

 attracted the Wrens to this elm-root, calculating on an abundant supply 

 from it of building materials, they had afterwards found it too firmly 

 matted into the bark to be procured, or otherwise unsuitable for their 

 purpose, as they used very little of it in the structure, but carried 

 what they wanted from some distance. It might be, indeed, that the 

 passengers on the footway so frequently scared them, that they chose 

 rather to -look for a bit of moss where they could pick and choose undis - 

 turbed in the next field ; and it was not a little painful to see the tiny 

 creatures hopping from branch to branch of the hedge, carrying a 

 bundle of stuff half as bulky as themselves, — anxiously waiting for 

 some slow-walking passenger to move away from their vicinity, before 

 they ventured to work. For though the Wren is far from being a timid 

 bird, as it will allow one to come almost within arm's length of it, while 

 it is hopping about in pursuit of flies; it is no less wary than other 

 birds respecting its nest, and will scold most outrageously — calling 

 "cheek I check I" of course meaning thereby, stop! stop! when any 

 one intrudes within its boundaries, and will even pursue a boy or a 

 polecat to some distance, with loud manifestations of anger — " tantsene 

 animis exiguis irae. 



As I was eager to see the little architects at work on their nest, and 

 had stationed myself so as to be within view without disturbing them, 

 I was tantalised to perceive that more than two-thirds of their time 

 was spent in scolding the chance passengers, who had no thoughts of 

 intrusion, and cared nothing about the Wrens, nor the little moss-dome 

 they were building for their family dwelling. One part of the wall I 

 observed them very careful in rendering smooth and firm ; it was that 

 portion immediately under the entrance, which, as most people have 

 seen a Wren's nest, it is scarcely necessary to remind the reader is an 

 oval or roundish hole, in the side of the edifice immediately under the 

 dome. Now, it being obvious, that this part of the wall has to support, 

 not only the weight of the old birds when at home, and of the nume- 

 rous family of young ones when hatched, but the wear and tear of 

 passing in and out, it must require to be more firmly constructed than 



