WOOD WREN. 
569 
The female is rather larger, weighing’ about three drams ; the plu- 
mage exactly like the male. 
I have never,” says Sweet, “ observed it in any other situation than 
amongst tall trees, in woods or plantations, where it is readily detected 
on its arrival, by its shrill shaking sort of note, which may be heard at 
a great distance, and cannot be confounded with the song of any other 
bird. When it first arrives, it continues to sing nearly all day long, and 
its song is continued more or less through most part of the summer, 
except the time that it is engaged in feeding its young ; it is then dis- 
covered by a dull mournful sort of call, quite different from that of any 
other bird. It may be easily watched to its nest, which is built on the 
ground, in a thicket of small bushes, and consists of moss and dried 
leaves, with a covering at the top of the same materials, so that it is 
scarcely possible to discover it, without watching the old birds to it, 
either when they are building, or carrying food to their young. I l>e- 
lieve they are to be found in most woods and large plantations in sum- 
mer. I have frequently heard them in Kensington Gardens amongst 
the tall trees, and have known it as long as I have known any thing 
about birds; it being plentiful in the woods of R. Bright, Esq., of Karm- 
green, near Bristol ; where it was known when I was a boy, by the 
name of the shaking bird of the wood, from its singular note, which 
sounds as if it was shaking as it utters it, and which it really is, as may 
be readily seen by any person who will take the trouble to notice it.”* 
The W^ood Wren is a migrative species, appearing with us first about 
the latter end of April, the females ten days or a fortnight later, and de- 
parting again in September. The reason this bird has been so little noticed 
as a distinct species, is its great similitude to the hay-bird, with which 
it has been confounded, and probably likewise with the chiff-chaff. 
But its superior size to the latter, and the pure whiteness of the under 
tail coverts, are characteristic marks of distinction ; which part in both 
the others is tinged with yellow ; the colour of the upper parts is also 
much more vivid, and the stroke above the eye brighter yellow. It 
differs also from those birds in manners and habits : this is found to 
inhabit the woods only in the breeding season. The nest is placed on 
the ground, in form like that of both the other birds, being oval, with a 
small hole near the top, constructed of dry grass, a few dead leaves, and 
a little moss ; and invariably lined with finer grass and a few long hairs. 
The other species always line their nests with feathers. * Mr. Sweet 
(a high authority on such a subject) informs me, that he has often 
found the nest on the trunk of a tree.* The eggs are six in number, 
white, sprinkled all over with purplish spots. In some these markings 
