370 
COMMON WREN. 
persons. Its sprightly and active manners, and 
its loud and clear cry of alarm, call attention ; 
while its cheerful song in spring, and its utility in 
destroying insects, together with the small injury 
which it commits upon any of our crops, secures 
its protection. It is found in woods, and in the 
most retired the wanderer is frequently arrested 
by its shrill note, or its rapid flight across the 
path ; it dwells also in the midst of cultivation, 
delights in the garden, and in winter may be 
found near the farm yard among any heap of 
sticks or rubbish, using them as a shelter or as a 
retreat from danger ; and it is found also on 
grounds covered with a scanty foliage, but strewn 
with rocks, where it can hide and travel under. 
The nest is constructed under some hanging 
bank, or amidst the ivy or natural creepers which 
cover rocks or walls, even sometimes in a hedge 
or thick evergreen ; it is a structure large in pro- 
portion to the size of the bird, being almost equal 
to that of an ordinary sized hat ; it is built chiefly 
of moss, and is circular or domed, having an 
entrance hole on the one side ; and it is often so 
skilfully concealed, and so interwoven with the 
moss or herbage around, as to be with difficulty 
observed. In winter, the Wren comes nearer to 
the house and garden, often in small parties. It 
may be seen even in the most severe weather 
seeking for its sustenance, and sheltering itself in 
outhouses, or among rubbish, at night roosting in 
holes, or under the eaves of houses and ricks, 
several taking up their sleeping place in the 
