THE WRENS. 
315 
and dull chestnut ; tail-feathers dull chestnut, barred across 
with dusky blackish ; head like the back ; lores and sides of 
face dull ashy, the ear-coverts washed with brown; eyebrow 
ashy-grey ; cheeks and upper throat ashy ; the lower throat 
and breast ashy, slightly washed with brown ; sides of body 
reddish-brown ; barred with dusky, especially distinct on the 
lower flanks and under tail-coverts, the latter having white 
tips to the feathers ; axillaries brown ; under wing-coverts 
ashy, washed with brown ; quills dusky below, ashy along the 
inner web ; bill dark brown, paler below ; feet paler brown ; 
iris dark brown. Total length, 4-2 inches; culmen, 0-5; 
wing, 1 '85 ; tail, 1 '2 ; tarsus, 07. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male. Total length, 4"o ; wing, 
1-83. 
Young. — Very like the adults in colour, but has the wings 
and tail less distinctly banded ; the breast more rufescent, the 
feathers also obscurely mottled with brown edgings ; abdomen 
also rufescent, and with scarcely any dusky bars. 
Range in Great Britain. — Generally distributed throughout the 
whole of the three kingdoms. The birds which inhabit the 
outlying islands of Scotland are larger than those found on the 
mainland. Thus the Wrens of the Shetlands are slightly larger 
than those found in Great Britain, while the S. Kilda Wren, 
A. hirtensis, is larger still, and approaches in size A. borealis 
from the Faeroe Islands. A considerable migration takes place 
every autumn on our eastern coasts. 
Range outside the British Islands. — Distributed generally over 
Europe, extending as high as 64" N. lat. in Scandinavia and 
nearly as high in Northern Russia, its breeding range being 
limited by iio°E. longitude. It is found in Northern Africa, 
and occurs in Asia Minor and Northern Palestine as far as the 
Caucasus and Northern Persia. 
Habits. The Wren is one of our most familiar species, and 
is as great a personal favourite as the Robin. Its familiarity 
justifies the affection with which it is regarded, for, like the 
Robin, it is one of those tame little visitors which frequent the 
warden and the neighbourhood of houses in winter, where it will 
