WRENS. 
5°9 
while others occur in Patagonia and North-West America. Among a large number 
of generic types (nineteen), space admits of our noticing hut two. 
True Wrens ^he common wren and its congeners have the beak of moderate 
size, pointed and slightly curved; the wing being very short and 
rounded, and the tail also comparatively short and rounded. The feet are strong 
for so small a bird, and the metatarsus is comparatively long. Typically a 
European bird, the common wren (Troglodytes vulgaris) is represented in the 
Kurile Islands by a race remarkable for its long bill; while the Japanese wren is 
darker and more rufous on the under-parts than the British one. Mr. Seebohm 
considers, however, that 
in the colour of the 
upper-parts the various 
forms of wrens com¬ 
pletely intergrade, so 
that it is impossible to 
draw a line anywhere 
between the palest desert 
forms from Algeria and 
Turkestan and the dark¬ 
est tropical forms from 
Kashmir and Sikhim. 
A pale form of wren 
inhabits even the desolate 
Behring Island. 
The common wren 
is one of the most familiar 
of European birds, its 
sweet ringing song being 
heard at almost every 
season of the year, not 
excepting frosty weather. 
The wren builds a pretty 
domed nest, varying 
in material with the 
situation; one of the most unattractive that we have seen being built of strong 
wheat straws with a little hay added to the dome. Other nests have been made of 
green moss studded with lichen on the outside, but whatever the material employed 
the nest is always domed. The eggs are white, finely spotted with red. Mr. 
Dresser remarks that “ the wren has a peculiar habit of building nests which 
are not required for the purposes of incubation. Although it does not appear 
that anyone has been able satisfactorily to show for what purpose they are 
constructed, my own opinion is that they are intended as houses of refuge 
during cold or inclement weather; and this has been shared by many other 
naturalists. The wren appears to be susceptible of cold; and, during the winter, 
an entire family will creep into a convenient hole, and by huddling close together 
retain as much heat as possible.” We have captured wrens in their roost in 
WRENS AND THEIR NEST. 
