BIRDS. 191 
edges; the tail nearly the same; the nether part of the 
neck, throat, and upper part of the breast of a pale ash- 
colour; the lower belly white tinctured with yellow. 
Tlie Black-cap visits us about the middle of April, and 
retires in September ; it frequents gardens, and builds its 
nest near the ground. The female lays five eggs of a pale 
reddish brown, sprinkled with spots of a darker colour. 
This bird sings sweetly, and so like the nightingale, that 
in Norfolk it is called the mock nightingale. White ob- 
serves, that it has usually a full, sweet, deep, loud, and 
wild pipe, yet the strain is of short continuance, and its 
motions desultory ; but when it sits calmly, and in ear- 
nest engages in song, it pours forth very sweet but inward 
melody ; and expresses a great variety of sweet and gentle 
modulations, superior perhaps to any of our warblers, the 
nightingale excepted ; and while it sings, its throat is 
wonderfully distended. 
THE WREN. (Sylvia Troglodytes.) 
Fast by my couch, congenial guest, 
The Wren has wove her mossy nest ; 
From busy scenes and brighter skies 
To lurk with innocence she flies ; 
Her hopes in safe repose to dwell, 
Nor aught suspects the sylvan cell. 
T. WARTON. 
THK Wren is a very small bird ; indeed, one species, the 
golden crested, is the smallest in Europe ; but as if 
