192 A DESCRIPTION OF 
nature had intended to compensate the want of size and 
bulk in the individuals, by multiplying them to a greater 
amount, this little bird is perhaps one of the most prolific 
of the feathered tribe : its nest contains often upwards of 
eighteen eggs of a whitish colour, and not much bigger 
than a pea. The male and female enter by a hole con- 
trived in the middle of the nest, and which, by its situation 
and size, is accessible to none beside themselves. The 
Wren weighs no more than three drachms. The notes of 
this bird are very sweet, and rival the songs of the robin 
redbreast, in the middle of winter, when the coldness of 
the weather has condemned the other songsters to silence ; 
and, like the redbreast, it frequently approaches the habi- 
tation of man, enlivening the rustic garden with its song 
the greater part of the year. It begins to make a nest 
early in the spring, but frequently deserts it before it is 
lined, and searches for a more secure place. The Wren 
does not, as is usual with most other birds, begin to build 
the bottom of the nest first. When against a tree, its pri- 
mary operation is to trace upon the bark the outline, and 
thus to fasten it with equal strength to all parts. It 
then, in succession, closes the sides and top, leaving only 
a small hole for entrance. 
THE WILLOW WREN. (Sylvia trochilus.) 
The Willow Wren is somewhat larger than the common 
Wren. The upper parts of the body are of a pale olive- 
green ; the under parts are pale yellow, and a streak of 
yellow passes over the eyes. The wings and tail are brown, 
edged with the yellowish green ; and the legs are inclined 
to yellow. This bird is migratory, visiting us usually 
about the middle of April, and taking its departure to- 
wards the end of September. The females construct their 
nests in holes at the roots of trees, in hollows of dry banks, 
and other similar places. These are round, and riot unlike 
