102 
bird 
s. 
different birds; in fome are of a bright yellow, 
in others it fades almoft into white. It builds in 
hollows in the fides of ditches, making its nefi: in 
the form of an egg ; with a large hole at the 
top, as an entrance : the outfide is compofed of 
SPECIES 
Wil. orn. 229. 
Rail fyn. av. 80. 
Reguius. Rriffon av. III. 425. 
f- T^H E wren may be placed among the 
I fined of our fmging birds, tho’ its note 
is of no long continuance ; only during 
the breeding feafon. It makes its neft in a very 
curious manner; of an oval ffiape, very deep, 
with a fmall hole in the middle for egrefs and rq- 
grefs : the external material is mofs, within it is 
[Clafs II. 
mofs and hay, the infide lined with foft feathers. 
It lays commonly feven white eggs, marked with 
numerous fmall ruft-colored fpots. It has a low 
plaintive note; and is perpetually creeping up and 
down the bodies and boughs of trees. 
Paffer troglodytes. Gefner av. 651, 
Motacilla troglodytes. Lin-fyft. 188. 
lined with hair and feathers. It lays from ten to 
- fourteen eggs ; and as often brings up as many 
young; which, as Mr. Ray obferves, may be 
ranked among thofe daily miracles that we take 
no notice of; that it fhould feed fuch a number 
without paffing over one, and that too in utter 
darknefs. 
X. The Wren. 
SPECIES XL The Wheat-ear. 
Wheat-ear, fallow-imich, white-tail. 
IVil orn. 233. 
Rail fyn. av. 75. 
f H E wheat-ear vifits us about the mid^ 
die of March ; we have obferved that 
the females arrive about a fortnight be¬ 
fore the male. They frequent warrens, downs, 
and the edges of hills, efpecially thofe that are 
fenced with ftone walls. They breed in the lat¬ 
ter, and in old rabbet burroughs: they grow very 
fat in autumn, and are efteemed a delicacy. In 
Sujfex they are taken by the fhepherds in great 
numbers, in fnares made of horfe hair, placed 
'■ * 
under a long turf; being very timid birds, the 
motion of a cloud, or the appearance of a hawk 
will drive them for ffielter into thofe traps, and fo 
Oenanthe. Gefner ay. 629. 
Motacilla oenanthe. Lin. fyfl. 186. 
Vitiflora. Briffon av. III. 449. 
they are taken. The head and back of the male 
are of a light grey tinged with red : over each eye 
is a white line; beneath that is a broad black 
ftroke, paffing acrofs each eye to the hind part of 
the head : the rump and lower half of the tail 
are white; the upper half black : the under fide 
of the body is white tinged with yellow ; on the 
neck it inclines to red: the quil feathers are black 
edged with reddiffi brown. The colors of the 
female are more dull: it wants that black ftrokq 
crofs the eyes, and the bar of white on the tail is 
narrower. Thefe birds difappear in September . 
SPECIES 
