THE WREN.

CLARE, the Northamptonshire poet, thus addresses this pretty little bird, which, like the redbreast, frequently approaches the habitation of man, and enlivens the rustic garden with its song the greater part of the

year.

"Why is the cuckoo's melody preferr'd,

And nightingale's rich song so fondly prais'd
In poet's rhymes? Is there no other bird
Of Nature's minstrelsy, that oft hath rais'd
One's heart to ecstasy and mirth so well?
I judge not how another's taste is caught;
With mine are other birds that bear the bell,

Whose songs hath crowds of happiest memories brought:
Such the wood-robin singing in the dell,

And little wren, that many a time hath sought

Shelter from showers in huts where I may dwell

In early spring, the tenant of the plain,

Tending my sheep; and still they come to tell
The happy stories of the past again."

This favourite of one of our shepherd-poets enlivens our rustic gardens with its sprightly note during the greater part of the year. It very commonly builds under

the brow of a river's bank, where the turf overhangs, from being undermined by the stream: but the wren seems equally partial to the shelter afforded by ivy on trees or walls, though it will often build under the fork of a bare overhanging bough. A nest was observed in the small upper spray of a hawthorn, though one probably appears more commonly still, sheltered under the projecting side of a haystack, or the overhanging thatch of a cottage eave.

A wren, which for many years built her nest behind an ash-tree which overhung the writer's garden, was thus addressed :

"Little warbler, long hast thou

Perch'd beneath yon spreading bough,

Sung beneath yon ivied tree

Thy mossy nest I yearly see,

Safe from all thy peace annoys
Claws of cats and cruel boys.
We often hear thy chit-chat song
Call thy tiny brood along ;

While in her nest, or on a spray,

The throstle charms us with her lay.

Little warbler! cheerful wren!

Spring-time comes, and thou again.
Little warbler! thou, like me,

Delight'st in home and harmless glee;
What of peace is to be found
Circles all thy dwelling round;
Here with love, beneath the shade

Thy tranquil happiness is made:

With thy tiny, faithful mate,

Here meet'st, resign'd, the frowns of fate.
While prouder birds fly high or far,
Or mix them in the strife of war-

Or, restless, through the world will range,
And, restless, still delight in change,
Thou mak'st thy home a place of rest,
Affection, love, and that is best!
Then welcome, welcome, faithful wren!
Thrice welcome to thy home again !"

This ap

A strong desire to wash themselves appears in some birds, while others are as much inclined to dust themselves, as, for example, the common wren. pears to be dictated by instinct. It is scarcely possible for the little birds, in some instances, to see through the opening of their covered nests the parents dusting themselves on the ground; in other cases this could not be observed from the position of the nest; and, besides, the desire is equally powerful in all individuals. On the other hand, the nests of the wood-wren, and many birds which wash themselves eagerly on the first opportunity that occurs after they can feed themselves, could never have seen the like, their nest having been situated under the roots of a tree upon a dry bank in a wood. "This impulse," says the Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert," is therefore inspired by the Creator; and

it is inspired with a force that in captivity is like unto madness."

The parental feeling is strong in this little creature.

"The poor wren,

The most diminutive of birds, will fight,

Her young ones in her nest, against the owl."

any

Nor will other intruders escape her power: only let a boy or a weasel come within the precincts of her abode, and she will pursue and attack most courageously, though the weight of the wren is only two drachms and three-quarters.

It appears to be possible for this commonly quiet little bird to become impudent and oppressive. A swallow had placed her nest in the corner of a piazza next a gentleman's house; another bird occupied the opposite corner; and a wren occupied a little box, made on purpose, which hung in the middle. The birds were all quite tame; but the wren had shown dislike to its dwelling, though on what account was not known, and at length it determined to drive away the swallows. Singularly enough, it succeeded in its plot; and no sooner was the exploit performed, than, with great dexterity, it removed every material to its own abode. It appeared,

too, to enjoy its triumph; its wings were fluttered with great velocity, and great pleasure was perceptible in all its movements. Meanwhile the swallow sat meekly at a little distance, and never offered the slightest opposition; but no sooner was the plunder carried away, than it went to work with unabated energy, and in a few days repaired the depredations.