_THE LITTLE WREN._
[Illustration]
1. One of the prettiest birds that fly about our doors in summer is
the friendly little wren. It makes its home near the house, and its
glad song can be heard throughout the whole day.
2. One kind of wren builds its nest under the eaves, as shown in the
picture; but the common house-wren builds in almost any hole it can
find in a shed or stable.
3. They have been known to choose an old boot left standing in a
corner, an old hat hanging against the wall, and one time a workman,
taking down a coat which he had left for two or three days, found a
wren's nest in the sleeve.
4. The wren flies low, and but a little way at a time. Its legs, like
most of the singing birds, are small and weak, and it does not walk,
but when on the ground it goes forward by little hops.
5. It flies with a little tremor of its wings, but without any motion
of its body or tail. While its mate is sitting, the father wren will
flutter slowly through the air, singing all the time.
6. The mother wren lays from six to ten eggs, and hatches them out in
ten days. The young birds are naked of feathers, and seem to have only
mouths, which open for something to eat.
7. The old birds are busy in bringing the young ones worms and
insects, until they are old enough to fly. In this way a single pair
of wrens will destroy many hundred insects every day.
8. The wren quarrels with other birds if they try to build nests too
near it. It will often take the nest of the martin or bluebird when
the owner is away, and hold on to it.
9. At one time a wren was seen to go into the nest which a pair of
martins had just finished. When the martins came back, it beat them
off. The martins kept watch, and, when the wren was out, they went
back into their box, and built up a strong door, so the wren could not
get in.
10. For two days the wren tried to force its way in; but the martins
held on, and went without food during that time. At last the wren gave
up, and built a nest elsewhere, leaving the martins in quiet
possession of their own nest.