traces the outline on the bark, and closes the sides and top in succession. When it builds against a hayrick, the exterior of the nest is of that material; when it is on the side of a tree covered with white lichen, or green moss, the fabric is of one or other of those substances; but the interior is uniformly lined with feathers.

THE house wren is a well known and familiar bird, who builds his nest, sometimes under the eaves, or in a hollow cherry tree; but most commonly in small boxes fixed on a pole, for its accommodation. He will even put up with an old hat, and if even this is denied him, he will find some hole or crevice, about the house or barn, rather than abandon the dwellings of man. A mower once hung up his coat, under a shed near a barn; two or three days elapsed before he had occasion to put it on; thrusting his arm up the sleeve he found it completely filled with some rubbish as he expressed it, and on extracting the whole mass, found it to be the nest of a wren, completely finished and lined with a large quantity of feathers. In his retreat he was followed by the forlorn little proprietors, who scolded him with great vehemence, for thus ruining the whole economy of their domestic affairs.

The immense number of insects which this sociable little bird removes from the garden and fruit trees ought to endear him to every cultivator; and his notes, loud, sprightly, and tremulous, are extremely agreeable. Its food is insects and caterpillars, and while supplying the wants of its young, it destroys, on an average, many hundreds a day. It is a bold and insolent bird against those that venture to build within its jurisdiction; attacking them without hesitation, though twice its size, and compelling them to decamp. I have known him to drive a pair of swallows from their newly formed nest, and take immediate possession of the premises. Even the blue-bird, when attacked by this little impertinent, soon relinquishes the contest; with those of his own species, also, he has frequent squabbles.

The house wren inhabits the whole of the United States. It is four inches and a half long; the whole upper parts are a deep brown; the throat, breast, and cheeks, clay color; the under parts mottled.

THE MARSH WREN1

Is very numerous along the tide-water of the rivers in Pennsylvania, where they frequent the reeds and splatter docks, to search for flying insects, and green grasshoppers, which are its principal food. To such places it limits its excursions. As to its notes, it would be mere burlesque to call them song. It builds a durable and warm nest of rushes and mud, which it suspends among the reeds. Its size, color, and habit of erecting its tail, give it something the appearance of the house wren. It is five inches long, and of a dark brown color.

THE GREAT CAROLINA WREN2

WOULD at first sight be called a wren, but this and the preceding are decidedly creepers. It is found only in the southern states, where it is attached to cypress swamps, deep hollows, among decaying timber, and coves near rivers and creeks. It has all the jerking manner of the wren, skipping about with great nimbleness, hopping into caves, and disappearing into holes and crevices like a rat, for several minutes, and then reappearing in another quarter. It occasionally utters a loud, strong, and singular twitter, resembling the word chirrup, dwelling long and strongly on the first syllable. It has also another chant, rather more musical, like "Sweet William, Sweet William," much softer than the former. Its food seems to consist of those insects and their larvæ that frequent low damp caves, piles of dead timber, old roots, projecting banks of creeks, &c. It is five inches and a quarter long, and of a reddish brown color.

THE WHEAT-EAR.3

THIS bird weighs upwards of an ounce, and has a slender black bill, about half an inch long; the tongue is cloven or slit, and the inside of the mouth black; the eyes are of a hazel color, above which there is a white line passing towards the hinder part of the head; and below them, a large black one, which extends itself from the corners of the mouth to the ears. The head and back appear of a cinereous color, with a mixture of red. The rump is

1 Troglodytes palustris, BONAP.

2 Troglodytes ludovicianus, BONAF.

3 Saxicola ananthe, BECHST. The genus Saricola has the bill straight, slender, slightly carinated, and advancing upon the forehead; the top of the under mandible a little bent and emarginated; nostrils basal, lateral, ovoid, partly concealed by a membrane; tarsus considerably longer than the middle toe; the outer toe joined at its base to the middle one; third and fourth quill feathers the longest.

generally white, from whence, by some, it has the name of white-tail; the belly is white, tinged with yellow, dashed faintly with red; the breast and throat are more deep; the coverts and quills are black, with their extreme

edges white, tinctured with a dusky red: the tail is something more than two inches long, and the upper half of it is black, the lower, white. The female wants the black mark across the eyes; the bar of white across the tail is narrower than that of the male; and the general colors are more dull.

The wheat-ear visits England annually in the middle of March, and leaves in September. The females come first, about a fortnight before the males; and they continue to come till the middle of May. In some parts of England they are found in vast plenty, and are much esteemed. About Eastbourne, in Sussex, they are taken in snares made of horse-hair, placed beneath a long turf. As they are very timid birds, the motion even of a cloud, or the appearance of a hawk, will immediately drive them into the traps. These traps are first set every year on St. James's day, (July 25;) soon after which, they are caught in astonishing numbers, considering that they are not gregarious, and that more than two or three are scarcely ever seen flying together. The numbers annually ensnared in the district of Eastbourne alone is said to amount to nearly two thousand dozen. One shepherd has caught eighty-four dozen of them in a day. The birds caught are chiefly young ones, and they are invariably found in the greatest number when an easterly wind prevails; as they always come against the wind.

It is supposed, that the immense swarms of these birds which are found on the downs about Eastbourne, are occasioned by a species of fly, their favorite food, that feeds on the wild thyme, and abounds in the adjacent hills. In England they are held in as much estimation as the ortolan is on the continent. A few of these birds breed in the old rabbit-burrows there. The nest is large, and made of dry grass, rabbit's down, a few feathers, and horsehair. The eggs are from six to eight, and are of a light color.

THIS is an elegant, slender-bodied bird, and, next to the robin and the sparrow, is the most familiar with man. It weighs about six drachms, and is about seven inches and a half from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, and about eleven between the point of each wing, when extended. It has a slender, straight, sharp bill, of a black or dusky color, upwards of an inch long; the circles of the eyes are brown, or hazle colored, with a large white spot encircling each eye, and another or two underneath it, on each side of the throat; the top of the head, and the fore part of the neck, or throat, and the upper part of the back, are all black. Some of the tips of the quill feathers are white, which form a small white line upon the wing, and another is also formed by the white edges of some of the rows of the covert feathers; the lower parts of the breast and belly are both white. The tail is about three inches long, and is almost continually in motion, wagging up and down, from whence it is supposed to derive the name of wagtail; the outer feathers are chiefly white, the rest black. This motion is supposed to be intended to make the tail act as a kind of lever or counterpoise, to balance the body on the legs. The claws are sharp pointed, and pretty long, of a dusky or blackish color.

These birds are frequently seen about the brinks of rivers, ponds, and small pools of water, and also amongst the low grass in dewy mornings, where they feed upon flies, worms, beetles, and other small insects. They particularly haunt streams where women come to wash their linen, the insects being attracted thither by the froth of the soap. From this circumstance the French call them lavandières. They build under the eaves of houses, and in holes in the walls of old buildings; laying four or five eggs.

1 Motacilla alba, LIN. The genus Motacilla has the bill slender, straight, subulate, angular between the nostrils; edges of the lower mandible compressed; nostrils basal, lateral, oval, partly concealed by a naked membrane; tarsus considerably longer than the middle toe; exterior toe joined to the middle one at the base; hind claws strong and sometimes long; tail very long, equal, horizontal; one of the larger coverts as long as the wing feathers.

ORDER IV.-GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.

BIRDS of this order have the bill more or less conical, short, and strong; ridge more or less flattened, advancing upon the forehead; mandibles generally without notches; three toes before and one behind, the anterior ones entirely divided; wings of medium length.

Is one of the most esteemed of the European song birds. It is found throughout the whole of Europe, many parts of Asia, and the north of Africa. Its song is begun early in the spring, and continued during the greater part of summer. It rises perpendicularly in a spiral flight, singing as it rises, till it frequently soars beyond the reach of vision. On the approach of winter, the larks begin to collect in immense flocks, quitting the more elevated parts of the country, and resorting to the coasts; at this period they are fat, and vast numbers are taken for the table. The lark is six inches in length; its color is reddish, with the under parts yellowish white.

The lark builds its nest upon the ground, beneath some turf, that serves to hide and shelter it. The female lays four or five eggs, of a dusky hue, in color somewhat like those of a plover. It is while she is sitting, that the male usually entertains her with his singing; and while he is risen to an imperceptible height, yet he still has his loved partner in his eye, nor once loses sight of the nest, either while he ascends or is descending. This

Alauda arvensis, LIN. The genus Alauda has the bill subconic, short, with the mandibles of equal length, and the upper one slightly convex; nostrils basal, lateral, partly concealed by reflected feathers; claw of the hind toe much produced, and nearly straight; wings with the first quill short or wanting, the third the longest; coronal feathers generally produced.