Like the great sedge warbler, our well known REED WREN, (Salicaria arundinacea,) builds the same elegant nest. This little bird is spread over the whole of Europe, wherever marshes, fens, and sluggish waters, abounding in reeds and tall grasses, afford it food and shelter. It is very common in the neighbourhood of London, though not often visible, since it lurks among the thickest recesses of the reed beds, whence it cannot be well driven out; there too, far from the brink of the water, out of reach and out of sight, it builds its nest, and rears its progeny. The eggs are pale greenish, blotched with brown. The plumage of this little bird is of a rufous brown above, with a whitish streak over the eye. Under parts pale reddish white. On page 167 is a sketch from nature of this bird and its elegant nest.

We must not omit the genus Regulus, distinguished by a very slender and compressed bill, and containing that smallest of British birds, the GOLDEN CRESted Wren, (Regulus vulgaris, Cuv.) as well as several foreign species. This beautiful little creature is spread throughout Europe, as far north as the arctic circle, and remains in the southern districts of our island during the whole of the winter in small flocks, which separate towards spring. Groves, woods, and plantations of fir are its favourite locality. Insects and their larvæ, after which it hunts with great assiduity, constitute its subsistence. On the continent it is abundant in the extensive pine forests of the north, whence it migrates southwards, after the summer is over, unwilling to contend with the severities of winter in those dreary regions. Hence it occasionally happens that the flocks permanently residing in our island have their numbers increased by multitudes of strangers, which (as happened in October, 1822) suddenly make their appearance on the coast, driven out of their usual course by violent stress of weather, the gale blowing from the north-east.

The nest of this diminutive bird is remarkable for its neat and compact structure; it is usually suspended at the extremity of the sweeping branch of a pine or larch; attached to the under side of the foliage, and secured with

great art to the twigs, so that it is covered by the leaves, which form a sort of pent-house, protecting it from the

rain.

It is built of a thick and well-compacted mass of moss, the webs of spiders, lichens, &c., and lined with downy feathers, and is exquisitely warm and soft. The following is a sketch from nature.

The weaving of this substantial nest must have been a work of great labour and assiduity, for, compared to the bulk of the diminutive architects, it is of large dimensions; the circumference being eleven inches, while the bird itself is but three inches and three-quarters in length. The eggs are from seven to ten in number, and of a pale yellowish brown. The general plumage of the Golden Crested Wren is olive green, a flame-coloured patch occupying the top of the head, bordered on each side with a narrow line of black.

Passing from the genus Regulus, let us pause a moment at that termed Troglodytes, which contains our well-known WREN, (Troglodytes Europæus.) Small as this little creature is, it braves our winter, cheering the gloom of the season by its shrill and lively strains. It is a familiar and sprightly bird, frequenting gardens, hedges, and groves near human dwellings, and building its artful nest in any convenient situation. Sometimes it chooses an ivy covered tree, sometimes an old thorn-bush, sometimes a haystack, sometimes a hole in an old wall or building. The nest is a large ball-like mass, with a small aperture in the side, leading into a snug and welllined chamber; it is composed of various substances, but moss usually enters largely into its structure; the lining is hair, feathers, wool, bits of worsted, down, and similar materials. The eggs are from eight to twelve in number.

Those well-known birds of passage, the WAGTAILS, belong to two genera of the present family; the Pied species being an example of the genus Motacilla, (Motacilla alba, while the Yellow Wagtail, so common in spring on our downs and commons, is an example of the genus Budytes, (Cuv.)

To these birds is allied the genus Enicurus, containing several species peculiar to India; in their general habits, and the celerity of their movements on the ground, where they trip along in chase of insects, they closely resemble our own Wagtails.

The PIPITS, (Anthus,) form another genus of the Sylviada, the province of which is the turf-clad surface of commons and pastures. From their general style of colouring, as well as from the elongation of the hind claw, they have been joined by many ornithologists to the larks. They differ however most essentially from these, in the form of the beak, which is narrow and slender; and in their food, which consists entirely of insects; hence they are migratory, visiting these northern latitudes in spring. They build on the ground, near marshy places, in tufts of grass or rushes, or among loose clods and stones. Many sing sweetly.

Our own MEADOW PIPIT, (Anthus pratensis,) which abounds on our commons in spring; and the TREe Pipit, (Anthus arboreus,) which frequents hilly districts covered with dwarf bushes and underwood, are examples that will suffice without a more detailed account. And here may be closed this sketch of the family of Sylviadæ ; an active busy race, subservient to the interests of man, and adding, by their forms and voices, animation, and a double charm to the scenery of nature. Can that man's heart be well attuned, who, as he wanders abroad in the freshness of spring, with nature blooming around, the flowers offering up their incense, and the woodland choristers their songs of praise, feels no emotion of gratitude or adoration to "Him, the great Master of all?" The birds of the air invite him with their harmony, to speak of His goodness, and show forth His praise.

FAMILY THE FOURTH.-MERULIDÆ, or the Thrushes. The family, Merulidæ, comprehends, besides the true thrushes, the orioles, the ouzels, the ant-thrushes, and many others. The diet is of a mixed character, most living on berries and fruits, together with snails, worms, caterpillars, and insects; some however are more insectivorous than others. In all, the beak is stronger than in the Sylviadæ, generally elongated, bent at the tip, and ridged along the top of the upper mandible. Different genera however differ widely, according to modifications