How the Wren Family Moved.
All the birds were wondering about the strange-looking man that stood in Farmer Brown's cornfield.
The blue jays, the blackbirds, and the crows were frightened.
They wanted to dig up the corn, but they were afraid of the scarecrow.
Now, said the farmer, the birds will not eat my corn as soon as it comes up.
This scarecrow looks so much like a man that the birds will not come near it.
But the wrens were not afraid of the scarecrow.
They had lived near houses, and they had learned that people would not hurt them.
They flew all around the scarecrow and soon saw that it was not a man.
Then Mrs. Wren found a little hole in the scarecrow's hat.
She looked inside and saw a good place for a nest.
Wrens are very small birds.
They are afraid of most big birds.
They hide their nests so that crows and blue jays will not find their eggs and eat them.
That is why wrens often make their nests in very strange places.
Mr. and Mrs. Wrens thought that the scarecrow's hat would be the best place in the world for a nest.
They knew that the bigger birds were afraid to come near the scarecrow.
Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Wren were very busy.
They brought weeds and grass from the pasture to build their tiny round nest.
Then they found some feathers and put them inside the nest to make it soft and warm.
It took the birds just five days to make their nest.
One week after it was done there were six little spotted eggs in the nest inside the scarecrow's hat.
Mrs. Wren sat on her nest day after day.
In two weeks there were six tiny wrens in the nest.
At first the baby wrens had no feathers and could not open their eyes.
They looked very strange, but Mr and Mrs Wren were sure they were the most beautiful children in the world.
The little Wrens were always hungry.
Though Father and Mother Wren worked all day, they could hardly get bugs and worms enough for the six hungry mouths.
How proud Mr and Mrs Wren were of their little family and the strange home inside the Scarecrow's Hat.
The scarecrow was a good friend to the wrens.
He frightened away the crows and blue jays.
His big hat kept the hot sun and the rain away from the six baby birds in the tiny nest.
One day, both Mr. and Mrs. Wren were away from the nest a long time.
They were looking for bugs and worms.
When they came back, they did not see the scarecrow.
Their little home was gone.
How frightened and sad they were!
Though they called and called to the young birds, there was no answer.
They flew around and around.
All at once they saw the scarecrow.
Farmer Brown was carrying it across the field in his arms.
The wrens followed the man farther and farther across the field.
They flew around and around him, and tried to tell him not to hurt their little ones.
But the farmer did not know what they wanted.
He had not seen the nest.
On went Farmer Brown.
At last he stopped, and the wrens saw him put the scarecrow in the middle of his garden.
Now, said the farmer, the birds will not come and eat my young plants.
As soon as he had gone, the wrens flew to the scarecrow.
They found their six young ones safe and happy.
When Farmer Brown found that he had moved a family of birds into his garden, he laughed and laughed.
I am glad they are wrens, he said.
Wrens help to keep bugs and worms out of gardens.