When the nightingale, the swallow, and many other of our summer visitors desert us, the little Wren remains through the long winter to cheer us with her song. She is a tiny bird, but her song is very loud, and sweet, and clear, and she may often be heard singing gaily even while the snow is falling. In the springtime the Wren builds her nest in the woods, choosing a place as near to the ground as possible, but later in the year she leaves her snug home and takes up her quarters under the eaves of houses, or as near as she can get to the dwellings of man. [Illustration: The Wren] The Eagle The Eagle has long been regarded as the King of Birds, just as the lion is spoken of as the King of Beasts. There are some who say that he is not worthy of this honour, but certainly few of his subjects would care to fight him for the crown, for he has a remarkably strong beak, and his feet are armed with the sharpest of claws. Soaring high up in the air, he swoops down on his prey like a thunderbolt from the sky, and carries it off to his nest on some rocky cliff or steep mountain side. Small birds, rabbits, lambs, and fawns all help to fill the Eagle’s larder. [Illustration: The Eagle] The White Heron The White Heron lives upon what he can pick up on the borders of marshes or the banks of rivers. He has a pretty large bill of fare, including fish, frogs, rats, mice, and various kinds of snails, worms, and insects. With his long legs he wades for some distance into the water, and there he stands without a movement, waiting for the fish to come within reach of his terrible beak. But at the same time he keeps a watchful eye upon what is going on around him; for the Heron is very shy, and if you go to call upon him, you will probably find that he is not at home. [Illustration: The White Heron] The Turkey Although his gobble-gobble is now to be heard in every farmyard, it is only a few hundred years since the Turkey first came to this country. He did not come from Turkey, as people at one time thought, but from the Continent of North America, where he is still to be found in his wild state. Mr. and Mrs. Turkey are not always on good terms, for when Mrs. Turkey lays an egg she has to hide it away to prevent her husband from destroying it. In fact, he is a tyrant, and is not afraid of anybody, except Father Christmas. [Illustration: The Turkey] The Bird of Paradise The Bird of Paradise is the most gorgeous of living creatures. From the crest of his head to the last feather in his magnificent tail he is a blaze of brilliant colour. And very proud he is of his good looks—so much so that a number of these beautiful birds will assemble together merely in order to show themselves off to one another. In New Guinea, where the Bird of Paradise lives, the natives call these gatherings dancing parties; but the poor hen bird, who is not at all good-looking, is not invited. [Illustration: The Bird of Paradise] The Barn-door Fowl