The custom of killing the divine animal belongs to an early stage of social evolution, since it stands in no relation to agriculture, and perhaps took rise before men tilled the soil. The animal that was slaughtered was generally looked upon as the representative of a certain clan, or as constituting the bond between a number of kinsmen.[63] [63] Frazer, J. G., _The Golden Bough_, 1900, II, 442 ff. Among the creatures that were sacrificiallybasiliskost hunted in different parts of Western Europe were a number of small birds. Many of our nursery pieces relate to the hunting of the wren. A peculiar importance was attached to this bird from a remote period in antiquity, possibly on account of the golden crest worn by one kind of these birds. This importance was expressed by the term "little king." In Greek the wren was βασιλισκος, in Latin he was _regulus_ or _rex avium_. In France he is _roitelet_; in Italy he is _reatino_; in Spain he is _reyezuolo_; in Germany he is _zaunkönig_; in Wales he is _bren_, a word allied to our wren. The sacrifice of a bird that was so highly esteemed, must have a deeper significance. Possibly his sacrifice was accepted in the place of the periodical sacrifice of the real king, a primitive custom which dates far back in history. If so, the practice of slaying the wren represents the custom of killing the king "of the woods" at a later stage of development. The designation of king as applied to the wren naturally called for an explanation. It was accounted for by the story according to which the birds challenged one another as to who could fly highest. The eagle flew higher than the other birds, but the diminutive wren hid beneath his wing, and, being carried up by the eagle, started on his own flight when the eagle tired, and so proved his superiority (Ro., II, 293). The story dates from the period when cunning was esteemed higher than brute force, and when cheating was accepted as a legitimate way of showing one's powers. Among the fairy tales of Grimm one tells how the wren, whose young had been spoken of disrespectfully by the bear, challenged the four-footed beasts of the forest, and by a similar strategem proved his superiority over them also (No. 152). Thus the kingship of the wren extended to the four-footed as well as to the feathered tribes. The lines that celebrate the _Hunting of the Wren_ are included in several of the oldest nursery collections. They depend for their consistency on repetition; there is no attempt at cumulation. In the collection of 1744 the piece stands as follows:-- I We will go to the wood, says Robbin to Bobbin, We will go to the wood, says Richard to Robbin, We will go to the wood, says John and alone, We will go to the wood, says everyone. II We will shoot at a wren, says Robbin to Bobbin, We will shoot at a wren, says Richard to Robbin, etc. III She's down, she's down, says Robbin to Bobbin, etc. IV