Griggs courier., 1891-03-13
LEegNps 81 THe wREN.
tts Trick ON An Eagle Wins It Popularity
Among the Irish.

tts Trick ON An Eagle Wins It Popularity |
Among the Irish.
In ireland the wren is called the king
of birds One old legend among the
Irish, that dates as far back as the DAYS
Of the Druids, is thus stated:
Once upon q time the eagle, always
proud of his strength and valor,scalled
all the birds together for a trial of
fight, with this understanding, that he
who scared the highest would forever
command the distinctive title Of king
of birds.''
The eagle, by common consent, had
been invested with the honor from time
immemorial and he had no idea Of Civ
ing it up; but the better to impress his
superiority on all inferior birds he called
together the whole feathered tribe for
this grand flying tournament.
At the appointed time the birds came.
There were thrushes, linnets, magpies,
crows, blackbirds, bluebirds, hawks
doves. robins, sparrows, nightingales.
larks, G g,me birds from the forest, sea-
birds from the coast and last of all, but
as noisy as any of them, came the
turkeys, geese, ducks and hens from
the barnyards.
The eagle surveyed them all with his
piercing eyes. At some of them he cast
q contemptuous glance, but when he
saw the skylark he looked little un-
easy. This was the only bird he really
feared, for the skylark can fly very high.
But his fears did not last long, for just
then he saw something to make him
laugh. 1t was the little wren hopping
along s,ucily with his jaunty little tail
perked up with the utmost assurance.
One would think he surely expected to
win the prize.
The eagle began to poke fun at him,
and all the other birds joined in, SO that
the poor little wren was glad to escape
out of sight.
When the signal was given for the
birds to start he was nowhere to be
seen, and if any one thought of him at
all it was probably to conclude that he
had realized the folly of his trying to
compete with those SO much stronger
han himself, and had wisely gone home
to his nest in the hedge.
At q given signal away flew the birds.
Up, up, up! The wild goose did very
well, SO did the hawk, and the skylarlk
kept close under the eagles big wings;
but one by one they had to give up, all
but the proud old eagle. He kept on
soaring until he reached point from
which he could not raise himself another
inch.
Then he looked down proudly at all
the representatives of the feathered
tribe below him, and they looked up
admiringly at him, when suddenly up
above him few little dark speck. It
was a bird, and the Mortified eagle
looked up to see the despised little wren
lowering above him.
All the other birds saw him too, and
they set up great shout. Then down
few the crestfallen eagle.
AS the birds touched the ground they
looked for the wren, and they saw him
hop off the eagles back. He had been
nesting among the feathers, and the
big eagle did not feel his weight.
So it was that when the eagle and the
other birds had used up all their strength
he was able to reach q point higher than
all of them.
According to the letter Of the law the
wren was adjudged ''lking of birds, but,
as one may suppose, the eagle was very
angry. He set to work and cursed the
wren and laid a spell on him SO that he
should never again be able to fly over
any thing, and to this day an Irish wren
can not fly over hedge; he must find
an opening in it somewhere before he
can pass from one field or garden to an
other
The Druids treated the wren with
| great distinction, but when Christianity
was introduced into the country the first
Christian missionaries, not above SUPER
stition themselves, considered their ad-
miratiou great offense, and since then
the poor little king has sometimes had
hard time of it.
Another incident to bring the wren
into ill-repute with the Irish is the story
that once when the Danes had invaded
Ireland party of them while asleep
were about to be surrounded by the ma
tives when several wrens awoke them
by pecking on their drums. The same
story is told of wrens awaking detach-
ment of Protestants during one of the
religious wars of Ireland.
Either affair would be enough to make
the Irish hate the poor little wren, and
they set apart St. Stephens Day-that
is the day following Christmas-on
which to persecnte him.
On that day the Nile men and boys 20
wren hunting. They take sticks or
clubs and run like mad from hedge to
hedge until they succeed in killing one.
Then they form a procession and carry
about the poor little body, hung by one
leg in the center of two hoops crossing
each other at right angles, the whole ar
rangement decorated with bits of col
ored ribbon. They march from door to
door, and in front Of each the funny one
of the party, called the ''drolleen,"
sings:
The wren, the wren,
The king of all birds,
st. Stephens Day
He was caught in the frs;
And although he is little
His family's great,
So arise, good lady,
And give us treat.
They usually receive a hearty vel
come, and the treat-rhyming with