Edited by Richard Walker, Monday, 6 May 2019, 22:23
My brother Simon took this photo of a wren bursting into song
I always thought of the wren as being a quintessentially British bird and was very surprised to find the wrens are a family of 88 species, of which 87 are New World birds. Only the one species is found in the Old World.
When I was quite young the farthing still existed, worth ¼ of 1/240 of £1. I remember buying currant buns for 1 penny 3 farthings apiece. For a long time, until the coin was abolished I think, the design featured a wren on the reverse side. I don't why this was chosen, but people always seem to have felt well-disposed towards this charming little bird.
A wren in spring
My brother Simon took this photo of a wren bursting into song
I always thought of the wren as being a quintessentially British bird and was very surprised to find the wrens are a family of 88 species, of which 87 are New World birds. Only the one species is found in the Old World.
When I was quite young the farthing still existed, worth ¼ of 1/240 of £1. I remember buying currant buns for 1 penny 3 farthings apiece. For a long time, until the coin was abolished I think, the design featured a wren on the reverse side. I don't why this was chosen, but people always seem to have felt well-disposed towards this charming little bird.