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ON THE NIDIFICATION OF THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. 

 By the Rev. R. P. Alington. 



In the first volume of Bewick's British Birds, page 23G, I find the following 

 account of the nest of the Goldcrest {Sylvia regulus, Temm., Man.) : — 



" In these (the largest trees) it builds its nest, suspended from a branch, of a 

 kind of cordage made of the materials of which the nest is chiefly composed ; it is 

 of an oblong form, having an aperture on one side." 



As far as I have been able to examine the nest of this beautiful little species, 

 the above passage appears to be incorrect. Yet I should not have troubled you 

 with the following remarks, did not so recent a publication as Wilson's Ameri- 

 can Ornithology seem to favour the same opinion, from which I am led to sup- 

 pose that Bewick's description is still received as authentic. The passages al- 

 luded to in Wilson, I take from the edition published in 1832, with illustrative 

 Botes, &c. &c, by Sir William Jardine, in which it is said that the " Regulus 

 reguloides (Jard.) covers it (the nest) entirely round, leaving a small hole on 

 one side for entrance." (Vol. i, page 130). And Lucian Bonaparte, in hi3 

 continuation of Wilson, remarks that " they both (Regulus reguloides and R. 

 cristatus) build their nests of the same admirable construction, having the 

 entrayice on the upper part ;" (vol. iii. page 285). The Golden-crested Wren 

 appears not generally to build in the larger trees, though sometimes the nest is 

 found in the Spruce Fir, but then not far from the ground. But its favourite 

 place of abode seems to be in the thick Juniper bushes. I have found it, also, in 

 quick hedge-rows, and more than once on the taper branch of the Labernum. 



In every specimen, too, that I have examined, the nest has always been (as in 

 that of most other species of birds) entirely open at the top, the parent sitting 

 with its bill and a portion of its tail projecting over the edge, though the back is 

 much sunk down, owing to the great depth of the nest. In the year 1834 I 

 examined four, two built in the Spruce Fir, and two in Juniper bushes ; except- 

 ing in one specimen, and in that only in a slight degree, there was no appearance 

 of any cordage whatever to support the nest. In 1835 I examined four more, 

 with nearly the like result. In one specimen there was certainly the appear- 

 ance of cordage, but it was much broken and disjointed. In another, on one 

 side of the nest, an entire cord made chiefly of moss ; but it gave no support to 

 the nest, merely serving to secure a twig that ran underneath. In 1836 I pro- 

 cured only two nests ; one was placed in a thick thorn hedge, and had not the 

 least appearance of any cordage, the other was situated underneath the branch of a 

 Labernum, not far from the extremity, and had all the appearance of being sup- 

 ported by two cords running from the opposite edges of the nest to the main 



