420 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. 



The American Golden^crested Wren is from 4 to 4^ inches long, 

 the female 3|, or thereabouts. Above yellow-olive, with the hind 

 head and sides of the neck inclining to ash ; a dull whitish line, 

 passing round the frontlet, extends over and beyond the eye on eith- 

 er side ; above passes a broadish stripe of deep black in the same 

 manner ; the inner webs and tips of the interior of these dark feath- 

 ers are of a bright lemon-yellow, forming a line of that color, and 

 the lowest of these feathers on the front are almost wholly of the 

 same yellow ; the inner crown then presents a bed of rich flame 

 color, which passes over the top of the head. The lateral black 

 and particolored feathers are much the longest, and the two tufts 

 are capable of widening or approaching, so as at will either to display 

 or conceal the splendor of the crown. From the upper mandible to 

 the bottom of the ear-feathers runs a line of black, accompanied by 

 another which is whitish, from the lower mandible. Beneath grey- 

 ish-white inclining to yellow. Wings and tail dusky, edged with yel- 

 low-olive, edges of the inner vanes of the former whitish ; greater 

 wing-coverts dusky, tipped with white, and edged with olive, form- 

 ing a whitish bar on the wing ; another smaller bar appears also near 

 the shoulder, formed by the tips of the upper coverts ; immedi- 

 ately below the greater white bar there is a large dark spot on the 

 secondaries, below which the same feathers continue to be edged 

 with olive. Tail rather long and forked. Legs brownish-yellow, 

 feet and claws yellow. Bill black and slender, widish and depress- 

 ed at the base. The nostrils, as usual, covered each by a decompound, 

 recumbent feather. — The female is much more dusky, and dull 

 whitish beneath. As the American bird is probably a distinct spe- 

 cies, we propose to distinguish it as follows : 



^;^_ AMERICAN FIERY-CROWNED WREN. 



(Regulus ^tricolor. Sylvia regulus, Wilson, i, p. ;126. pi. 8. fig. 2. 

 [male]. Bonap. i. p. 22. pi. 2. fig. 4. [female.] 



Sp. Charact. — Yellowish-olive ; beneath whitish, tinged with olive- 

 grey ; cheeks greyish-white ; crown flame-colored, bordered with 

 yellow and black ; bill slender and rather short. Length more 

 than 4 inches. — Female, beneath greyish- white ; crown lemon- 

 yellow. — Young male, with the crown golden-yellow. 



Note. — The true Reguhts cristaUis is also probably a passenger 

 through the United States in winter and spring. On the 15th of 



