CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 1 45 



commencing on August 6th and lasting ninety-two 

 days, reached from the Channel to the Faroes." 

 He also speaks of other migrations, lasting eighty- 

 two and eighty-seven days respectively, in the years 

 1 883- 1 884, finally winding up this interesting subject 

 as follows : " On such occasions, bushes and gardens 

 on the coast are covered with birds as with a swarm 

 of bees ; crowds flutter round the lanterns of light- 

 houses, and the rigging of fishing smacks in the 

 North Sea is thronged with the weary travellers." 

 The Gold-Crest is very common in the south of 

 Ireland, Kerry particularly, and there, in the winter, 

 the Irish peasant lads have the curious custom of 

 turnino- out in laroe numbers to kill with stones as 



o o 



many of these little innocents on Boxing Day as 

 they possibly can. There is some sort of supersti- 

 tion attaching to this, but what I don't exactly know. 

 The nest is very large, and most beautifully con- 

 structed of moss, grasses, leaves, spiders' webs, 

 closely felted together, the lining being of feathers ; 

 it generally is suspended near the end of a branch 

 of a yew or fir tree. Six to ten eggs are laid, of a 

 yellowish-white, spotted with reddish-brown on the 

 thick end. The Gold-Crest is generally distributed 

 over Europe. Malta is a stopping-place on the north- 

 ward migration in spring, and the southward journey 

 in autumn. 



The specimen in the case was shot in the 

 Caterham Valley, Surrey. 



