THE GOLDCRESr 59 



with feathers. The foliao^e surroundino' it is skil- 

 fully interwoven, so that the whole appears nothing 

 but an unusually dense clump of twigs and leaves. 

 The eggs are usually from five to eight in number, 

 but ten have been found. They are pale reddish- 

 white in ground-colour, sometimes pure white, 

 minutely speckled with brownish-red, chiefly on the 

 larger end. Both eggs and nest are unique so far 

 as British birds are concerned, and cannot possibly 

 be confused with those of any other species. The 

 Goldcrest is shy and retiring during the nesting 

 season, and a close sitter, but the tiny moss-built 

 home is easily discovered by those who know where 

 to seek it. But one brood is reared in the season, 

 and young and old keep in company after the former 

 leave the nest. 



The food of the Goldcrest is chiefly composed of 

 insects and their larvae, but small seeds, notably of 

 the birch and heather, and soft berries, such as those 

 of the yew, are also eaten. In districts which come 

 within the limits of the migrations of this bird its 

 annual wanderings are very interesting. The bird 

 is well known along the shores of the wild North 

 Sea and to the men who sail its waters. Sometimes 

 vast swarms of this tiny migrant are met with far 

 out to sea, and they have been known to cluster on 

 the rigging of ships, and to visit lighthouses and 

 light-vessels in astonishing numbers. For further 

 particulars relating to the migrations of the Gold- 



