WESTERN BIRDS Kinglet 



For two years plant, or bark, lice had been infesting the 

 trees. The birds noted were not feeding on the needles 

 this time, but mainly on the trunks and larger branches. 

 They were unmindful of human investigation and it was 

 easy to see that they were feeding upon the eggs of the 

 aphids, which were deposited in masses on the bark of 

 the pines from a point near the ground to a height of 

 thirty-five feet. The trees must have been infested with 

 countless thousands of these eggs for the band of King- 

 lets remained three days, apparently feeding most of 

 the time upon them. 



Their manner of getting this food from the trunk was 

 to poise on wing while they picked the eggs from the 

 bark. Surely a pretty sight. 



There must be compensations in life, even in the bird 

 world, and if the Golden-crowned is more beautiful than 

 the Ruby-crowned, because of its gaudier head, the lat- 

 ter is the best singer. Golden-crowned seems to sing 

 in a fragmentary, interrupted way which, though hav- 

 ing something of the quality of the Ruby-crowned, lacks 

 completeness. The common call note is a high-pitched 

 tsee, tsee, tsee, or teezee, teezee, teezee. 



GENUS REGULUS : WESTERN GOLDEN- 

 CROWNED KINGLET. 



Western Golden-crowned Kinglet: Regulus satrapa 

 olivdceus. 



FAMILY— KINGLETS AND GNATCATCHERS. 



Breeding along the western coast from Alaska to the 

 San Jacinto Mountains in southern California; winter- 

 ing from British Columbia to the highlands of Mexico, 

 is found the Western Golden-crowned Kinglet, which 

 differs from its eastern relative in being brighter, hav- 



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