THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. 50 1 



seen the female at different periods of the month, and finally 

 with food in her bill, in Nova Scotia, I infer that it breeds 

 commonly in that province. This accords with the fact, now 

 well authenticated, that it breeds from Northern New Eng- 

 land northward. Its song, sounding like te-eet, te-eet^ te-eet^ 

 te-eetj te-eet^ fe-eef, in a soft whistling tone, is somewhat 

 monotonous, indeed, but a pleasing melody in the soft sough 

 of the evergreens. Nor is this song of the breeding time to 

 be confounded with its soft lisping conversational notes 

 heard throughout the year. Smallest of all our birds 

 except the Hummingbird, only 4-4.50 long, so hardy that 

 it can spend the winter in our Middle States, and even in 

 Southern New England this is one of our first and most 

 abundant migrants. From early in March till the middle 

 or last days of April, its spirited flitting motions — whether 

 most like those of the Warbler, Flycatcher, or Titmouse, it 

 would be difficult to say — may be observed in the woods, the 

 thicket, or the orchard. A charming sylvan ornament is this 

 tiny, elegant, and gracefully moving songster. Dark green- 

 ish-olive above, grayish-white below, outer webs of the 

 dusky w4ng and tail feathers, light green, wings marked 

 with white and black, crown, bright flame-color, margined 

 with yellow and again with black, the male is truly a king 

 in all but size, and therefore may fitly be called a King-//?/. 

 The female is like the male, lacking the flame-colored 

 center in the crown, her crown being simply yellow, mar- 

 gined with black. 



The nest of this species was found by Mr. H. D. Minot, 

 of Boston, July 16th, 1875, it having been tracked out by 

 observing the female in the act of conveying food to her 

 young, of which it contained six. It "hung four feet above 

 the ground, from a spreading hemlock bough, to the twigs 

 of which it was firmly fastened; it was globular, with an 



