FIRECEEST 67 



beautiful little bird is coniinon in places where there 

 are firs. At Groombridge, a part of which is in this 

 county, it is common, and in Maidstone and the neigh- 

 bourhood it is not rare. I caught one in August, 1874, 

 at West Farleigh." There are specimens in the Maid- 

 stone Museum which were procured at Tunbridge and 

 Ulcombe, and nests from the Maidstone and Trotters- 

 cliffe districts. 



The Kev. C. H. Fielding says the Goldcrest is a 

 resident in the Higham and Mailing valley district, and 

 Mr. G. Dowker, in the Binls of East Kent, .1889, states 

 that it is a "common resident in the Stourmouth 

 district," and, on his authority, the following localities 

 are added : Nonington, W. O. Hammond ; Dover, C. 

 Gordon, G. Gray and Dr. Plomley ; Elmstone, Eev. 

 W. B. Delmar ; Walmer, Eev. B. Austen; Folkestone, 

 H. Ullyett. 



FIEECEEST. 



Begulus igjiicapillus, Temniinck. Ex. C. L. Brehm, 

 Man. cVOni., I, p. 231 (1820). 



The Firecrest is certainly a scarce bird, although it 

 may be mistaken for the ordinary Goldcrest. Very few 

 instances are recorded of it in Kent, which are here 

 subjoined in accordance with the dates. 



In Professor Newton's edition of Yarrell (1871-74), he 

 mentions that " one is said to have been taken in Kent." 

 In November, 1876, Lord Clifton states : " I twice saw 

 a Firecrest here (Cobham, Kent), in company with 

 Goldcrests, among bracken. I noticed the black stripe 

 through the eye, which readily distinguishes this bird 

 from the common species." 



