94 ENGLISH BIRD LIFE 



apple-tree or hawthorn ; its breezy, ringing notes, 

 " chiff-chaff, chift'-chaftV' rising and falHng, uttered 

 again and again, with brief pauses intervening, 

 usually reaching us from the very topmost bough of 

 elm or oak, the bird itself being clearly visible 

 against the sky. 



Like the Willow Wren and the Spotted Fly- 

 catcher, it makes frequent excursions into the air in 

 pursuit of flies, and I have seen it, on occasions, 

 follow its prey nearly to the ground. When the 

 capture is made, however, it at once returns to its 

 coign of vantage on the tree-top. 



The Golden-crested Wrens 



Two species of Crested Wrens — the smallest birds 

 known in Europe — are found in England. The Fire- 

 crested Wren's inclusion in the British list rests, 

 however, on comparatively few occurrences, mainly 

 in Cornwall and generally in the depth of winter. 

 Both are of a delicate olive-green hue, and bear the 

 crown of yellow and orange edged by two black 

 streaks, but the Fire-crest is distinguished by the 

 brighter and more extended orange of the head 

 merging almost into scarlet, and by a conspicuous 

 dark streak which extends across the eye. 



The Golden-crest, on the other hand, may be 

 regarded as a fairly familiar bird, especially in the 

 neighbourhood of fir trees. This species appears to 

 form a connecting link between the true warblers 

 and the Titmice, with the latter of which it has 

 many habits in common. 



In the deep fir woods the attention is often 



