LAND BIRDS. 701 



and the nest built mainly of fur of various quadrupeds, particularly rabbits 

 and mice. The eggs are six to eight, similar to those of the common 

 Chickadee and average .58 by .50 inches. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult: Very similar in size and color to the Common Chickadee but with the upper 

 surface of the head, from l)ill to nape, dark brown, or brownish gray instead of black; 

 the feathers of wings and tail slightly, if at all, edged with white; sides of the belly also 

 more distinctly brown or rufous. 



Length 5 to 5.75 inches; wing 2.35 to 2.70; tail 2.30 to 2.80. 



Family 72. SYLVllD.E. Kinglets and Gnatcatchers. 



The three species of this family which are found in Michigan are, next 

 to the hummingl)ird, our smallest and daintiest examples of feathered life. 

 The two species of kinglet and the single gnatcatcher may be separated 

 as follows: 

 A. Middle tail-feathers l)lack, lateral tail-feathers largely pure white. 



Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. No. 318. 

 AA. Tail without any clear black or white. B, BB. 



B. Crown with bright yellow, or orange, or both. C, CC. 



C. Crown with a central patch of yellow or yellow and orange, 



with a clear black border on each side. Golden-crowned 

 Kinglet (adult). No. 316. 

 CC. Crown with a central patch of scarlet, but with no black. 

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (adult male). No. 317. 

 BB. Crown without any bright patch. U, DD. 



D. Each nostril overhung by a single small bristly feather. Golden- 



crowned Kinglet (young). No. 316. 

 DD. Each nostril overhung by a tuft of small, bristly feathers. 

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (adult female and young). No. 317. 



316. Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulus satrapa satrapa Lichl. (748) 



Synonyms: (iolden-crested Kinglet, Golden-crowned Wren, Flame-crest. — Remilus 

 cristatus, Vieill., 1807, Nutt., 1832, Aud., 1834.— Sylvia regulus, Wils., 1808.— Regulus 

 satrapa, Licht., 1823, and most subsequent authors. 



Figure 150. 



One of our tiniest birds, only about four inches in length, and the adult 

 known at once by the general olive-green upper parts and whitish under 

 parts, the crown mainly yellow, in the center of which, in the male, is 

 a stripe or patch of flame-color (orange red). The female lacks this orange, 

 the crown being clear yellow, and in both sexes the yellow is bordered by 

 bhick lines. Young birds lack the bright crown, Init may be identified 

 by the small size and the other points already noted. 



Distribution. — North America generally, breeding in the northern and 

 elevated parts of the United States and northward, migrating south in 

 winter to Guatemala. 



