12-2 THE SMALLER BRITISH BIRDS. 



slender, and tapering, and its wings short. In hedgerows, woods, and 

 gardens, Httle Kitty Wren may be seen hopping busily about among 

 the branches, or taking short, but swift flights, in her search for 

 insects, seeds, and soft fruits. Of her nest, which is built in some 

 sheltered spot, such as the recess overhung by a bank, a hole in a 

 wall, or a crevice among stones, Wordsworth says: — 



"Among the dwellings framed by birds, 

 In field or forest, with nice care, 

 Is none that with the little Wren'a 

 In snugness may compare. 



So warm, so beautiful withal. 



In perfect fitness for its aim, 

 That to the kind by special graca 



Their instinct's surely come." 



In this ologant structure she lay.s four or five pale yellowish brown 

 eggs. Her song is sweet, full, and wonderfully loud iu proportion to 

 her size. 



The beautiful little creatures known as Gnldcrest and Firecrest arc 

 near relatives of the Wren's; they are remarkable for their small size, 

 and the brilliant tuft of silky yellow feathers on their heads, which, from 

 its resemblance to a golden crown, has given them the scientific title 

 of Reguli, or Kinglets. Their bills are short, straight, and slender, 

 their wings and tails of moderate length, and their legs and claws 

 long. The Goldcrests are the smallest of British birds, but among- 

 the most lively and interesting. They are permanent residents in this 

 country, and are always found in large flocks. But a few specimens 

 of the Fii-ecrest have been met with in England, although it is a 

 common bird in some parts of the Continent. Both these species 

 inhabit woods and thickets, moving with great agility among the 

 branches, in pursuit of the insects on which tiiey entirely subsist. 



