The Golden-Crested Wren. 85 



tlie east, soutliwards to tlie Himalayas and China, and in the west down to the 

 Mediterranean. 



Dixon (Jottings about Birds, p. 70) observes : — " It is said that the Gold- 

 crest, R. cihtatus (Koch) visits Algeria in winter, but I cannot find any conclusive 

 evidence of the fact. It is said regularly to pass Malta on migration in spring 

 and autumn." 



In Great Britain it is generally distributed wherever coniferous trees occur, 

 and breeds with lis. 



Although the Gold-crest is the smallest British bird, its migratory powers 

 are inferior to none, and its capacity for resisting cold so great, that it remains 

 with us even in our severest winters : it is a common error to suppose that 

 size necessarily accompanies vigour, inasmuch as many of the tiniest birds are 

 undoubtedly far more hardy than larger species : as an instance, I would call 

 attention to the little Indian Avadavat, which I have proved to be indifferent to 

 21 degrees of frost; whereas many of the larger parrots, at anyrate if recently 

 imported, as some of my Waxbills had been, would have succumbed to a 

 considerably higher temperature. 



The male Gold-crest is olive-green above, more or less suffused with yellowish; 

 the crown of the head bright j-ellow in front shading into orange behind and 

 bounded by a blackish streak, below which is a greyish-white superciliary streak; 

 the wing and tail-feathers are greyish browu, the median and greater wiug-coverts 

 edged with white, the primary-coverts being blackish ; secondaries tipped with 

 white ; under parts pale grejdsh-brown or greenish-buff, whiter on the abdomen ; 

 bill blackish-brown, feet brown, iris hazel. 



The female is less brightly coloured than the male, the crown brown-yellow 

 with narrower blackish streak. In the young the crown is slightly darker than 

 the back, but shows no trace of yellow or black. 



In many illustrations this bird is represented with a well-defined crest ; but, 

 so far as I have seen, the feathers of the crown seem to be erected very slightly, 

 if at all ; though, when the little creature looks downwards, the feathers at the 

 back of the crown project slightly above those of the nape. Possibly under great 

 excitement the feathers of the crown would be partially raised as they are in 

 many birds ; but whether, even then, they would stick up like the quills of the 

 "prickly porcupine," as artists delight in representing them as doing, is, I think 

 questionable. 



Mr. Frohawk, who has had considerable experience of the Gold-crest, tells me 

 that in the autumn this species may frequently be met with singly, or in pairs 

 (I have often seen it thus in my own garden) ; but in the winter it is generally 



