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The Family comprises a single genua 

 of seven or eight species, very widely 

 distributed. Only one species reaches 

 the Yangtse Valley. 



THE GOLD CREST. 



REGULUS CRISTATUS, KOCH. 



Description. — Length four inches. 



Forehead, supercilium, and ear 

 coverts gray, rest of the upper plumage 

 dull green, yellowish on the rump. A 

 deep orangestripedownthemiddle of the 

 crown, bordered on either side by two 

 others of black. Wings and tail brown, 

 edged yellowish green. Two yellow bars 

 on the wing coverts, and a dark patch 

 on the primaries. Below pale buff. 



Distribution. — Europe and most of 

 Asia, reaching the Yangtse Valley in 

 winter. 



Family, Hirundinidae, The Swallows. 



The Swallows are a well defined 

 group, characterized by long, pointed 

 wings, with nine primaries ; short, 

 flat, triangular, deeply cleft bills ; and 

 more or less emarginate, deeply forked 

 tails, of twelve feathers. Their tarsi 

 are short, and the feet weak, fitted 

 only for perching. 



Swallows are preeminently in- 

 sectivorous, feeding on flying insects, 

 which they take while on the wing. 



They are to be distinguished from 

 the Swifts by their radically different 

 structure, in spite of their similarity 

 of habits. 



The family is composed of over one 

 hundred species, distributed in all parts 

 of the world. China has nine species, 

 three of which reach the Yangtse 

 Valley. 



