186 ADDENDA 
more, of a uniform olive brown, with very small 
dots all over them. In the spring the cock 
selects a batch of hens as his breeding mates. 
There are several other birds that may be 
found sometimes near London and large towns, 
some of which nest there too. These I will 
briefly describe. 
The Golden-crested Wren or Gold Crest, 
a little vesedent bird, the smallest of all the 
British birds, length 3% inches (though the 
long-tailed tit lays the smallest eggs). It is 
something like the common (Jenny) wren (see 
Part I, p.-84) ‘and: has: its: restless Miigele 
habits, or perhaps rather those of the tits. 
It. takes: 1is name ‘from its crest, whichis 
bright yellow-orange (golden). The upper 
parts are a yellowish olive and the wings 
greyish-brown with two transverse white 
bands. 
The Fire crest is a very similar bird except 
for the crest, which is a brilliant red (hence 
name). It is a visitor to this country. The 
golden-crested wren builds in March, a beauti- 
ful hanging nest of moss and dry grass with 
