THE FIRE-CRESTED WREN. 277 



skylarks, a goldfiucli and a robin, and tliey lived when at home in a large and well- 

 thatched aviaiy, which was placed in a very sheltered position. In this abode they kept 

 open house, for there was always a good supply of food kept therein, and tlie door was 

 never shut save at night, when we closed it to keep out stray cats, rats, and other enemies 

 of the feathered race. After partaking of a good breakfast, they would daily leave their 

 comfortable home on expeditions of pleasure or business, and return regularly to their 

 supper and perch. 



During the very cold weather of 18.53, they brought home nightly a party of hungry 

 wild birds to share with themselves the hospitality of the aviary ; sometimes their guests 

 would number nearly two hundred, and it was really quite astonishing to see the quantity 

 of bread, barley, and fat meat, that these little beings would dispose of In this assembly 

 most of oiu' small native birds had representatives, and amongst them were the two before- 

 mentioned Golden-crested Wrens, who were the first to reach and the last to quit tlieir 

 good quarters. 



Whilst tliey honoured us with their company, they ruled the whole bird community, 

 and what they could not achieve by force they would accomplish by stratagem. For 

 instance, if one of these tiny creatures took a fancy to a piece of meat to which Mr. Jack- 

 daw had helped himself, and which he was holding firmly down with one foot whilst he 

 pecked away at it after the dawisli fashion, this mite of a bird would jump upon the jack- 

 daw's head, and attack the ej'e that was situated on the side of the occupied foot. The 

 poor jackdaw, not quite imderstanding what had gone wrong with him, would lift his foot 

 to scratch his tiny tormentor oft' his head, when in an instant the coveted moi'sel was seized 

 by the daring thief If the daw were unwise enough to follow, vainly hoping to recover 

 his property, the wicked wee thing would get upon his back, where he knew himself to be 

 safe, and the poor jackdaw was forced to content himself with other fare. 



If, after selecting a piece of meat, the Wrens were left to themselves, they would leave 

 the larger birds and retire to a C[uiet corner, where they woiild both peck amicably at the 

 same piece, and if the meat happened to l)e tough, one of the wise little things would hold 

 it fast in its bill, while the other would pull a morsel off; and then tlie one that had eaten 

 would perform the same kind office for his friend. Before the winter was over, there was 

 not a bird in the aviary that did not give way to the two little Kinglets, and they always 

 went to roost upon the backs of some other birds ; I thought that they did this to warm 

 their feet. 



They remained with us until i\Iay, and then, when all nature appeared to be Itursting 

 ■with life and beauty, and the huge forest trees and even the old earth herself had donned 

 their glorious resurrection robes, the Golden-crests forsook us. I suppose they found the 

 aviary dull, and we ourselves soon sought another liome ; hence we never renewed our 

 friendly intercourse with these interesting Little birds." 



The entire length of this bird is about three inches and a half, and its general colour is 

 brownish above marked with olive-green, and flanked with white on the wing-coverts. 

 The under surface is yellowish-grey, the beak is black, and the eye hazel-brown. The 

 forehead is marked with greyish-wliite ; the crest is brilliant yellow tipped with orange, 

 and on each side of the crest runs a black line. The female is not so brilliant in her 

 colouring, and the crest is wholly of a pale yellow. 



The FiEE-CEESTED Ween is very similar to the preceding species, but may be distin- 

 guished from it liy the ruddy hue of the forehead, the fier)^ orange of the crest, and the 

 decidedly yellow hue of the sides of the neck. It is an inhabitant of England, but is a 

 much rarer bird than the Golden-crest. Owing to the great resemblance between the two 

 species, they have often been mistaken for each other, and it is only within a comparatively 

 recent period that their diversity was established. Another species of the same genus, the 

 Dalmatian Regulus {ReguJus modestus) has, although very rarely indeed, been found in 

 England. The general colour of the plumage is greenish-yellow, and the crown of the 

 head is marked by a nari-ow streak of paler yellow. 



