THE CONTINENTAL GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 251 



different in sexes, of young uniform. Nest a more or less pensile 

 structure attached to small twigs, mostly in coniferous trees, open 

 above. Eggs without gloss, 3-ellowish or pinkish-buff with fine 

 markings. Four species in not less than tAventy subspecies. 

 Nearctic and Palsearctic regions, in Asia south to mountains of 

 tropical China and Formosa. 



Key to species of genus Regulus. 



Sides of neck with large olive-yellow patch, wliite 



superciliaiy line R,ignicapillus,T^.2'A 



Sides of neck without olive-j-ellow patch, no white 



superciliary line R. regulus, p. 2.") I 



REGULUS REGULUS 



106. Regulus regulus regulus (L.)— THE CONTINENTAL 

 GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 



MoTAciLLA Regulus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 188 (1758 — 

 " Habitat in Europa." Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 

 Regulus cristatus K. L. Koch, Yarrell, i, p. 449 (part) ; Saunders, p. 57 

 (part). 



Description. — Closely resembling Regulus r. anglorum (p. 252) and 

 moults same but adults differ in having hind-neck and mantle 

 paler and more gi'eyish, not so greenish-brown ; back rather paler, 

 more greyish-gi-een ; ear-coverts and sides of neck generalh' rather 

 paler and gi'eyer. Greyish tint of hind-neck is best distinction. 

 Measurements and structure as in R. r. anglorum. 



Characters and allied forms. — R. r. azoricus (Azores) has longer 

 bill, R. r. tenerijfce (western Canaries) has black sides of crown 

 broader and continued across fore-head, R. r. interni (Corsica and 

 Sardinia) has gre}' on sides of crown and neck ; other forms are 

 found in the Caucasus, Asia and in N. America south to Guatemala. 



Breeding-habits. — Similar to those of British race. Eggs also 

 indistinguishable and Food probably similar. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Not ver}^ many migrant Goldcrests 

 have been examined, but this form appears to be a passage migrant 

 (Sept. to Nov.) to east coast, from northern Isles to Kent, regular 

 in north, possiblj^not reaching east coast England every year, but 

 numbers vary greatly and are sometimes verj' large ; apparently 

 occasionally reaching Ireland, but no specimens from Ireland 

 identified. Returns March and April. Iclentificd examples from 

 coasts Northumberland, Yorks., Lines., Norfolk, Kent, Sussex, 

 Hants., and Isle of May, Sept. and Oct., from Sussex Dec, and 

 from St. Catherine's Light (Isle of Wight) and Yorks., Oct. and 

 Nov. and Fair Isle, both seasons. 



