THE BRITISH GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 253 



circle dark brown), chin and throat greyish -white ; rest of iinder- 

 parts like adult but not so heavily washed with pale bro\Mi ; wings 

 and tail like adult but lesser coverts brown. 



First wi7iter and summer. Male and female. — Like adults. 

 The juvenile body -feathers median and lesser coverts are moulted 

 July-Sept, but not tail-, wing-feathers, or other wing-coverts. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 52-55 mm. (one 57), 

 tail 37-40, tarsus 16.5-17-5, bill from skull 9.5-10.5 (12 measured). 

 9 wing 51-54. Primaries : 1st 5-8 mm. longer than primary- 

 coverts, 2nd equal to (or between) 7th or 8th, 4th and 5th longest, 

 3rd and 6th 1-2 shorter, 7th 4-6 shorter ; 3rd to 6th emarginated 

 outer webs. Secondaries about equal 10th primary, tips rounded, 

 apex somewhat pointed. Tail slightly forked each feather with 

 fine point and webs sloped off. Bill very fine. A few longish 

 rictal bristles and a single somewhat stiff feather of loose structure 

 covering each nostril. Tarsal joint feathered. 



Soft parts. — Bill black-brown ; legs and feet brown ; iris 

 dark brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — For differences of Continental 

 Goldcrest see under that form, and of Firecrest see under that 

 species. 



Field-characters. — Confident nature permits of close approach, 

 and its diminutive size, orange-yellow crest — absent in juvenile — 

 olive-green upper-parts and two white wing-bars are easily made 

 out, despite the bird's incessant restlessness. Very closely resembles 

 Firecrest, but lacks black line through eye and black loral streak. 

 Flight weak and fluttering. In breeding-season very jDartial to 

 coniferous trees. From autumn to spring essentially gregarious 

 and sociable, often consorting with Tits of various species, and 

 hunting bushes, hedgerows and woods for food. Call-note a high- 

 pitched, and oft-repeated Tit-like " tsitt." Song, persistently 

 uttered, is a feeble " weedle, weedle, weedle, weedle, tchip." 



Beeeding-habits. — Normally nest is suspended under thick foliage 

 towards the end of a branch of some conifer, but in some districts 

 nests are commonly built against tree-trunks in ivy, and sometimes 

 in furze or among boughs of evergreens and whitethorns. Nest.— 

 Built of green moss woven together with spiders' webs and freely 

 lined with feathers. Eggs. — 7 to 10 as a rule, occasionally 11 or 12, 

 varying from white to ochreous in ground-colour and with fine 

 spots of browai usually in zone or cap at big end. Average of 100 

 eggs, 13.6x10.2 mm. Breeding-season. — Exceptionally at end of 

 March, usually end of April or early May or end of May and early 

 June. Incubation. — Lasts 12-13 days ; apparently hy hen only. 

 Two broods. 



Food. — Chiefly insects, their larvae and eggs (coleoptera, diptera, 



