THE FIRE-CRESTED WREN. ZOO 



plumage is acquired by complete moult in July-Sept. Summer. — 

 No moult and practically no change by abrasion. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — Like male, but centre 

 of crown orange-yellow, sometimes reddish-orange, but never so 

 bright as in male. 



Nestling. — (Not examined . ) 



Juvenile. Male and female. — Like that of R. regtdus anglorum, 

 but lores and upper-parts of ear-coverts blackish ; mantle, 

 scapulars and rump rather more green ; innermost secondaries 

 without Avhitish tips as in Goldcrest. 



First ivinter and summer. Male and, female. — Like adults. 

 The juvenile body-feathers, median and lesser wing-coverts are 

 moulted in July-Sept., but not tail-, \ving-feathers, or other wing- 

 coverts. 



Measurements and structure. — (^ wing 52-55 mm., tail 39-42, 

 tarsus 17-18, bill from skull 9.5-10.5 (12 measured). 9 wing 51-53. 

 Wing-formula and rest of structure as in Goldcrest. 



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



Characters and allied forms. — R. i. madeirensis (Madeira) 

 has dull gold centre of cro^vn and greater wing-coverts are black 

 with, white tips. Distinguished at once from Goldcrest by white 

 superciliary stripe, black lores and line at gape, dark ear-coverts, 

 greenish-gold sides of neck and more golden-green upper-parts. 



Field-characters. — Notes readily distinguishable from those of 

 Goldcrest at close quarters, and white eye-stripe between two 

 black ones is very noticeable, while bronze colour of sides of neck 

 attracts attention (F.C.R.J.). 



Breeding -HABITS. — Very similar to those of Goldcrest, except 

 that the nest is perhaps slightly more compact and smaller. 

 Generally suspended under hanging branches of conifers, but 

 occasionally also in junij^er bushes. Egg.'^. — 7 to 12. distinguished 

 from those of Golclcrest by warm pinky hue of ground, but 

 otherwise resembling them. Average of 100 eggs, 13.5x10.3 

 mm. Breeding-season. — Early in May and again in July in central 

 Europe. Incubation. — Probably about 12 days, but reliable data 

 lacking. Two broods. 



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

 aphides, etc.), also spiders. 



Distribution. — England and Wales. — Fairly frequent visitor from 

 Oct. to April along coast from Cornwall to Kent, and considered 

 as annual autumn-\asitor near Dover (Kent) and Scilly Isles, and 

 nearly so in east Kent and Cornwall. Also fairly frequent along 

 east coast up to and including Norfolk, more rarely Lines, and 

 Yorks., and has occurred rarely in Cumberland, Northumberland, 

 Wilts., Berks., Beds., Oxon., Salop, Gloucester and Surrey. One 



