96 Bird-keeping. 



them in the gardens, and are much petted in the United 

 States. 



The GOLD-CREST or KINGLET (Regulus cristatus\ 

 popularly called the GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN, al- 

 though it has no right to that name, is the smallest of 

 our British birds only three inches and a half long. 

 It is a beautiful little bird. The upper part of the 

 body is olive-green, the wings brownish-black, with 

 yellow edges, crossed by bands of white and black ; 

 and the tail is also brownish-black, edged with yellow ; 

 the under part of the body yellowish -grey, darkest 

 on the breast. The crest of the male is of a bright 

 orange in the centre, shading to a paler tint on the 

 front and sides ; a black line runs on each side of this : 

 the beak is black, and the feet are brown. The colours 

 of the female are less bright, and the crest is paler. 



All the movements of this little bird are full of 

 spring and activity : it runs up the walls, peering into 

 every little crevice for insects, and along the branches 

 of the pine and fir-trees, sometimes clinging with its 

 head downwards, and darting its slender little bill into 

 every tiny hole in search of the insects upon which it 

 lives. It frequents the pine forests in the north of 

 Europe, and visits Asia Minor, but remains with us 

 through the winter, and has been supposed, therefore, 

 to be a very hardy bird ; but it is found to be so ex- 

 tremely delicate in confinement, as to be more difficult 

 to preserve during the winter than most of the tropical 



