

COMMON GOLD-CREST. 155 



woods and plantations. A peculiarity of struc- 

 ture, for which we do not at present see an ade- 

 qate reason, is seen in the covering of the nostrils. 

 These organs, in the incessorial order, are gene- 

 rally either protected by a corneous scale, or with 

 setaceous feathers. In Regulus the covering is 

 composed of a single dilated little plumulet, beau- 

 tifully fitted for protecting the opening from cold 

 and other usual annoyances. This has been 

 considered as present in all the true Reguli, and 

 has been made use of as a generic character,* but 

 it is lost in the beautiful South American genus, 

 Cyanotis. Our first and best known species is 

 the 



COMMON GOLD-CREST. 



Reyub's auncapillus SELBY. 

 PLATE VIII. 



Motacilla regulus, Linn. Sylvia regulus, Lath. Regulus 

 cristatus, Will. Hay Gold- Crested Wren, and Gold- 

 Crest of British Authors. 



THE Common Gold-Crest is abundantly dis- 

 tributed from the middle Highlands of Scot- 

 land over the whole of England. It delights, how- 

 ever, chiefly in those parts where there is an 

 abundance of the evergreen pines, either in the 

 character of clumps and limited plantations, or 

 as extensive forests. These afford them both 



* See p. 161, account of R. modestus, which may alter 

 its importance 



