The Birds and Poets 157 



is readily distinguishable by his large size and 

 bright rufous tail and brown back. He is often 

 found with small parties of juncos, and prefers the 

 hedgerows and meadow thickets. His song is not 

 surpassed by that of any of our sparrows. 

 Although it is said that he seldom sings in this lati- 

 tude, I have not infrequently heard his beautiful 

 song during the spring migration. Mr. Eugene P. 

 Bicknell describes it as "an emotional outburst 

 rising full-toned and clear, and passing all too 

 quickly to a closing cadence, which seems to linger 

 in the silent air." 



The kinglets are appropriately named, because 

 both the golden and ruby-crowned are little kings 

 in their own right, with brilliant crowns upon their 

 tiny heads. The golden-crowned kinglet may be 

 distinguished from his cousin by his uniformly 

 lighter plumage, and the white line over the eye, 

 and his smaller size. Both are extremely small, 

 however, the golden-crown measuring about four 

 inches from the tip of his bill to the end of his tail, 

 and the ruby-crown being less than one-half inch 

 longer. The kinglets are the smallest of our birds, 

 with the single exception of the humming bird, 

 which measures about three and one-half inches. 

 The kinglets look considerably larger than the 

 ruby-throat, because their bodies are thick and 

 chubby. Except for the unusually long bill of the 

 humming bird, it would not measure over three 

 inches, whereas the bill of both the kinglets is short 

 and stubby. The kinglets' plumage is olive green 



