74 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



it chiefly occurs in its hreeding-season. In ^fassachusetts it is a winter 

 resident from October until AFay. In Maine it is met with in spring and 

 fall, chiefly as a migratory visitor; a few also remain, and prohahly hreed, in 

 the dense Tlnijn swamps of that State. Tliey are most abundant in April, 

 and again in Octolxr. In the viciiiitv of Calais tlie (Jolden-crest is a com- 

 nion summer resident, and, without doubt, breeds there. 



Dr. Woodhouse mentions flntling this species in abundance in New Alexico 

 and Texas, associated witli Nuthatches and Titmice. Dr. Cooper found it 

 abundant in Washington Territory, particularly in the winter, and ascertained 

 jKisitively that they breed there, by seeing them feeding their young near 

 Puget Sound, in the montli of August. According to Mr. Itidgway it is 

 much less numerous in the Great IJasin than the II. caJvnduhi. 



The food of tliis lively and attractive little Ijird duriui; the summer months 

 is almost exclusively the smaller winged insects, which it industriously pur- 

 sues amid the highest tree-to])s of the forest. At other seasons its hal)its 

 are more those of the titmice, necessity leading it to ransack the crevices of 

 the bark on the trunks and larger limbs of the forest-trees. It is an expert 

 fly-catcher, taking insects readily ujwn the wing. 



But little is known with certainty regarding its breeding-habits, and its 

 nest and eggs have not yet been described. The presumi)tion, howexer, is 

 that it builds a pensile nest, not unlike the European congener, and lays 

 small eggs finely sprinkled with buff'-colored dots on a wliite gi'ound, and in 

 size nearly corresponding with those of our common Humming-Bird. We 

 must infer that it iiiises two broods in a season, from the fact that it spends 

 so long a period, from April to October, in its summer abode, and still more 

 because while Mr. Xuttall found them feeding their full-fledged young in 

 May, on the Columbia, Dr. (,'ooper, in the same locality, and Air. Audubon, 

 in Lal)rador, observed tliem doing the same thing in the month of August. 



xVccording to the ol)servations of Air. J. K. Lord, this species is very com- 

 mon on Vancouver's Island and along the entire boundary line separating 

 Washington Territory from British Columbia, where he met with them at an 

 altitude of six thousand feet. He states that they build a pensile nest sus- 

 pended from the extreme end of a pine branch, and that they lay from five 

 to seven eggs. These he does not descrilje. 



Most writers speak of this Kinglet as having no song, its only note 

 being a single chirp. But in this they are certainly greatly in error. AVith- 

 out having so loud or so powerful a note as the Kuby-crown {R. calcnduln), 

 for its song will admit of no comparison with the wonderful vocal powers 

 of that species, it yet has a quite distinctive and prolonged succession 

 of pleasing notes, which I have heard it pour forth in the midst of the 

 most inclement weather in February almost uninterruptedly, and for quite 

 an interval. 



Bischoff" obtained a large nund)er of this species at Kodiak, and also at 

 Sitk. where it seemed to replace the Rul)y-crown. 



