SOLITARY AND GREGARIOUS. 49 



as in power of flight, the eagle (Aquila chrysaetos, 

 K.LEIN) must, yield the palm to the condor of Ame- 

 rica (Sarcoramphus gryphus, DUMERIL), while the 

 head of the latter, * fc the likeness of a kingly crown 

 has on." The condor, however, has not the honour 

 of ranking among eagles, being evidently, both from 

 structure and habits, nothing but a vulture. 



We can readily understand why the least of our 

 British birds, the gold-crested wren (Regulus cris- 

 tatus, RAY) should have been considered a royal 

 bird in most countries, from its having a fine coronet 

 of a bright gold colour on its head, as Aristotle cor- 

 rectly remarks *. But why the common wren (Anor- 

 thura communis) should be called a king-bird we 

 cannot conjecture, except it has been from irony 

 or antiphrasis, in the same way as M. Hebert tells 

 us it is called the ox (bcevf) in some provinces of 

 France. From being unable to account for the 

 latter fact, Gesner, Willughby, and other naturalists 

 accuse Belon, Brisson, and Oliva, of confounding the 

 two species. To us, however, this charge appears 

 groundless, for Aristotle very clearly distinguishes 

 the two birds ; and yet he says the gold- crested one 

 is called a king (rvpavvos), and the common one 

 (T^OX^XO?) also is called a magistrate and king (TT^G- 

 fivs KCLI $a<7<Xev9), " for which reason," he adds, "the 

 eagle is said to fight with it f." Independently of 

 this authority, the popular titles given to the common 

 wren, in most languages, by the peasants who know 

 nothing of the disputes of naturalists, prove that 

 there must be some cause for the term unconnected 

 with any confusion of the species. For example, 

 the Italians call it the little king (rcattino), the king 

 of the hedge (re di siepe), the king of the birds (re 

 degli uccelli) ; the Spaniards, the kinglet, (rey- 

 ezuelo) ; the Portuguese, the bird-king (ave rei) ; 

 * Hist. Anim. viii. 3. t Ibid. ix. 2. 



F 



