254 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



hymenoptera, etc.). Also American blight (Schizoneura), bud 

 scales and spiders. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Resident. Generally distributed, 

 except in extreme north-west Scotland, where local ; in O. Hebrides, 

 where only once recorded as breeding (Stornoway, 1906) ; Shetlaiids, 

 where it does not breed, and Orkneys, where only twice recorded 

 as breeding. Goldcrests, probably of Continental form, having been 

 proved to be so on Fair Isle, are however common as spring- and 

 autumn -migrants in these three groups of islands. (British form 

 almost exterminated in many parts by severe winter of 1916-17 

 is now gradually recovering its numbers.) 



MIGRATIONS. British Isles. Few migrant specimens having been 

 critically examined, it is impossible to define migrations of our birds, 

 but there is a very considerable southward movement, in some 

 years at all events, in autumn, regularly in Scotland, and a return 

 in spring along east coast Great Britain, although probably many 

 individuals are residents subject only to local movements." Some 

 perhaps pass in autumn from Great Britain to Ireland, where 

 Goldcrests have been noted at Lights fairly frequently in Aug., 

 while numbers occur in Sept. and Oct. ; those taken at Lights on 

 south coast England may be leaving the country in autumn and 

 returning in spring. 



REGULUS IGNICAPILLUS 



108. Regulus ignicapillus ignicapillus (Temm.) THE FIRE- 

 CRESTED WREN. 



SYLVIA IGNICAPILLA Temminck, Man. d'Orn., ed. n, i, p. 231 (1820 



Ex Brehm MS. : France, Germany, etc.). 



Begulus ignicapillus (C. L. Brehm), Yarrell, I, p. 456 ; Saunders, p. 59. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 10). Adult male. Winter. Fore-head warm 

 buff ; centre of crown bright burnished red-orange, sides of crown 

 black with inner webs of feathers nearest central part yellow ; hind- 

 neck and rest of upper-parts golden-green ; feathers of rump with 

 white subterminal marks ; superciliary stripe extending to back 

 of head and small patch under eye white ; lores, narrow circle 

 round eye and short line from gape black ; behind eye and upper- 

 part of ear-coverts greyish-black ; rest of ear-coverts brown ; 

 base of sides of neck greenish-gold merging into golden-green of 

 hind-neck ; chin and throat pale brown ; centre of breast and 

 belly white ; rest of under-parts very pale greyish-brown ; axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts white ; tail dark brown, outer webs fringed 

 golden-green ; primaries, secondaries and wing-coverts as in 

 Regulus r. anglorum but black band on primaries and secondaries 

 shorter, not extending so far towards the tip of the feathers. This 



