RUBY CROWNED WREN. 101 



pany witli a large flock of gold-crests, and that ne^ had shot a 



dozen birds altogether before he recognised the difference: 

 this one presented. Dr Bree, in his work oh the " Birds of 

 Europe," states that the Rev. H. B. Tristram has a ruby crowned 

 kinglet in his possession, which was given to him in the flesh, and 

 which was killed by a Durham pitman in 1852, in Branspeth 

 woods. This circumstance is in favour of the surmise that a 

 migratory flock of these diminutive birds may have been driven 

 out of their ordinary line of flight, and have come probably through 

 prevalent westerly winds in the direction of Greenland, from the 

 south of which they could travel by stages via Iceland and the 

 Faroe Islands, etc., to our shores. 



Wilson, in his description of the habits of this bird, states that 

 in the autumn they are particularly numerous in some parts of 

 North America, associating with the different species of titmice 

 and golden-crested wrens, and frequenting orchards, feeding upon 

 small black-winged insects which at that season infest apple trees. 

 " I have," he continues, " often regretted the painful necessity one 

 is under of taking away the lives of such inoffensive, useful little 

 creatures, merely to obtain a more perfect knowledge of the species, 

 for they appear so busy, so active and unsuspecting, as to continue 

 searching about the same twig, even after their companions have 

 been shot down beside them. They are more remarkably so in 

 autumn, which may be owing to the great number of young and 

 inexperienced birds which are then among them; and frequently 

 at this season I have stood under the tree, motionless, to observe 

 them, while they gleaned among the low branches, sometimes 

 within a foot or two of rny head. They are extremely adroit in 

 catching their prey; have only at times a feeble chirp; visit the 

 tops of the tallest trees, as well as the lowest bushes; and continue 

 generally for a considerable time among the branches of the same 

 tree, darting about from place to place, appearing, when on the 

 top of a high maple, no bigger than humble bees." 



I have no doubt this species will yet turn up in some numbers 

 in such places as the dense thickets of fir adorning some of our 

 highland lochs and mountain sides. It is not easy to settle the 

 question unless by wholesale slaughter, which no right-minded 

 naturalist, I think, would wish to see tried. 



