THE GOLD-CRESTED WREN. 425 



ADDITIONAL. Some naturalists, MACGILLIVEAT among others, 

 call the Crested Wrens Kinglets ; this author places them in a 

 separate genus, which he terms Regulus, and enumerates three 

 species, known as British Birds, viz., the Fire-crowned Kinglet 

 (R. Ignicapillus) ; the Plain-crowned Kinglet (B. Modest us); 

 both rare birds ; and the Gold-crowned Kinglet (It. Auricapil- 

 lus) ; which is generally abundant in all parts of Britain, especi- 

 ally those in which are woods of pine and fir, and other close 

 coverts. In Orkney and Shetland, however, where there are no 

 woods, these birds are to be met with moving in winter from 

 place to place in troops, and associating with Titmice, Creepers, 

 and other small birds. Notwithstanding the abundance and general 

 diffusion of these pretty little birds, the opportunities of atten- 

 tively examining them are rare, owing to the briskness of their 

 motions, and the secluded nature of their general haunts. MUDIE 

 observes, that "they are so small, generally so far from the 

 ground, and always so quick in their motions, that they are not 

 easily seen, and never long at a time. They are continually 

 hunting in the rough bark of the boles and main branches, and 

 in the twigs ; but they appear to prefer the latter. The com- 

 mand which these little birds have of themselves in the trees is 

 really astonishing ; they whisk about more like meteors than 

 like beings of solid matter ; they are now on this side, now on 

 that ; now above the twig, now hanging inverted under it ; the 

 body never at rest, and the head having generally additional 

 motion." 



In BRODEEIP'S Zoological Recreations will be found a very- 

 interesting account of the Golden-crested Wren, which, although 

 it braves our severest winters, appears to be very susceptible of 

 cold, as well as the common Brown Wren of our hedges. The 

 Hon. and Rev. W. HEEBEET informs us, that " in confinement the 

 least cold is fatal to them. In a wild state," he savs, " they keep 

 themselves warm by constant active motions in trie day, and at 

 night secrete themselves in places where the frost cannot reach 

 them ;" but he apprehends that numbers perish in severe winters. 

 He once caught half-a-dozen Golden Wrens at the beginning of 

 winter, and they lived extremely well on egg and meat, being 

 exceedingly tame. At roosting time there was always a whim- 

 cical conflict among them for inside places, as being the warmest, 

 which ended, of course, by the weakest going to the wall. The 

 scene begun with a loud whistling call among them to roost, and 

 the two birds on the extreme right and left flew on the backs of 

 those in the centre, and squeezed themselves into the middle. A 

 fresh couple from the flanks immediately renewed the attack 

 upon the centre, and the conflict continued till the light began to 



