GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. 59 



must be cold — I was myself — though they did not act as if they 

 wanted either pity or help. They kept on chattering and hunting 

 in an absorbed way, quite undisturbed by the nipping air, or the 

 whirling snow, or the howling wind that shook the tree tops a 

 few yards above them. As the kinglets remained almost constantly 

 on the upper branches, or amid the thick foliage of the small trees, 

 I was obliged to bring one down for inspection, and in my hand it 

 proved more beautiful than the distant view had suggested. 



The plumes of the back are rich olive green, brighest on the 

 rump ; the wings and tail are of a dusky tint, the feathers 

 edged with dull buft', and the wings bear two narrow bars of 

 white. The imder parts are dull white, tinged with buff, and 

 a band of this buffisli white crosses the forehead, spreads around 

 the eyes, and across the cheeks. On the head the male wears 

 a crown patch of orange red, bordered by rich yellow — a flaming 

 crown — hence the name kinglet, and framing this patch of color 

 are two bars of black. The female and immature male lack 

 the red color on the crown. The extreme length of this bird is 

 four inches. 



Another kinglet— the ruby-crowned — occurs in these Eastern 

 Provinces as a summer resident, migrating southward in the 

 autumn. It is a trifle larger than its congener, but in plumage 

 differs chiefly in having a crown patch of rich scarlet, which is 

 concealed by the contour feathers. 



The gold-crest builds an artistic nest and usually suspt ids it 

 from small twigs near the end of a branch —sometimes the nest 

 is saddled upon the twigs instead of being pendant. The material 

 used for the exterior and the lining is of roots, shreds of bark, and 

 feathers. Some nests are spherical in form — a ball of moss 

 ornamented with lichens, and wich the entrance at the side ; and 

 an occasional pair of these builders will arrange feathers on the 

 inside of the nest so that the tips droop toward the centre and 

 conceal the eggs. The site chosen for the nest is usually in damp, 

 coniferous woods. About six eggs generally complete the set, but 

 as many as ten have been seen in a nest. The ground color is 

 of a rich, creamy tint — sometimes rather buflish, sometimes pure 

 white, and the surface marks are dots of pale reddish brown and 



