BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 431 
week in April, some of them to breed in the rough, hill country 
in the vicinity of Lake Superior, where Mr. Lewis found quite 
@number of themin June and July, but failed to secure any 
nests of eggs. But they mostly go much beyond us to spend 
their summers in an alien land. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Above olive green, brightest on the outer edges of the wing; 
tail feathers tinged with brownish-gray towards the head; fore- 
head, a line over the eye, and a space beneath it, white. Hx- 
terior of the crown before and laterally, black, embracing a 
central patch of orange red, encircled by gamboge yellow. A 
dusky space round the eye. Wing coverts with two yellowish 
white bands, the posterior covering a similar band on the 
quills, succeeded by a broad dusky one; under parts dull whit- 
ish. 
Length, under 4; wing, 2.25; tail, 1.80. 
Habitat, North America generally. 
REGULUS CALENDULA (L.). (749) 
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. 
But a little larger than the Hummingbird, this remarkable, 
vigorous species reaches us the first week in April in parties 
of twenty to forty perhaps, a minority of which are sometimes 
found to be Golden-crowns. They follow the wooded banks of 
the Mississippi and other large streams of water running north 
and south, ‘‘working” each tree over successively if undisturbed, 
and one ata time, flitting to the next northward. Active to 
the highest tension, and vigilant in their exhaustive search for 
the eggs and larve of insects which are only found in the 
crevices of the bark of the trees, they are exceedingly difficult 
to follow. I have hoped that it might be my good fortune to 
hear them sing, but beyond a soft twitter,or ‘‘whistle and work” 
song, I have failed altogether. 
Dr. Coues says: ‘‘One of the most remarkale things about 
the Rubvy-crown is its extraordinary power of song. It is 
really surprising that such a tiny creature should be capable 
of the strong and sustained notes it utters when in fuil song. 
The lower larynx, the sound producing organ, is not much big- 
ger than a good sized pin’s head, and the muscles that move it 
are almost microscopic shreds of flesh, If the strength of the 
human voice were in the same proportion to the size of the 
larynx, we could converse with ease at a distance of a 
mile or more. The Kinglets’ vocalization defies description; 
