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GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN 



ear feathers runs a line of black, accompanied by another of white 

 from the lower mandible; breast light cream color; sides under 

 the wings and vent the same ; wings dusky, edged exteriorly with 

 yellow olive ; greater wing coverts tipt with white, immediately be- 

 low which a spot of black extends over several of the secondaries; 

 tail pretty long, forked, dusky, exterior vanes broadly edged with 

 yellow olive ; legs brown, feet and claws yellow ; bill black, slen- 

 der, straight, evidently of the muscicapa form, the upper mandible 

 being notched at the point, and furnished at the base with bristles, 

 that reach half way to its point ; but what seems singular and pe- 

 culiar to this little bird, the nostril on each side is covered by a 

 single feather, that much resembles the antennae of some butter- 

 flies, and is half the length of the bill. BufFon has taken notice of 

 the same in the European. Inside of the mouth a reddish orange; 

 claws extremely sharp, the hind one the longest. In tlie female 

 the tints and markings are nearly the same, only the crown or crest 

 is pale yellow. These birds are numerous in Pennsylvania in the 

 month of October, frequenting bushes that overhang streams of 

 water, alders, briars, and particularly apple trees, where they are 

 eminently useful in destroying great numbers of insects^ and are at 

 that season extremely fat. 



