GOLDCREST — FIRE-CREST — CHIFFCHAFF. 
55 
<be late Mr. Widdowson’s, ■who was his informant ; for it is much to be regretted 
that this fine collection, bequeathed by a Melton gentleman, is almost useless 
as a local collection, owing to the fact that, save in two instances, none of the 
nicely mounted specimens are authenticated. 
In Eutlaxd. — No rex)ort. 
OOLDCKEST. Regidus cristatiLS (Koch). 
Resident, but sx>aringly distributed ; appearing more common in the winter 
months, when the native birds receive large additions on migration. 
Harley remarked that the nest is sometimes suspended from a branch of 
the spruce-fir and other coniferous trees, but not invariably so, because he had 
met with a nest fixed laterally on a branch of the yew, like that of a Chaffinch. 
iSlr. Ingram writes ; — “ Often found in our large yew-trees and hedges ; it builds 
on the points of the yew-branches.” A nest containing eggs was found, some- 
time about 1882, built on the branch of a spruce-fir in the garden of Mr. C. S. 
Robinson, at Eastfield, Stoneygate, Leicester. IMr. Davenport found the nest 
and eggs, in 1882, on 16th April; in 1883, on 3rd May; in 1884, on 1st May, 
and remarks of this bird that it will spend a month over its first nest, but, if 
the eggs be taken, the second nest is finished in a week or ten days at latest. 
In Rutland. — Resident, but sparingly distributed, as in Leicestershire. — Mr. 
Horn reports that, in 1883, a [mir nested in a cedar-tree in his garden, at “The 
Views,” Upx>ingham. 
FIRE-CREST. Regidus ignicapillus (Temminck). 
Mr. Macaulay says (‘ Mid. Nat.,’ 1882, p. 63) : — “Mr. Davenx>ort tells me that 
he saw a jDair of these birds at Skeffington in 1880,” and, lest this statement 
should j)ave the way for the admission of this exceedingly rare British bird into 
the Leicestershire fauna, I may say, at once, that I am jierfectly convinced that 
no scientific ornithologist would dare to differentiate the two sj)ecies, except 
by close comj^arison, and, relative to this, Mr. Davenport subsequently informed 
me that he shot a bird at Skeffington which may have given rise to the above 
note, but, although he thought at the time that it was a Fire-crest, he is now 
convinced that he was mistaken. 
To xjrevent similar mistakes for the future, I may briefly state that this bird 
is very easily distinguishable by the two black stripes on each side of the head — 
the lower one j>assing through the eye — and a white streak under each, giving 
the head a striped apjoearance. 
In Rutland. — No report. 
CHIFFCHAFF. Phylloscopus rufus (Bechstein). 
“Bank-jug” (as also the following species), “Lesser Pettychaps ” 
(obsolete). 
A summer migrant, commonly distributed, and breeding. — Harley remarked 
