COMMON GOLD-CREST. 155 
woods and plantations. A peculiarity of struc- 
ture, for which we do not at present see an ade- 
qate reason, is seen in the covering of the nostrils. 
These organs, in the incessorial order, are gene- 
rally either protected by a corneous scale, or with 
setaceous feathers. In Regulus the covering is 
composed of a single dilated little plumulet, beau- 
tifully fitted for protecting the opening from cold 
and other usual annoyances. This has been 
considered as present in all the true Reguli, and 
has been made use of as a generic character,* but 
it is lost in the beautiful South American genus, 
Cyanotis. Our first and best known species is 
the 
COMMON GOLD-CREST. 
Regulus auncapillus. — Selby. 
PLATE VIII. 
Motacilla regulus, Linn Sylvia regulus. Lath . — Regulus 
crislatus, Will. Ray Gold-Crested Wren, and Gold- 
Crest of British Authors. 
The Common Gold-Crest is abundantly dis- 
tributed from the middle Highlands of Scot- 
land over the whole of England. It delights, how- 
ever, chiefly in those parts where there is an 
abundance of the evergreen pines, either in the 
character of clumps and limited plantations, or 
as extensive forests. These afford them both 
* See p. 161, account of R. modestus, which may alter 
its importance as a character. 
