GOLDEN CRESTED WREN . — Regulus cristatus. 
FIRE CRESTED WREN . — Regains ignicapillus 
The tiny Golden-crested Wren, as it is popularly called, is very common 
throughout England, and may be seen hopping and flitting merrily among the 
branches in copses, orchards, and plantations. Although from its diminutive 
size it has gained the title of Wren, it has no claim to that designation, and is 
more rightly termed the Kinglet or Regulus. 
This “ shadow of a bird,” as it is happily called by White, in his “ Natural 
History of Selborne,” is a remarkably hardy little creature, braving the severest 
frosts of winter, and mostly disdaining to avail itself of the shelter of human 
habitations. On account of its minute proportions and its retiring habits, it is a 
very unobtrusive bird, and is often thought to be extremely rare in localities 
where it may be found plentifully by those who know where to look for it. In 
Derbyshire, for instance, it is held to be extremely scarce, but I always procure 
specimens at will by a judicious disposition of a little birdlime, and I have 
frequently discovered the admirably hidden and beautifully constructed nests of 
these interesting birds. 
The Fire-crested Wren is very similar to the preceding species, but may be 
distinguished from it by the ruddy hue of the forehead, the fiery orange of the 
crest, and the decidedly yellow hue of the sides of the neck. It is an inhabitant 
of England, but is a rather rarer bird than the Golden-crest. Owing to the 
great resemblance between the two species, they have often been mistaken for 
each other, and it is only within a comparatively recent period that their diversity 
was established. 
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