FEMALE GOLDEN-CROWNED GOLD-CREST. 
283 
contrary to our expectations, also prove to be an inhabitant of 
this country, it will appear, along with its mate, in another 
volume of this work. All the ornithologists state, that the 
latter is a native of this continent, whilst they take no notice 
whatever of the Regulus cristatus^ which, if not the only indi- 
genous, is certainly the more common species. This error 
seems to have originated with Vieillot, who, considering the 
two species as but one, probably was not careful in selecting 
the individual from which his drawing was made; he may, 
therefore, have chosen an European bird, and unluckily of the 
other species, as both are found in Europe. 
However this may be, his figure is certainly that of the ig~ 
nicapillus ; and it is equally obvious, that his short description 
of the female can only apply to the female of the cristatus, 
which corroborates my opinion. In the (French) New Die- 
tionary of Natural History^ Vieillot distinguishes two varieties 
of Regains cristatus^ and again describes the ignicopillus as the 
one he saw in America. If this observation could be relied 
upon, we should admit that both species are inhabitants of this 
country, although the present, which must be by far the most 
numerous, is certainly not the ignicapillus, 
I agree with Ray, Vieillot, and other authors, and dissent 
from Linne, Latham, VFilson, and Temminck, respecting the 
propriety of placing these birds in a separate genus from 
Sylvia, and I have therefore changed the generic name adopt- 
ed by Wilson. This genus forms a link intermediate to the 
genera Sylvia and Parus, It is small both in the number and 
size of its species, consisting of the two smallest of the Euro- 
pean birds, one of which is the subject of this article ; an 
American species, the ruby-crowned gold-crest, [Regulus calen- 
dulus,) so well figured and described by Wilson; and a fourth 
from Asia. 
The most obvious characters that distinguish the genus 
Regulus from Sylvia are, the bill remarkably slender through- 
out, and two small decomposed feathers, directed forwards so 
as to cover the nostrils. 
