FEMALE GOLDEN-CROWNED GOLD-CREST.
R E GULTIMM! R
, Plate II. . Fig. 4.
See W ilson’s American Ornithology, I, p. 126, PI. 8 , lg . 2,
'Motadlla regulm, L jnn. Eyst. I, p. 338ijSp. ^ | Gmel. Syst. I, p,.995, Sp. 48.
Sylvia regulm, L a jh . Ind. f - ^ 48, Sp. | | | | T bmm. Man. d'Om. $ d j ^ i RSnzani,
EIm im CZqoV HI, Part
Regulm cristafm, Eat, NpF^^G.nii. Om. II, p.^®. Will. Om.
PI. 42>- 'V&ill. NouviSDiet. d’H istfN dt. XXIX, p. "420.
Regulm vulgaris, Stephens, Gont. o f Shaw’s Zool. XX, p. 7!'^8=|pl|-59-7’’ \
Pams calendula, Regulm crisfatm mdgo dicta, Bmss.^ u^JII, p. 579, Sp. 17.
Le Roitelet, Gehakdin, Tabl. Minn tl Om 14 pt *18, 'sp Ui, Pl^ f 1 Mffot-B t i i .Oji.
PaSSPi PI*. 16, fig. 2,^^^K E nl. 651, fig. 3 represent. i g n w a p i l k t
of B beh: ^ ^ ^
R e0lo' Storia ffisgli'uMlti, I\ .
Gold-crested Wren, Bath. Syn. H, PartH, pf.*50^(Spt‘145. ‘PEN^ItBnf. ZSdCS ]js^ l||
P enn. Arct. Zool. Sp.^331.
Golden-crowned Wren, E dw. Glean, V, p^.95,:Pl. 254, lower fig; Male.: .
Philadelphia Museum, No.?JSE&‘6:,:Male; Female.
- |T'Vf,o/,distinct -species :,of- Gold-crest have been, until latel$y$c<5$ki-
dered by naturalists as but one. Are they both inhabitants. bfjtiais
continent; and, if not, which is the American species ? These questions
cannot-be readily answered,- since we have nothing better than
negative evidence to. offer relative-to the first. The present female,
however, is decisive as to which of them inhabits this country, and
we have therefore concluded, that the faithful representation in the
accompanying plate will be acceptable to ornithologists/ A slight
inspection of this specimen leaves no doubt as to its- being the
female of the Regiilus and, should theiRffgulus-ignicapUlus,
contrary tb our expectations, also prove to be an inhabitant of this
country, a? will appear, along with its mate, in another volume of
this work. All the ornithologisià 'fetate, that-the latter is a native of
tins continent, whi|é||théy take ho notice whatever of the Regulus
crislatus,‘ which, if not the onljpjndigenoxis, is certainly the more
common «k^^^MFhis^É^lir Seems to have originated with Vieillot,
jWhör5 Çfefsidering the'two fe-nlcA ^ is büt 'qojij probably was not careful
in individuhl from-which his drawÉiÉwas made ; he
may, therefore^ have chosen ah European bird] and unluckily of the
other sfjfét8étëj*a!s both aré'föuKd ‘in EurÓpe. *•'
■»(However this*may be, his figure ifCertaiiily^that of the ignicapillus;
and, it is equally « l ious, that-JÈs shor1|i^f ^iption of the female
ban only apply to* cristapus, which-- corroborates my
^piibn. In the (’•Fresn^^New Dictiona^of -Natural History, Vieillot
d’Sdp.Mpsittesÿ\Wd; v ~R$gfflus itnsiàbàsi and again’ describes
w&<üghûr&ftil!ûs as 1 lu- ^n^uwfuu If this (observation
could < bejrelied' upon, we|lMUld admit that fillKslÉ^ies are inhabitants
*of this country^although the present, which must be by far the
most numerous, is .certainly not th$ignimpiUus.
I agree with Ray, $®ejfe>t, and other tnUtEorS, - and dissent from
Linné, Latham, Wilsbîi’,1 and T emmidotf^fisdspeoting the propriety
of placing these,*lairds in a separate genus from Sylvia, and I have
therefore changed the generic, name* adopted by Wilson. This
genus sfo^tns ■ a link ' intermediate tottheftgenera* Sylvia and Parus. It
is small both in ,the number and,?!size dfiitSfSpeé^l öoïfsisting of the
two smallest of the/ EuropbaUwbirdsj’ -one>of which is thé subject of
Iplp article ; an American spteoieftfejbM Ruby-crowned /Gold-crest
(Regulus• calencMus^^o well figured and'Ascribed'hÿ Wilson; and
a-fourth from Asia.
•\ü$The most.qbVkfiis (characters that .distihgtti&h the genus R mmIms
from Sylvia are, the hill remarkably slender'throughout, and two
small decomposed feathers, - directed forwards so as to cover the
nostrils.