CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 29 



50. Parus rufescens Towns. B 205. c 34. R 46. 



Chestnut-backed Chickadee. 



51. Parus rufescens neglectus Ridg. B . c . R 46a. (?) 



Calif ornian Chickadee. 



52. Parus cinctus Bodd. B . c . R 44. (!A.) 



Siberian Chickadee. 



53. Psaltriparus minimus (Towns.) Bp. B 298. c 35. R 47. 



Least Bush-tit. 



54. Psaltriparus plumbeus Bd. B 299. c 36. R 48. 



Plumbeous Bush-tit. 



55. Psaltriparus melanotis (Haiti.) Bp. B 297. c . R 49. (!M.) 



Black-eared Bush-tit. 



56. Auriparus flaviceps (Sund.) Bd. B 300. c 37. R so. 



Yellow-headed Verdin. 



57. Sitta carolinensis Gm. B 277. c 38. R si. 



White-bellied Nut-hatch. 



58. Sitta carolinensis aculeata (Cass.) All. B 278. c 38a. R sia. 



Slender-billed Nut-hatch. 



50. P. ru-fes'-cens. Lat. rufescens, present participle of the inceptive verb rufesco, to grow red; 



be rufous. "Chickadee" is an obvious onomatopoeia, from the bird's note. 



51. P. r. neg-lec'-tus. Lat. neglectits, neglected ; verb negligo ; equal to nee (now), not, and lectus, 



chosen, picked, taken ; lego, I gather in, select, &c. Neglect is a nearly exact opposite 

 of collect. 



52. P. cinc'-tus. Lat. cinctus, girdled; perfect participle of cinr/o, I surround, encompass, 



encircle. A cingulum is a little something that goes around as a girdle does, whence 

 surcingle, cinche. 



53. P-sal-tri-pa'-rus min'-I-mus [sound the initial p ; the a in pants is properly long ; some- 



times shortened in composition]. Lat. psaltria, Gr. ^d\Tpta, one who plays on the lute; 

 from the verb psallo, iJ/aAAw, to strike such an instrument ; English psaltery, &c. ; and 

 parus, a titmouse. See No. 44. Lat. minimus, least, superlative of parvus, small. 



54. P. plum'-bg-us. Lat. plumbeus, plumbeous, lead-colored. 



55. P. mel-an-5'-tis. Gr. yue'Aas, genitive fj.f\avos, black ; ovs, genitive wr6s, ear. 



Not in the orig. ed. of the Check List, and scarcely established as North American, 

 though given by Baird in 1858. Supposed to have been seen by Ridgway in Nevada, 

 August, 1868. See Rep. Surv. 40th Par., iv, 1877, p. 415. See Index, p. 137. 



56. Aur-I-pa'-rus [owriparusj fla'-vl-ceps. Lat. aureus, golden, from aurum, gold ; and parus, 



a titmouse. Lat.yZww/s, yellow, forflagvus, fromflagro, to glow; whence English defla- 

 grate, flagrant, &c. Ceps is a Lat. termination, from Gr. Ke^oATj, the head; compare 

 caput, cephalic, occiput, &c. A more strict method of compounding aure-us with pants 

 would give aureiparus ; but it may be taken direct from aurum, making auriparus admis- 

 sible ; as we should say " gold-tit," like " bush-tit," " coal-tit." 



57. Sit'-ta ca-r6-lin-en'-sls. Gr. a-trra, ffirrr, ; Lat. sitta, a nut-hatch ; the word occurs in 



Aristotle. It is related to ffirrditri, ^irraKos, Lat. sittace, psittaats, a parrot ; the implication 

 being some sharp sound made by the bird, as English pal/ ! There is a Greek verb 

 fyiTT&(ca, to make such a noise. Lat. carol/nensis, see Mimus, No. 16. 



58. S. c. a-cu-lg-a'-ta. Lat. aculeatus, sharpened, dim. aculeus, sharp, acus, a needle ; from acer, 



sharp. Gr. aids, a point ; compare O.KWV, O.K/J.T), &Kpos, &c., English acme, acropolis, acer- 

 bity, acrimony, and numberless words in many languages, from 



