Miscellaneous, 458 



ish white with an almost imperceptible tinge of yellowish under the 

 wings. 



Length 5 J ; wing 2^ ; tail S/g inches. 



A single specimen of this bird was procured on the 26th of July 

 on the Yellow Stone River, about thirty miles above its junction with 

 the Missouri. It is evidently a bird of the season, with immature 

 plumage, to which may be attributed the dullness of the black on the 

 head and throat. On comparison of this bird with P. carolinensis 

 and P. atricapillus, it will be perceived that, beginning with the 

 smallest bird, the parts which are black decrease, and the white 

 parts increase in size and intensity in ascending. In septentrionalis 

 the outer web of the lateral tail-feather is entirely white, except a 

 small portion near the base, where there is a slight tinge of gray next 

 the shaft, and the quills, secondaries and all the tail-feathers are 

 margined more broadly and with a purer white than in the other 

 species. 



I have given a table showing the comparative measurements of the 

 three American species of this division of the genus Parus having 

 black heads, which so closely resemble each other in voice, habits 

 and markings ; and have also added some measurements from a paper 

 in the Archives of the Academy by M. de Selys-Longchamps, Cor- 

 responding Member of the Royal Academy of Brussels, extracted 

 from their ' Bulletin,' vol. x. no. 7 . I have reduced his measurements 

 to English inches and decimals, and have given my own also in de- 

 cimals for more ready comparison. It will be seen that his speci- 

 men from Iceland (frigoris) corresponds so nearly with our atricU' 

 pillus as to render it probable that it is identical, while his atricapillus 

 from Brisson is so near to Audubon's carolinensis as to render it al- 

 most certain that the description of P. atricapillus by the old authors 

 was from our small southern bird. If this opinion be correct, our 

 carolinensis should resume the name of atricapillus, and the larger 

 bird be called /neon's, as suggested by M. de Selys-Longchamps. 



The note of this bird is similar to atricapillus, but its voice more 

 liquid, and less harsh and querulous in the utterance. Bill longer 

 and stouter. 



Length. Wing. Tail. Length. Wing. Tail. 



Parus Carolinensis ^ '^h 2f or 4-250 2-500 2-375 



atricapilhis 5^ 2^ ^^/^ 5-125 2-687 2-562 



septentrionalis (Nob.) ... 5^ 2\% 3/^ 5-875 2-812 3-093 



atricapillus (Briss.) \ from the paper of M. f 4-794 2-397 



frigoris J de Selys-Longchamps. \ 5-149 2-G03 



It will be seen by the above table, that while in each of the old 



American species the wing is -125, or ^th of an inch longer than the 

 tail, in the new bird the tail is -281, or nearly j%ths of an inch longer 

 than the wing : compared with atricapillus, the total length is greater 

 by Jths of an inch, the wing by ^th, and tail by JJ or more than 

 half an inch. 



The colours in this immature specimen are only to be depended 

 upon as showing the much greater development of the white and 

 smaller extent of the black markings than in the other species. For 

 the sake of more easy reference, the description has been made par- 



