204 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



Parus inornatus cineraceus Ridgw. 



Ashy Titmouse. 



Lopkophanes inornatus Coues, Clieck List, 1873, 9, no. 28, part ; '2d ed., 1882, 28, no. 



41, part. RiDGWAY, Norn. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 



1881, 13, no. 38, part. 

 Lophojihanes inornatus cineraceus RiDGWAY, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 154, 



155 (orig. desor. ; type from Laguna), 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower Calif.), 



347 (measurements). Belding, /6tc/. (Victoria Mts.). Coues, Key N. Amer. 



Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 866 (descr. ; Lower Calif.). 

 Parus inornatus cineraceus RiDGWAY, Loc. cit., Vlll. 1885, 354. A. 0. U., Checl< List, 



188G, 333, no. 733 b. Bryant, Froc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 317 



(Victoria Mts.) ; Zoe, IL 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts). 

 P.\arus'] inornatus cineraceus Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 561 



(descr. ; s. portion of Lower Calif.). 

 [Lopkophanes inornatus] var. cineracea Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VII. 1901, 465 



( Basse-Calif ornie) . 



Mr. Ridgway states that this form differs from its nearest ally, P. i. griseus, 

 in having generally grayer colors, paler coloring beneath, and a smaller bill. 

 The bill of the type is described as black, and, as a second specimen afterwards 

 taken by Mr. Belding agreed " exactly with the type," it is fair to assume that 

 its !)ill was also black. 



In my series of thirty-four examples, the clear grayish white of the under 

 parts is perfectly constant and serves at once to distinguish the Lower Cali- 

 fornia bird from griseus, which seems to be always dingy or smoky gray be- 

 neath. The color of the upper parts varies considerably with season, and is 

 decidedly ashler in autumn than in spring ; with several of my specimens it 

 matches perfectly that of griseus, but with the majority it is slightly grayer. 

 As far as the bills of the two birds are concerned, I am unable to make out any 

 differences whatever, either of color or size- "Without a single exception, the 

 bills of my representatives of cineraceus are dark horn colored, precisely as in 

 griseus, and they do not average smaller. 



Several of my examples of cineraceus are marked in a curious manner with 

 pale tawny brown, almost fawn color. This is nearly uniform in shade in 

 the different birds, but is irregularly disposed, although always confined to the 

 upper parts. In one specimen it forms a broad terminal band on the tail ; in 

 three others, a slight tipping on the crest, while in a fourth almost the entire 

 crest is bright fawn color, in marked contrast with the ashy-gray crown and 

 nape. The bird last mentioned has the greater wing coverts tinged with tawny, 

 which forms a rather conspicuous light bar on each wing. It also shows an 

 ill-defined light band across the back. All the specimens thus marked are 

 adults, taken in May and June, and, in all, the plumage is worn and faded. 

 It is possible that the peculiar coloring just described is caused by excessive 



