PAKID.E — TTTK TITMICE. 97 



at the lower mandible and occupies the entire under surface of the head and 

 throat, liut not extending as far Jjack witliin a ([uartta- of an inch as that on 

 the upper part of the neck. The space l>etweeu these two patches, on the 

 sides of the head and neck, is white, this color extending along the black of 

 the back of the neck as far as its truncated extremity, liut not bordering it 

 behind. The middle of the breast and belly, as far as the vent, is dull 

 white, that immediately l>eliind the lilack of the throat a little clearer. The 

 sides of the breast and body under the wings, with the under tail-coverts, 

 are pale, dull brownish-white. The back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are 

 of a dirty bluish-ash, washed with yellowish-brown, especially on the rump. 

 The wings are brown ; the outer edges of the third to the seventh primaries 

 narrowly edged with whitish ; the innermost secondaries more broadly and 

 conspicuously edged with the same ; larger coverts edged with dirty whitish. 

 Outer webs of tail-feathers edged with white, purest and occupying half the 

 web in the external one, narrowing and less clear to the central feathers, the 

 basal portions, esjiecially, assuming miire the color of the liack. 



Habits. The common Ciiickadee or l>lack-cai)ped Titmouse is so well 

 known throughout the greater portion of the United States as to be gen- 

 erally accepted, by common consent, as the typical representati\'e of its 

 numerous family. Until recently it has been supposed to be universally 

 distributed over the continent, and while this is now questioned, it is not 

 quite clear where its limits occur. In Eastern Maine the Pants hudsotiicus 

 and this species meet. In the District of Columbia it crosses the northern 

 limits of P. carolinensu, and in tlie northern Mississippi Valley it mingles 

 with the var. septentrio7ud'is. It remains to be ascertained how far the 

 species exceeds these bounds. 



A few individuals of this species were observed by Mr. Dall, Decemlier 

 12, at Nulato, where, however, it was not common. They were also ob- 

 tained by Biseholf at Sitka and Kodiak. 



As in very many essential respects the wIkjIc family of P<iri<hr arc alike 

 in their characteristics of habits, their manner of collecting food, their rest- 

 less, unea.sy movements, the similarity of their cries, their residence in hol- 

 low trees or branches, and their nesting in similar places, with the exception 

 only of a few species that construct their own pouch-like nests, we have 

 taken the best known as the common point of comparison. Except in the 

 variations in plumage, the points of difference are never great or very 

 noticeable. 



In Xew England the Black-Cap is one of our most common and familiar 

 birds. In the vicinity of Cakiis, ]Mr. Boardman speaks of it as resident and 

 abundant. The writer did not meet with it in Xova Scotia, nor even in the 

 islands of the Bay of Fundy, where tlie hudsonicus is a common bird. 



It Ls a resident species, nesting early in ]\Iay, and having full-fledged nest- 

 lings early in June. While it seems to prefer tlie edges of woods as best 

 affording the means of food antl .shelter, it liy no means coidines itself to 

 13 



