378 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



aa. Maxilla abruptly contracted terminally, with upper outline strongly convex, the 

 nasal opening occupying more than basal half; interorbital septum contracted 

 to a slender horizontal bar separating two very large foramina which extend 

 much the greater part of the distance, longitudinally, across the orbit; tarsus 

 little if any less than twice as long as middle toe without claw; basal phalanx 

 of middle toe adherent for decidedly less than its entire length to inner toe 

 but for its entire length to outer toe; exposed oulinen much shorter than 

 inner toe without claw, the bill nearly as deep at liase as long, or else oulmen 

 strongly convex, and bill much compressed terminally; tail graduated (some- 

 times excessively so). (Nest suspended to twigs of trees or bushes, purse-like, 

 very bulky; eggs white, with or without reddish brown specks.) ..Psaltriparinse 



I have been trreatl}' perplexed as to the question of genera in the sub- 

 family Parinae, and it is only after a very careful consideration of the 

 subject and close examination and comparison of a majoritj^ of the 

 known species that 1 have reached a decision in the matter; for at the 

 very outset it was clearly evident that no middle course can be taken 

 between two extremes — the recognition of a single genus (Parus) for 

 all the Nearctic and Paln?arctic" forms or a considerable numlier of 

 genera. Man}' authors who oppose or disapprove of the latter course 

 favor the recognition of a genus Loplioplianes for the crested species 

 of the group; but nothing can be more clear than the fact that if 

 Lophojplianes be allowed, consistency, or rather scientific accuvac}', 

 requires that this genus be restricted to Z. cristatus and its nearer 

 Paltearctic allies, for the crested species of the Nearctic region are all 

 very different in certain structural characters and should, therefore, 

 be segregated as a separate genus {BaRolophus Cabanis). The breach 

 once made by elimination of the species comprising these two groups, 

 disintegration must go still further, and the plainly colored black- or 

 brown-capped "'chickadees," represented by Parus atricapillns and 

 P. Jiudsonicus and their allies be set apart, for certainlv the}' are very 

 different-looking birds from P. major (the type of Parus by elimina- 

 tion) and the many Paltearctic species of bright or variegated plumage. 

 Although averse to so-called "innovations" and extremely reluctant 

 to take what may seem like radical action in the case, I am convinced 

 that it is best, all things considered, to do so; and that conservatism in 

 this case, as in all others of like kind, simply retards the progress of 

 systematic ornithology, for whose advancement we all profess to strive. 



the nomenclatural code, from a genus of this group to one belonging to the next, it 

 obviously can not now be used for either group, and I therefore propose Remizinae 

 and Psaltriparinee, respectively, the first being based on the generic name Reniiza 

 (Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., ix, 1886, 387), and preferred to one based on 

 Auriparus for the reason that the latter genus does not represent so extreme a type 

 of structure. 



«The Indo-Malayan genus Mehmochlora Lesson seems very distinct from Parus 

 (in the broader sense), judging from the single species {M. suUmieus) which I have 

 been able to examine. The African Melaniparus niger (Vieillot) I have not seen. 



