1888.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 113 



NOTES ON THE EUROPEAN CRESTED TITMICE. 





BY LEONHARD STEJNEGER. 



The direct comparison of three Scandinavian examples with a series 

 from Central Europe reveals a difference in the coloration of the Crested 

 Titmice from these localities, which necessitates their separation. 



The three birds from Norway and Sweden agree completely inter se on 

 one hand, and so do the German and Hungarian specimens on the other. 



The former are grayer above, the latter more brownish, but the exact 

 shade is very difficult to describe. Consulting Ridgway's "Nomen- 

 clator of Colors," pi. iii, I should say that the northern examples have 

 the back "Isabella" gray, while those from the South tire " wood-brown" 

 gray. The difference in the coloration of the flanks is of the same kind 

 but even more striking, for here the gray ground color is absent and 

 the flanks are therefore, respectively, u Isabella colored" and "wood- 

 brown" without further qualification. 



It is curious that the difference between these forms has beeu over- 

 looked by most ornithologists, since they are quite as distinct as are 

 pitta ccvsia and Sitta europaa. 



As to the name of the Crested Titmice, the case is identical with that 

 of the two Nuthatches just referred to. The name given by Linnaeus 

 will have to be reserved for the Scandinavian form, which will stand as 

 Par us (or Lophophanes) cristatus Linn. The appellation Par us mitratus, 

 which Brehm, in 1831, bestowed upon an alleged form of the Central 

 European bird, seems available fur the German and Hungarian race. 

 Intergradation being the test for the use of trinominals I defer calling 

 the bird in question Pants cristatus mitratus until the intergradation 

 shall have been fairly proven, if in reality it does exist. 



It would be very interesting to know whether the Crested Titmouse 

 which inhabits Scotland belongs to either of the two forms indicated 

 above, or whether it shows any peculiarity of its own entitling it to 

 separate recognition. British ornithologists not prejudiced against 

 possibilities of this kind ought to look into the matter. 



Measurements of Pants cristatus. 



Proc. N. M. 88 8 



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