406 BULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



(Houston and Giddings). West to eastern Texas (Giddings, Corsicana, 

 Decatur, and Gainesville) ; Oklahoma (Norman, Arnett, and Copan) ; 

 eastern Kansas (Wichita, Junction City, and Manhattan) ; and central 

 Iowa (Ogden). 



During summer the species has been recorded from eastern Nebraska 

 (Red Cloud, Lincoln, and Neligh), from northern New York (Long 

 Lake), and from Maine (Orono), while during fall or winter it has 

 been recorded from southeastern South Dakota (Vermillion), Minne- 

 sota (Fosston, Hutchinson, Minneapolis, and Northfield), Connecticut 

 (New Haven and Norwalk), and eastern Long Island (Easthampton). 



Egg dates. — Florida: 5 records, May 2 to 9. 



Maryland : 5 records, April 26 to May 26. 



Oklahoma: 6 records, April 16 to May 27. j 



South Carolina: 7 records, April 18 to 30. I 



Texas : 9 records, March 26 to April 20. 



] 



PARUS ATRICKISTATUS ATBICRISTATUS Cassia 



BLACK-CRESTED TITMOUSE 



HABITS 



The above name was originally applied to the species as a whole, , 

 which is to be found over much of eastern Texas and eastern Mexico, 

 but the species has been split into two subspecies, and the subject of! 

 this sketcji is now restricted in its distribution to the southern portion 

 of the range, from the Rio Grande River southward through eastern 

 Mexico to Coahuila, San Luis Potosi, and northern Veracruz. 



George B. Sennett (1878 and 1879) seems to have been the first to 

 make us acquainted with the black-crested titmice of the Rio Grande: 

 Y alley. He says in his first paper: "These lively and sweet singers- 

 were everywhere abundant, especially in old lagoon-beds, now largely 

 grown up with the mesquite and lignum vitae." We found these sprightly ■ 

 and attractive little birds to be common everywhere around Brownsville, 

 in the heavy timber along the resacas, in the open groves of deciduous ■ 

 trees, and in the shade trees in the town. Their behavior and their : 

 delightful songs were strikingly like those of the familiar tufted titmouse. ■ 



Nesting. — Mr. Sennett (1879) was also the first to find the nest oft 

 this bird. His first nest, found in 1877, contained young, but on April ■ 

 20, 1878, his assistant brought him a nest containing five young and 

 an addled egg, probably the first one ever collected. He says of this 

 nest: 



The nest was situated some six feet from the ground, in a hollow limb of a 

 half-dead willow, which was leaning on some brush, and was discovered by the 



