450 



PARUS CRISTATUS. THE CRESTED TIT. 



CRESTED TITMOUSE. 



Parus cristatus. Linn, Syst. Nat. I. 340. 



Parus cristatus. Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 567. 



Crested Titmouse. Mont. Orn. Diet. 



M^sange huppe'e. Parus cristatus. Temm. Man. d'Orn. I. 290. III. 211. 



Crested Titmouse. Parus cristatus. Selb. Illustr. I. 243. 



Parus cristatus. Crested Titmouse. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 122. 



Occipital feathers elongated, pointed, and slightly recurved^ 

 forming a conspicuous crest ; feathers of the head black, with 

 white margitis ; cheeks white ; space behind the eyes, a decurved 

 hand over the hind-neck, and a large triangular spot on the fore- 

 neck, black ; upper parts grey tinged with yelloicish-brown ; 

 breast greyish-white ; sides, abdomen, and loicer tail-coverts pale 

 yellowish-brotcn. 



Male. — This very beautiful little bird is apparently confined 

 with us to the extensive woods in the northern part of the mid- 

 dle division of Scotland, and is even there extremely rare. In 

 the course of fifteen years I have only heard of two specimens 

 that were sent to Edinburgh to be prepared. They were shot 

 somewhere on the Spey in November 1836 ; and from them 

 exclusively I have taken my descriptions, the specimens seen 

 in museums in this country being generally of exotic origin. 

 The general form resembles that of the Blue and Black Tits. 

 The bill is rather short, straight, somewhat slender, compress- 

 ed, acute ; the upper mandible with its dorsal outline slightly 

 arched, the edges straight and a little inflected ; the lower man- 

 dible with its dorsal line very slightly convex. The feet are 

 short and strong ; the tarsus with seven anterior scutella, and 

 small posterior scales ; the hind toe strong, M'ith four scales, 

 the second with nine, the third ten, the fourth eight ; the 



