CRESTED TITMOUSE. 503 



partially distributed, usually abiding in forests, feeding on 

 the fir-frequenting insects, or, in default of them, on the 

 seeds of the firs. But this is not always the case, since Sir 

 W. Jardine once saw it in November in the apple-orchards 

 near Havre-de-Grace, and Hoy furnished this work with the 

 information that, according to his experience, it seems partial 

 to woods where firs and oaks are mixed, the holes in the oaks 

 generally ser\-ing it for its nests. This same observer added 

 that its note has some resemblance to that of the Coal- 

 Titmouse, but a peculiar shake at the finish makes it dis- 

 tinguishable ; its simple call-note is also somewhat different. 



The adult male has the bill nearly black : the irides hazel : 

 head dull black ; each feather tipped with greyish- white, those 

 on the forehead rounded, those behind much elongated, 

 pointed and slightly recurved, forming a conspicuous crest ; 

 a black line runs from the bill to the eye, and thence above 

 the ear-coverts to the back of the head, whence it descends 

 behind the cheeks, which are white mottled with black. To 

 this succeeds a white baud on each side, followed by a second 

 black crescentic line ; the back, wings and tail-coverts, hair- 

 brown ; quills rather darker ; chin and throat, black, meeting 

 the second black line on the side of the neck ; breast, belly 

 and flanks, dirty white, tinged with dull buff on the sides ; 

 lower tail-coverts dull buif ; quills beneath, shining grey : 

 legs, toes and claws, lead-colour. 



The whole length is four inches and a half. From the 

 carjDal joint to the tip of the wing, two inches and a half: 

 the third and fifth primaries equal and a little shorter than 

 the fourth which is the longest feather in the wing. 



The female has less black on the chin and throat than the 

 male, and a somewhat shorter crest. The young are said to 

 resemble the adults, but have the crest shorter. 



Kaup proposed generic distinction, under the name of 

 LopliophancH, fortius species and the North- American Parus 

 hicolor. In the case of the former such separation is not 

 warranted by any known structural peculiarity ; whether it 

 is required in the case of the latter need not here concern us. 



