54 Mr. J. I. S. Wliitaker on tiro 



on tlic whole, sliould be placed beneath tlic more typical 

 Cranes, though it may shew points of specialization. Osteo- 

 logically, it appears to me that Arainus is distinctly more 

 specialized than its allies ; in any case I am convinced that 

 it is necessary to leave it as a genus of the family Gruidse, 

 and not to create for it a special family or subfamily. 

 Its main claim to be considered as nearly related to Balearica 

 appears to me to lie in the fact that both these genera have 

 been specialized from the more typical Crane-structure along 

 the same lines. 



III. — Further lufurinatiun on two receiitlij described Species 

 of Passerine Birds, liy Joseph 1. S. Whitaker, F.Z.S., 

 M.B.O.U. 



(Plates II. &I1I.) 



In the ' Bulletin ' of the British Ornithologists' Club for 

 1901 (vol. xi. p. 52) a new species of Long-tailed Titmouse 

 from Sicily was described by me uuder the name of Acredula 

 sicula, s[) cimens of the bird having been exhibited at the 

 meeting of that Club held on the 20th of March, 1901. 



Having since obtained further information respecting 

 this interesting addition to our European Ornis, and parti- 

 cularly as regards its distribution and breeding in Sicily, 

 I tliiidv it worth while to publish the result of my investi- 

 gations in ' Tiie Ibis,' and at the same time to give a figure 

 of the new bird. 



As will l;e seen by Plate II., the Sicilian Titmouse greatly 

 resembles A. caucasica, but, as mentioned in the 'Bulletin,^ 

 it diflters from that species in its smaller size, and also, to a 

 certain extent, in the colouring of its plumage. 



The following are the respective measurements of the two 

 species, as given in the ' Bulletin' of the B.O.C. : — 



A. sicula ex Mus. J. I. S. Whitaker, Palermo : 



cJ ad. Total length 5-0, wing 2 25, tail 2-9, tarsus 0-6. 



? ad. „ „ 50, „ 2-20, „ 2-9, „ 0-6. 

 A. caucasica ex Owens College Mus., Manchester: 



S ad. Total length 5-5, wing 2-45, tail S'S, tarsus 0-7. 



? '^^' >, V 5-5, „ 2-45, „ 3-2, „ 0-7. 



