102 BRITISH BIRDS. 



breast and belly yellowish-white ; flanks and under tail-coverts pale buff ; 

 tail-feathers dark brown, with olive-brown edges to the outer webs ; 

 under wing-coverts white ; axillaries pale buff ; primaries and 

 secondaries dark brown, edged on the outer webs with olive-brown, 

 and on the inner webs with white, the innermost secondaries 

 pale brown ; primary-coverts dark brown, edged with ohve-brown ; 

 all the wing-coverts ohve-brown. 



First Winter- Plumage. Acquired by a complete moult, 

 with the exception of the remiges, primary-coverts and 

 rectrices. 



Much like that of the Juvenile, but the whole of the top of the head 

 and nape glossy black ; the rest of the upjoer-parts darker brown ; 

 chin and throat black ; flanks deeper buff. 



First Summer- Plumage. Acquired by abrasion. 



The black on the throat is a little more intense through the wearing off 

 of some of the white tips to the feathers, but otherwise no difference 

 can be detected between Summer- and Winter-Plumage. 



Adult Winter-Plumage. Acquired by a complete moult, 

 and cannot be distinguished from the First Winter-Plumage. 



Adult Summer-Plumage. Acquired in the same manner 

 as the First Summer-Plumage, and cannot be distinguished 

 from it. 



N.B. — I can detect no difference between male and female in any 

 plumage, nor is there any appreciable difference in wing-measurement. 



BRITISH BLUE TITMOUSE. 



Parus cceruleus obscurus, Prazak. 



Down-Plumage. White. Distribution — Inner supra- 

 orbital, occipital, and humeral {fide. C. B. Ticehurst, Vol. II., 

 p. 190). 



Juvenile Plumage. Acquired Avhile in the nest, the Dowti- 

 Plumage being completely moulted. 



MALE. Forehead yellow ; crown dull greenish-brown, a black line 

 running from the base of the bill to and behind the eye ; superciliary 

 stripe white over the eye, extending backwards in a yellow stripe, which 

 continues round the nape ; hind-neck like the crown ; nuchal spot pale 

 yellow ; mantle, scapulars, back, rump and upper tail-coverts dull 

 olive-green ; ear-coverts, cheeks (a small patch immediately below the eye 

 is white), sides of throat, breast, belly, flanks and under tail-coverts yellow ; 

 a narrow line of dull greenish-brown in the centre of the throat passes 

 backwards below the ear-coverts and joins the hind-neck (this line is ill- 

 defined on the throat) ; tail-feathers blue, tinged with greenish, the 

 outer pair with a narrow white edge to the outer webs ; under wing- 

 coverts yellowish-white ; axillaries yellow ; primaries and secondaries 

 brown, with blue-green edges to the outer webs, the innermost four 

 secondaries greyish-brown, with green fringes to the outer webs and dull 

 white tips, larger on the two innermost ; primary-coverts bluish-green. 



