BIRDS — PARIDAE — PSALTRIPARUS MINIMUS. 397 



toe nenrly or quite eqiial to the middle. The wings are short ; the primaries, however, con- 

 siderably exceeding the other quills ; the exposed portion of the first quill nearly half that of 

 the second, which is shorter than the secondaries ; the outer primaries much graduated to the 

 fifth, (longest.) The tail is long (much longer than the wings) and considerably graduated 

 laterally ; the outer feather about half an inch shortest. 



The back and rump with tail coverts of this species are of a dirty yellowisli brown. The 

 sides of the head starting at the base of the bill, passing through and a little above the eyes, 

 and passing backwards around on the nape, where it narrows to a line and almost or quite 

 meets its fellow, are of a lustrous greenish black. The crown as enclosed by the black, the 

 edges of the quills and tail feathers are ash gray, the forehead rather lighter. The whole 

 under parts, including the lower tail coverts, are dirty white ; the region back of the thighs 

 and about the anus tinged with yellowish brown. The outer tail feather is edged with whitish. 

 Bill and feet black. 



The species is described from specimens in the Museum of the Philadelphia Academy, from 

 Guatemala. It should really be credited to Hartlaub, 1844. 



PSALTRIPARUS MINIMUS, Bonap. 

 Least Tit. 



Parus minimus, Townsend, Jour. A. N. Sc. Phila. VII, ii, 1837, 190.— Aud. Orn. Eiog. IV, 1838, 383 ; pi. 353, iig. 



5, 6.— Ib. Birds Amer. II, 1841, 160 ; pi. 130. 

 Poecila minima, Bonap. Conspectus, 1850, 230. 

 Psttltria minima, Cassin, Illust. I, 1853, 20. 

 Psaltriparus miniymts, Bonap. Comptes Rendus, XXXVIII, 1854 ; Notes Orn. Delattre, 45. 



Sp. Ch. — Tail long, feathers graduated. Above rather dark olivaceous cinereous; top and sides of head smoky brown. 

 Beneath pale whitish brown, darker on tlie sides. Length, about 4 inches ; wing, 1.90 ; tail, 2.25. 

 Ilab. — Pacific coast of United States. 



The bill of this species is slender, the upper mandible not twice as large as tbe lower ; gently 

 but considerably curved to the tip without any notch. The wings are short and concave, the 

 exposed part of the first or spurious quill about half as long as that of the second primary, 

 which is shorter than the secondaries. The wing is much rounded, the primary quills 

 increasing successively to the sixth, the seventh a little shorter, the fourtb longer than the 

 eighth. The tail is long, the feathers very narrow; it is considerably rounded or wedge- 

 shaped, a little emarginate in the middle, the exterior feather abruptly shorter than the second, 

 the rest increasing gradually to the fourth, which is longest. The greatest difference in the 

 length of the feathers is about .45 of an inch. The tarsi appear unusually long compared with 

 those of other titmice. 



The upper parts are of an ashy gray, with adull olivaceous tinge. The top and sides of the 

 head are of a pale smoky brown, almost with a purplish tinge ; the head in decided contrast to 

 the back. The under parts generally are whitish brown, or brownish white with a tinge of 

 yellowish on the abdomen, the sides more strongly of a pale smoky brown, somewhat similar 

 to that on top of the head, but paler. The tail and wing feathers are edged with the color of 

 the back except the third to the seventh primaries, which are margined whitish ash. Bill 

 and legs blackish in the dried specimen. 



There is quite an appreciable difference between specimens of this species from Washington 

 Territory and California; the latter are smaller, the under parts paler. In the specimens before 

 me, however, I see no grounds for specific distinction. 



