82 THE BIRDS OF COOKHAM AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 
62. Parus ater. The Coal Titmouse. 
Unlike the two last-named birds, the Coal Tit is by no means 
plentiful near Cookham, and I have only one specimen in my 
collection. 
Genus Pmorx. 
63. Peecile palustris. The Marsh Titmouse. 
This bird, the reasons for the generic separation of which I 
fully explained in my paper on the ‘ British Tits” read some time 
ago before the Society, is rather more plentiful than the Coal 
Titmouse, but cannot be said to be common. 
Genus ACREDULA, 
64, Acredula rosea. The Long-tailed Titmouse. 
I would draw attention here to the facts lately published by me 
in the ‘Ibis,’ which may not have been seen by my readers, of 
there being two distinct species of Long-tailed Tit found in Europe, 
both of which have been met with in Great Britain. I therefore 
give the following extract, the particulars of which will doubtless 
interest many not previously acquainted with the subject. 
‘“‘T am sure that no ornithologist, comparing carefully the plate 
of Parus caudatus in Mr. Gould’s ‘ Birds of Europe’ with any 
coloured figure of the bird of the same name in the works of 
German or Scandinavian authors would consider that they repre- 
sented the same species; for the male of the Scandinavian bird is 
always figured with a white head, while the male of the British 
species has a band on each side of the head extending from the 
eye to the nape, the female only of the former having a dusky 
band on each side of the head, as in both sexes of the English bird. 
This, then, is the principal point on which I ground my propo- 
sition that they ought to be recognized as specifically distinct, viz., 
that the sexes of the British bird arealike, whilein the Scandinavian 
Bottle-Titmouse they differ considerably one from the other. Nor 
is my conviction founded on figures in any work alone; for I have 
specimens from Great Britain, Denmark, Holland, and Germany; 
and I propose now to consider the geographical distribution of the 
two species, so far as the material I have at hand will allow me; 
