PARID^E — THE TITMICE. 97 



at the lower mandible and occupies the entire under surface of the head and 

 throat, but not extending as far back within a quarter of an inch as that on 

 the upper part of the neck. The space between these two patches, on tlie 

 sides of the head and neck, is white, this color extending along the black of 

 the back of the neck as lar as its truncated extremity, but not bordering it 

 behind. Tlie middle of the breast and belly, as far as the vent, is dull 

 wliite, that immediately beldnd the black of the throat a little clearer. The 

 sides of tlie breast and body under the wings, with the under tail-coverts, 

 are pale, dull brownish-white. The back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are 

 of a dirty bluish-ash, washed witli yellowish-brown, especially on the rump. 

 Tlie wings are brown ; the outer edges of the third to the seventli primaries 

 narrowly edged with whitish ; tlie innermost secondaries more broadly and 

 conspicuously edged with tlie same ; larger coverts edged with dirty wliitish. 

 Outer webs of tail-feathers edged with white, purest and occupying half the 

 web in tlie external one, narrowing and less clear to the central feathers, the 

 basal portions, especially, assuming more the color of the back. 



Habits. The common Chickadee or Black-capped Titmouse is so well 

 known throughout the greater portion of the United States as to be gen- 

 erally accepted, by common consent, as the typical representative of its 

 numerous family. Until recently it has been supposed to be universally 

 distributed over the continent, and while this is now questioned, it is not 

 (piite clear where its limits occur. In Eastern Maine the Parus hiodsoniats 

 and tliis species meet. In the District of Columbia it crosses the northern 

 limits of F. carolinensis, and in the northern Mississippi Valley it mingles 

 witli the var. sciJtentrioiialis. It remains to be ascertained how far the 

 species exceeds these bounds. 



A few individuals of this species were observed by Mr. Dall, December 

 12, at Nulato, where, however, it was not common. They were also ob- 

 tained by Bischoff at Sitka and Kodiak. 



As in very many essential respects the whole family of Paridcc are alike 

 in their characteristics of habits, their manner of collecting food, their rest- 

 less, uneasy movements, the similarity of their cries, their residence in hol- 

 low trees or branches, and tlieir nesting in similar places, with the exception 

 only of a few species that construct their own pouch-like nests, we have 

 taken the best known as the common point of com])arison. Except in the 

 variations in plumage, the points of difference are never great or very 

 noticeable. 



In Xew England the Black-Cap is one of our most common and familiar 

 liirds. In the vicinity of Calais, Mr. Boardman speaks of it as resident and 

 abundant. The writer did not meet with it in Nova Scotia, nor even in the 

 islands of the Bay of Fundy, where the hudsonicus is a common bird. 



It is a resident species, nesting early in May, and having full-fledged nest- 

 lings early in June. While it seems to prefer the edges of woods as best 

 affording the means of food and shelter, it by no means confines itself to 



