PARID^ — THE TITMICE. 101 



The eggs, usually five, occasionally eight, in number, are of a rounded 

 oval shape, measuring .60 by .50 of an inch. They have a pure dull-white 

 ground, and the entire egg is very uniformly and pretty thickly covered 

 with fine markings and small blotches of red and reddisli-brown inter- 

 mingled with a few dots of i>urplish. 



Parus atricapillus, var. occidentalis, Baird. 



WESTERN CHICKADEE. 



Parus occidentalia, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 391 (W. Territory); Review, 81. — ScLATER, 

 Catal. 1861, 14, no. 82. —Elliot, Illust. 1, pi. viii. — Cooper, Birds Cal. I, 45. 



Sp. Char. Tarsi lengthened. Tail graduated; outer feather about .25 of an inch shorter 

 than the middle. Above dark brownish-ash ; head and neck above and below black, sepa- 

 rated on the sides by white ; l^eneath light, dirty, rusty yellowish-brown, scarcely whiter 

 along the middle of body. Tail and wings not quite so much edged with whitish as in P. 

 atricapillus. Length about 4.75 ; wing, 2.40 ; tail, 2.4U. 



IIab. Northwest coast region of the United States. 



This race is of tlie same size as P. atricapillus, and resembles it in its 

 markings ; the ashy of the back is, however, washed with a darker shade 

 of yellowish-brown. The brown of the under parts is so much darker as to 

 cause the predominant color there to be a pale yellowish-brown, instead 

 of Ijrownish-white. The fourth quill is longest ; tlie fifth and sixth a little 

 shorter than the tliird ; tlie second is about as long as the secondaries. The 

 tail is rounded, rather more so than in most atricajnllus, the difference in the 

 lengths of the feathers amounting to about .25 of an inch. The amount 

 of light margining to the quills and tail-feathers is mucli as in atricajnllus, 

 but rather less, perhaps, on the tail. 



This seems to be the Pacific coast representative of the P. atricapillus, 

 as i^cptcntrionalis belongs to the middle region, corresponding in its differ- 

 ences with other Western representatives of Eastern species. 



Habits. Dr. Cooper, in his Birds of Washington Territory, says of 

 this variety : " The common Black-capped Chickadee, so abundant in the 

 Eastern States, is, in Washington Territory, represented by the Western 

 Titmouse, frequenting the low tliickets and trees, where it is ahvays busily 

 employed seeking food." He observed its nest near Puget Sound, burrowed 

 in soft rotten wood. Dr. Suckley found it quite abundant in the valley of 

 the Willamette, and also at Eort Vancouver during winter. In habits it 

 closely resembles the Black-Cap of the Eastern States. 



It is chiefly found in Oregon and Washington Territory, visiting the 

 northern part of California in winter, when it is also abundant near the 

 Columbia River. At this season it is generally found among the deciduous 

 trees along streams and oak groves, seeking its food among the branches. 

 It feeds on seeds and insects, and is very fond of fresli meat, fat, and crumbs 



