336 PABID.E. 



tuiiitics of observing this species on the Continent, infonns 

 me that their note has some resemblance to that of tlie Cole 

 Tit, but a peculiar shake at the finish enables you to dis- 

 tinguish it among others of the tribe ; its simple call-note is 

 also somewhat different. They seem partial to woods where 

 fir and oak trees are mixed, the holes in the oaks generally 

 serving them for their nests. The female lays eight or ten 

 white eggs, with a few spots and specks of pale red ; the 

 length of the egg seven lines, and six lines in breadth. 



The adult male has the beak nearly black ; the irides 

 hazel ; the cheeks white, spotted with black ; the forehead 

 black and white ; the elongated feathers on the top of the 

 head, which form the conical crest, are black at the base 

 broadly margined with white ; from the eye, passing over the 

 ear-coverts, is a black streak, which joins a circular band of 

 the same colour curving forwards below the ear-coverts ; 

 behind this is a patch of white bounded by another black 

 band curving forward towards the side of the neck : the back, 

 wing, and tail-coverts, hair-brown ; quill and tail-feathers 

 rather darker ; chin and throat covered with a black triangular 

 patch of large size, which descends to the upper part of the 

 breast ; all the under surface of the body below the black 

 is of a whitish fawn colour ; under surface of the wing and 

 tail-feathers pearl grey ; legs, toes, and claws, lead colour. 



The whole length of the bird is four inches and a half. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, two inches and 

 a half: the first quill-feather less than half the length of 

 the second ; the third and fifth feathers equal in length, and 

 longer than the second ; the fourth the longest feather in the 

 wing. 



The female has the black patch on the throat of smaller 

 size than that of the male. 



Mr. Hoy tells me that the young birds have a crest 

 when in their nestling plumage, but that the feathers are 

 shorter. 



