BEARDED TIT. 



355 



The whole length rather more than six inches ; from the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing two inches and one quar- 

 ter ; the first feather very short ; the second feather equal in 

 length to the fifth, but shorter than the third ; the fourth the 

 longest in the wing. 



In the female the head is of a dull brownish fawn colour 

 where the male is pearl grey, and the feathers in the situation 

 of the moustache are of the same colour as those of the 

 cheek ; the female has sometimes been described as wanting 

 the whiskers ; but the elongated feathers are present, though 

 not coloured black ; the plumage of the female is in other 

 respects like that of the male, but the colours are not quite 

 so delicate and pure ; the under tail-coverts in the female are 

 fawn colour. 



A young bird about three weeks old has the back black ; 

 the tertials want the broad white inner webs ; the wing and 

 tail-feathers are patched with black ; the tail-feathers short 

 and nearly even at the end ; the whole of the imder surface 

 of the body faAvn colour ; the legs light brown. At this age 

 young males have an indication of the whisker in a small 

 black line reaching from the base of the beak to the eye. 



The vignette below is taken from a young bird. The 

 black colour on the back, wings, and tail, is lost by degrees. 





