TITMICE. 81 



46. PARUS RUFESCENS. 



CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE. ** 



46a' PARUS RUFESCENS NEGLECTUS, 



CALIFORNIA^ CHICKADEE. ** 



47 PSALTRIPARUS MINIMUS. 



LEAST TIT. 



"This interesting little species was first added to our fauna by 

 the indefatigable Mr. Townsend in 1837. It is abundant through- 

 out the Pacific coast from Fort Steilacoom to FortTejon. Dr. Gam- 

 bel found it exceedingly abundant both in the Rocky Mountains 

 and throughout California. *" * ••• 



A nest of this bird presented by Mr, Nuttall to Audubon was 

 cylindrical in form, nine inches in length and three and a half in 

 diameter. It was suspended from the forks of a small twig, and 

 was composed externally of hypnum, lichens, and fibrous roots so 

 interwoven as to present a smooth surface, with a few stems of 

 grasses and feathers intermingled. The aperture was at the top, 

 and did not exceed seven-eighths of an inch in diameter. The 

 diameter of the internal passage for two-thirds of its length was 

 two inches. This was lined with the cottony down of willows and 

 a vast quantity of soft feathers. The eggs were nine in number, 

 pure white, .56 of an inch by .44 in their measurement." — Baird, 

 Brewer and Ridgway's N. A. Birds, vol. i, pp. 109, no. 



48. PSALTRIPARUS PLUMBEUS. 



LEAD-COLORED TIT. ** 



49. PSALTRIPARUS MELANOTIS. 



BLACK-EARED TIT.** 



50. AURIPARUS FLAVICEPS. 



YELLOW-HEADED TIT. 



This species inhabits the Valley of the Rio Grande and Colorado. 

 ''In the Colorado and Mojave River Valleys, Dr. Cooper observed 

 many nests, one of which he describes with particularity: — "On 

 the loth of Match, I found a pair building, first forming a wall 

 nearly spherical in outline, out of the thorny twigs o*f the Algarobia 

 (in which tree the nest is usually built), then lining it with softer 



