238 



A PEACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



PARUS CRISTATUS 



98. Parus cristatus scoticus (Prazak) — THE SCOTTISH 



CRESTED TITMOUSE. 



LoPHOPHANES CRISTATUS scoTiCA Prazak, Journ. f. Orn., p. 347 (1897 

 — Scotland). 



Parwscmto/ttsLinnaJus, Yarrell,l,p. 499 ; Saunders, p. Ill ; P.c.scotica 

 (Prazak), Hartert, Brit. B., i, p. 215. 



Adult. Juvenile. 



The Scottish Crested Titmouse (Parus c. scoticus). 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — 

 Mantle, scapulars and back considerably darker brown than in 

 P. c. cristatus ; rump and upper tail-coverts also darker, as well 

 as edgings of wing- and tail-feathers and wing-coverts ; white 

 tips of feathers of croA\ai and crest duller ; white of under-parts 

 duller ; flanks, vent and under tail-coverts darker and browner, 

 not so buff. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Differs from adult in same way as juvenile P. c. 

 cristatus, but upper-parts more sooty-brown than adult and con- 

 siderably more so than in juvenile P. c. cristatus. 



Measurements. — (^ wing 61-65 mm., tail 46-50, tarsus 18-19, 

 bill from skull 9-11 (12 measured). $ wing 58-65. Structure as 

 in P. c. cristatus. 



Characters and allied forms. — For differences of P. c. cristatus 

 and P. c. mitratus see under those forms ; birds from Spain and 

 Portugal require further study. Black and white pointed crest 

 distinguishes the species. 



Field-characters. — Pointed black-and-white banded crest pre- 

 vents confusion with any other British Tit, and a clear trilling 

 " tirrrrl " is equally diagnostic. 



