THE NORTHERN CRESTED TITMOUSE. 239 



Breeding-habits. — Nests in holes or crevices of old pine stumps, 

 also in alders and birches and sometimes in fencing joosts, iron and 

 wooden. Once recorded in Hooded Crow's nest. Nest. — Dead 

 moss lined with hair of deer and hare, sometimes feathers or wool. 

 Eggs. — Usually 5 or 6 ; rarely 7 or 8 ; white with handsome zone 

 of rich chestnut-red spots and blotches, only rarely faintly marked. 

 Average of 46 eggs, 16.1x12.5 mm. Breeding-season. — End of 

 April or early May : occasionally mid- April. Incubation. — No 

 data. Probably one brood only. 



Food. — Insects and larva ; also small seeds and berries (juniper, 

 etc.). Young fed on insects (larvae of lepidoptera, aphides, etc.). 



Distribution. — Confined to Scotland. In Spey Valley, resident 

 over whole area of pine-tracts in Abernethy, Rothiemurchus and 

 Dulnan, from base of Cairngorms to Ballindalloch, In recent 

 years found breeding in several localities in Findhorn Valley and 

 several times seen and probably breeding in several localities in 

 east Ross-shire. Vagrants, possibly of this form, have occurred 

 Argyll, Perth, and Dumbarton. 



99. Parus cristatus cristatus L. — THE NORTHERN 



CRESTED TITMOUSE. 



Parus cristatus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 189 (1758 — " Habitat 



in Enropa." Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Parus cristatus cristatus L., Witheiby, Brit. B.. v, pp. 109-10. 



Description.^ — Adult male. Winter.- — Feathers of fore-head and 

 crown black fringed white, those of back of crown much elongated 

 and pointed, forming prominent crest (longest feather from base to 

 tip 16-20 mm.) ; mantle, scapulars and back brown with gre3nsh 

 tinge of varying strength ; rump and upper tail-coverts more 

 buffish-brown ; lores and ear-coverts white slightly mottled 

 black ; line behind eye and extending to hind-part of ear-coverts 

 black ; sides of chin, throat and neck white ; centre of chin and 

 throat black broadening at base of throat and extending as a black 

 line encircling base of neck to nape ; breast and belly white ; 

 flanks, vent and under tail-coverts varying from greyish-buff 

 to warm brown-buff ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white ; 

 tail-feathers grey-brown with fringes of outer webs like upper tail- 

 coverts ; primaries dark grey-brown fringed on inner webs white 

 and on outer webs very narrowly dull greyish-white ; secondaries 

 same but with fringes of outer webs browner ; primary-coverts 

 dark brown fringed gre^^dsh-brown ; rest of wing-coverts much as 

 mantle but rather greyer. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult in Aug. -Oct. Slimmer. — No moult. By abrasion of their 

 tips feathers of croA\ai become blacker and of crest shorter, wear 

 also makes wings and tail browner and flanks less buff. 



