: 
ee PROCEEDIN@* OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 343 
I recently received a specimen from Southern Central Siberia (the 
habitat of typical P. brevirostris) which in every particular agrees with 
Taezanowski’s original description of P. brevirostris (Journ. f. Orn., 
1872, p. 444), but differs from*tae Yezo long-tailed birds as much as 
any two forms of this perplexing’ yroup. Both of them have long tails 
and glossy bluish black caps, but the former is considerably darker, 
especially below, and has hardfy any of the whitish edges to the remiges 
and outer rectrices so conspicuous in the Yezo birds, and while in these 
the tail-feathers are regularly graduated, in the Siberian bird all the 
tail-feathers are nearly equal except the lateral pair, which is much 
shorter than the rest. There are reasons for believing that had not 
the name P. japonicus, bestowed by Mr. Seebohm upon specimens 
from Hondo, been preoccupied, it would have been available for the 
present form. As the case stands now, I shall designate it as Parus 
seebohmi (type, U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 96144), leaving to the future to 
determine to which other form, if any, it should be linked as a sub- 
species. 
Though differing but slightly from other forms, there is no species or 
subspecies known to me, which combines the characters as I find them 
in Henson’s two specimens. I will designate it as 
Parus hensont. 
DIAGN.: Similar to typical Parus palustris (LIN.), but with whitish 
margins to the tertiaries, and two outer pair of tail-feathers externally 
edged with white; flanks paler; top of head glossy bluish black; tail 
doubly rounded, less than 57™™, 
HABITAT: Yezo, Japan. 
Type: U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 114093, Henson, No. 230; ¢ ad. Hakodate, 
November 7, 1884. 
The three Japanese forms of Marsh Tits (subgenus Pecile) may be 
distinguished as follows: (ef. “Synopsis” in Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., ox, 
1886, p. 375).* 
a Top of head and hind neck dull brownish black..........-----....--- P. borealis. 
@ Top of head and hind neck glossy bluish black. 
HavaLedoub ly rounded, less, Ulan oe tues oo etsta a see ne arate ater arece ajennteteroiere P. hensoni. 
b? Tail regularly and strongly rounded, more than 57™™__....-....----- P. seebohmi. 
It should always be remembered that this “key” does not apply to 
young specimens before their first autumnal molt, for even the glossy- 
capped forms have a dull brownish head in the first plumage. The 
molt takes place in July or August, and in P. hensoni and P. seebohmi 
the new feathers on the top of the ee ad are distinctly bluish. Abra- 
’ 
*I seize the oppor aceanite to bomen a aaeaeee in wn a Senupais? referred to. In 
#b', -is ing the characters of Parus minor, the last sentence should read thus: “the 
inner edge being black from the base.” 
