PAiUD.E — THE TITMICE. 97 



at tlie lower man(lil)le and occupies the entire under surface of tlie head and 

 throat, but not extending as far hack witliin a (quarter of an inch as that on 

 the upper part of the neck. The space between these two patches, on tlie 

 sides of the head and neck, is white, this color extending along the black of 

 tlie back of the neck as far as its truncated extremity, but not bordering it 

 behind. The middle of the breast and belly, as far as the vent, is dull 

 white, that immediately behind the black of the throat a little clearer. The 

 sides of the breast and body under the wings, witli the under tail-coverts, 

 are pale, dull brownish-white. The back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are 

 of a dirty bluish-ash, washed with yellowish-brown, especially on the rump. 

 Tlie wings are brown ; the outer edges of the third to the seventh primaries 

 narrowly edged with whitish ; the innermost secondaries more broadly and 

 conspicuously edged with tlie same ; larger coverts edged with dirty whitish. 

 Outer webs of tail-feathers edged with white, purest and occupying half the 

 web in the external one, narrowing and less clear to the central feathers, the 

 basal portions, especially, assuming more the color of the back. 



Habits. The common diickadee or Black-capped Titmouse is so well 

 known throughout the greater portion of the United States as to ha gen- 

 erally accepted, by common consent, as the typical representative of its 

 numerous family. Until recently it has been supposed to be nniversally 

 distributed over the continent, and while this is now «iuestioned, it is not 

 quite clear where its limits occur. In Eastern ^Maine the Parus hudsonicitJi 

 an«^ tiiis species meet. In the District of Columbia it crosses the northern 

 liijiits of P. caroIincmU, and in the northern ^lississipin Valley it mingles 

 wicli the var. septcntriomdix. It remains to be ascertained how far the 

 cpecies exceeds these bounds. 



A few individuals of this species were observed by Mr. Dall, December 

 12, at Nulato, where, however, it Wiis not common. They were also ob- 

 tained by IJischoff at Sitka and Kodiak. 



As in very many essential respects the whole family of Parido' are alike 

 in their characteristics of habits, their manner of collecting food, their rest- 

 less, uneasy movements, the similarity of their cries, their residence in hol- 

 low trees or brandies, and their nesting in similar jdaces, with the exception 

 only of a few species that construct their own pouch-like nests, we have 

 taken the best known as the common point of comparison. Except in the 

 variations in plumage, the points of difference are never great or very 

 noticeable. 



In New England the Black-Cap is one of our most common and familiar 

 birds. In the vicinity of Calais, Mr. Boardman speaks of it as resident and 

 abundant. The writer did not meet with it in Xova Scotia, nor even in the 

 islands of the Bay of Fundy, where the liudmnicus is a common bird. 



It is a resident species, nesting early in ^lay, and having full-iledged nest- 

 lings early in June. While it seems to ])refer the edges of wooils as best 

 affording the means of food and shelter, it by no means confines itself to 



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