THE BRITISH COAL-TITMOUSE. 235 



96. Parus ater britannicus Sliarpe and Dresser THE 

 BRITISH COAL-TITMOUSE. 



PARUS BRITANNICUS Sharpe and Dresser, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 4, 

 vni, p. 437 (1871 England). 



Parus ater Linnaeus, Yarrell, I, p. 489 (part) ; Saunders, p. 105 (part). 

 P. a. britannicus Sharpe & Dresser, Hartert, Brit. B., i, p. 213. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 9). Adult male. Winter. Fore-head, lores, 

 and crown glossy black ; sides of hind-neck extending on to sides 

 of mantle in broad stripes jet-black ; middle of hind-neck extending 

 on to middle of mantle white, forming large nuchal patch ; rest of 

 mantle and scapulars and back grey washed olive-buff ; rump 

 olive-buff (each feather with concealed whitish patch above olive- 

 buff) ; upper tail-coverts olive-grey ; cheeks from base of lower 

 mandible, ear-coverts and sides of neck white ; chin, throat and 

 upper-breast black with white tips to feathers of upper-breast and 

 a few on those of throat ; rest of breast and centre of belly white ; 

 sides, flanks and under tail-coverts buff ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts white, tinged buff ; tail greyish-black fringed olive- 

 green on outer webs ; primaries and secondaries as tail but inner 

 webs fringed white, three innermost secondaries with greyish-brown 

 inner webs and whitish tips ; primary-coverts like primaries ; 

 greater coverts brown-black fringed olive-grey on outer webs and 

 with white tips to outer webs ; median coverts same but tips 

 rounded and covering both webs ; lesser coverts brown-black with 

 long olive -grey tips and lower series often with some pale buff at 

 tips. N.B. Tips of median coverts are often buff or tinged buff, 

 intensity of buff on upper-parts and flanks varies individually. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult in Aug.-Sept. Summer. 

 No moult. Abrasion of olive-buff fringes of feathers of mantle, 

 scapulars, and back gradually makes these parts purer grey ; crown 

 becomes somewhat duller and less glossy ; buff of flanks paler ; 

 black of upper-breast rather more extensive owing to wearing off 

 of white tips ; whitish tips wear completely off innermost secon- 

 daries and become much reduced on wing-coverts. N.B. In 

 much worn plumage some specimens resemble some winter speci- 

 mens of P. a. ater. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. Like adult male but 

 black of throat rather narrower and not extending so far on to 

 upper-breast, though this character is not invariable. 



Nestling. Down, smoke-grey : distribution, inner supra- 

 orbital and occipital (fairly long and plentiful), humeral and spinal 

 (more scanty and shorter). Mouth, inside pinkish-orange, no spots ; 

 externally flanges pale lemon-yellow. 



Juvenile. Male and female. Fore-head, crown and sides of 

 hind-neck sooty-black ; middle of hind-neck as adult but tinged 

 yellow ; whole of rest of upper-parts dull brownish-olive ; cheeks, 

 ear-coverts and sides of neck pale lemon-yellow ; chin sooty-brown ; 



