246 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



repeated several times, and at a distance sounds somewhat like that 

 of a Jay (H.F.W.). 



BREEDING-HABITS. Bores a hole for itself like the British form, 

 and makes a scanty nest of juniper bark and willow-fibre, but does 

 not use moss, hair or feathers. Eggs. Usually 7 or 8, occasionally 

 reported up to 12 ; white, spotted with red-brown. Average of 

 49 eggs, 15.2x12.1 mm. Breeding-season. About mid-May in 

 south Scandinavia and a week later in the north. Incubation. 

 Probably similar to that of British race. 



FOOD. Similar to that of other forms. 



DISTRIBUTION. England. One, Tetbury (Gloucester), March, 1907. 

 Also thought to have been seen at Welwyn (Herts.), Jan. 12, 1908 

 (ut supra}. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Scandinavia, north and north-west 

 Russia, Russian Baltic provinces, and east Prussia. In winter, 

 vagrant and appearing elsewhere (Poland, Orenburg, etc.). 

 Replaced by other races in central Europe and north Asia, as 

 well as in North America. 



Genus ^EGITHALOS Herm. 



^GITHALOS Hermann, Obs. Zool., p. 214 (1804 Monotype: " dE. 

 europcea "). 



Bill short and thick, much less than half as long as head, 

 upper and lower mandible strongly curved. Wing short, rounded, 

 1st primary less than half as long as 2nd, 4th and 5th longest, 

 6th longer than 3rd. Tail much longer than wing, much graduated 

 and emarginated, rectrices rather narrow. Tarsus rather slenderer 

 than in Parus ; scutes in front of tarsus inclined to fuse into a 

 single long lamina. Hind toe stouter than the others, and with a 

 stronger and longer claw. Plumage very copious and soft. Sexes 

 not conspicuously different. Nidification different from that of 

 Parus : nest a roundish or oblong, bulky, well-woven structure 

 of moss, lichen, spider's webs, etc., with small lateral entrance -hole. 

 Eggs finely spotted. One species with at least fifteen subspecies. 

 Palsearctic region from Ireland and Portugal to Japan, in Europe 

 south to Mediterranean, in the east to tropical China. 



.EGITHALOS CAUDATUS 



104. ^githalos caudatus caudatus (L.) THE NORTHERN 

 LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. 



PARUS CAUDATUS Linnaeus, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 190 (1758 " Habitat 



in Europa." Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Acredula caudata (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 504 (part) ; Saunders, p. 101 



(part). 



