THE NORTHERN LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. 247 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 10). Adult male and- female. Like M. c. 

 roseus but whole crown, nape, ear-coverts, and sides of neck pure 

 white ; tips of feathers of scapulars and rump whiter than in 

 M. c. roseus ; chin, throat and breast pure white with no dark 

 tips to feathers of upper-breast ; pink of flanks more mixed with 

 white than in M. c. roseus ; innermost secondaries with more 

 white, outer webs being mostly white, and in two innermost usually 

 whole feather except brown centre is white ; inner greater coverts 

 with purer and longer white tips. Moults as in M. c. roseus. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Like that of M.. c. roseus but rather paler chocolate- 

 brown on upper-parts. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 64-67 mm., tail 88-100, 

 tarsus 16-17.5, b'ill from skull 7-8 (12 measured). $ wing 63-67, 

 tail 87-99. Structure as in M. c. roseus. 



Soft parts. As in M. c. roseus but eyelid and orbital ring yellow. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. M. c. europceus (western and 

 south middle Europe) is somewhat larger than M. c. roseus (<$ wing 

 61-67 mm., tail 84-93) and intermediate in colour between that 

 form and M. c. caudatus, sides of crown are variable, sometimes 

 with scarcely any dark markings, occasionally almost as black, 

 but not so broad, as in M. c. roseus, usually brownish and narrow, 

 white on inner secondaries also variable, sides of neck with less dark 

 streaks than in M. c. roseus, under-parts whiter than in JE. c. roseus 

 but not so pure white as in M. c. caudatus, M. c. pyrenaicus 

 (Pyrenees) is like M. c. roseus, but with stripes on sides of crown 

 much wider, M. c. irbii (Spain) has grey mantle and back, M. c. 

 taiti (Portugal) is similar but much darker, M. c. italics (Italy) differs 

 from M. c. irbii by its black upper back, scapulars pinkish, M. c. 

 sicula (Sicily) is like M. c. irbii but has stripes on sides of crown 

 pale brown and a good deal of brown in centre of crown, M. c. 

 tyrrhenicus (Corsica) has scapulars as in M. c. irbii, but upper back 

 as in M. c. italice, M. c. macedonica (Greece) has stripes on each 

 side of crown extending to base of bill, M. c. major (Caucasus) is 

 similar to sicula but larger, M. c. tephronotus (Asia Minor) and other 

 forms in Asia have a blackish spot in centre of throat. 



BREEDING-HABITS. Similar to those of British form. Eggs. 

 9 to 12 in first layings, but higher numbers occasionally recorded ; 

 variable, some being freely marked with light red, and others 

 almost unmarked. Average of 47 eggs, 14.2x10.8 mm. Breeding- 

 season. From end April to May in Scandinavia. 



FOOD. Chiefly larvae and eggs of insects (lepidoptera, coleoptera, 

 orthoptera, etc.) ; also spiders. 



DISTRIBUTION. England. One found dead Tynemouth (Northum- 

 berland) Nov., 1852 (Hancock, Birds North. & Durham, p. 77). 



