256 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



near Pwllheli (Carnarvon), March 24, 1878. A pair Brecon, Feb. 27, 

 1899. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Central and south Europe to north-west 

 Africa and Asia Minor. Replaced by allied race in Madeira. 



[NOTE. Two examples of the AMERICAN RUBY-CROWNED WREN, Regul us 

 calendula calendula (L.), now in the British Museum, said to have been shot 

 near Loch Lomond in 1852, cannot be admitted, the evidence not being sufficient 

 (Yarrell, i, p. 455 ; Saunders, p. 60).] 



Genus PANURUS Koch. 



PANURUS Koch, Syst. baier. Zool., p. 201 (1816 Monotype: P. 

 biarmicua). 



Bill short, culmen rounded with uncinate tip. Nostrils with 

 an operculum and mostly covered by antrorse bristly plumules. 

 Rictal bristles short and soft. Wing moderately long, narrow 

 and somewhat pointed, 3rd, 4th and 5th primaries longest and 

 about equal, 1st quite rudimentary, reduced to a very narrow, 

 stiff, lanceolate feather, shorter than the primary-coverts. Tail 

 very long, longer than wing, strongly graduated, outermost tail- 

 feathers scarcely half as long as median pair ; reetrices narrow, 

 attenuated at tip. Under tail-coverts very long, equal to outer- 

 most tail-feathers. Tarsus strong, about twice as long as middle 

 toe without claw, front distinctly scutellate. Plumage soft but 

 not so copious as Parus and Mgithalos. Sexes different, male 

 with a broad black moustache of elongated feathers, female 

 without ; male with black, female with buff under tail-coverts. 

 Young resembling female, but back mostly black, 1st primary 

 well-developed, nearly half as long as 2nd. Nest in reeds, eggs 

 white, finely scribbled. One species in two subspecies in south 

 Europe and temperate Palsearctic Asia eastwards to north China 

 and Amurland. 



PANURUS BIARMICUS 



109. Panurus biarmicus biarmicus (L.) THE BEARDED 

 TITMOUSE. 



PARUS BIARMICUS Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 190 (1758 " Habitat 

 in Europa." Ex Albin & Edwards, who state that they described Danish 

 specimens, which probably came from Holstein ; cf. Hartert, Vog. pal. 

 Fauna, i, p. 403). 

 Panurus biarmicus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 511 ; Saunders, p. 99. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 10). Adult male. Winter. Fore-head, crown, 

 nape ash-grey to pale , smoke-grey ; hind-neck, mantle, back and 

 rump yellowish tawny-brown (hind -neck occasionally tinged rose, 



