BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 71 



Crestefc {Titmouse. 



THE Crested Titmouse (Parus cristatus, Linnaeus) is said 

 to be a "resident only in the forests which clothe the 

 valley of the Spey and the adjacent rivers." It is also 

 found inhabiting Northern and Central Europe. The adult 

 has the feathers on head black, broadly tipped with white; 

 the feathers springing from the crown backwards are con- 

 siderably elongated and form a conical crest; cheeks, 

 whitish, marked with a few black specks; ear-coverts, black, 

 behind which is a collar of white, margined by a black 

 line reaching from the nape and joining the throat, which, 

 with the chin and upper breast, is also black; upper parts, 

 pale yellowish-brown; primaries and tail, brownish; under 

 parts, white, tinged with ochreous; irides, brown; bill, 

 black; legs and feet, leaden colour. Length, about four 

 inches. The female has a shorter crest, and the black on 

 the throat is less developed. 



