180 PARING. PARUS. MEC1STURA. 



109. PARUS PALUSTRIS. MARSH TIT. 



Head and throat brownish-black, a broad patch of greyish- 

 white on the cheek and side of the neck ; back greyish-brown, 

 lower parts brownish-yellow. Easily distinguished from the 

 Coal Tit by its not having any white on the nape or wing-co- 

 verts. The young differ from the adult only in having the 

 tints duller, the upper parts more tinged with green, and the 

 black of the head approaching to a sooty brown. 



Male, 4, 7j, 2 T \, / ? , i, / ? , ft. 



This species which does not confine itself to marshy places, 

 as its name implies, is more common in England than in Scot- 

 land. Its habits are similar to those of the last species ; but 

 in autumn and winter it feeds partly on the seeds of Synge- 

 nesian plants. The nest is placed in the hole of a decayed 

 tree, and is composed of moss, wool, hair, and vegetable fibres, 

 and lined with the down of willows and other plants. The 

 eggs, from six to eight, are white with red dots. 



Marsh Titmouse. Black-headed Tom-tit. 



Parus palustris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 341. Parus palustris, 

 Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 291. Parus palustris, Marsh Tit, 

 MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, ii. 445. 



110. PARUS CRISTATUS. CRESTED TIT. 



Occipital feathers elongated, pointed, and slightly recurved, 

 forming a conspicuous crest ; feathers of the head black, with 

 white margins ; cheeks white ; space behind the eyes, a de- 

 curved band over the hind neck, and a large triangular spot 

 on the fore neck, black ; upper parts grey, tinged with yel- 

 lowish-brown ; breast greyish-white ; sides, abdomen, and 

 lower tail-coverts, pale yellowish-brown. 



Male, 4 T * S , 8, 2, T 5 ? , jf, ft, T V Female, 4 A, 8. 



This species has hitherto been found only in the fir woods 

 of the north of Scotland. I have seen and described two spe- 

 cimens shot in Strathspey by Mr Th. Macpherson Grant. 



Crested Titmouse. 



Parus cristatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 340. Parus cristatus, 

 Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 290. Parus cristatus, Crested Tit, 

 MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, ii. 450. 



GENUS LVI. MECISTURA. MUFFLIN. 



This genus differs from Parus chiefly in the great length 

 of the tail, and in having the tip of the upper mandible con- 



