BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 429 
doned us for amore genial climate. In the summer time the 
Chick-a-dee’s labors are more easily noticed; and as he raises a 
large brood of young, the female laying six or eight eggs as 
a litter, he is very busy through the whole day in capturing 
vast quantities of caterpillars, flies and grubs. It has been 
calculated that a single pair of these birds destroy, on the 
average, not less than five hundred of these pests daily, a labor 
which could hardly be surpassed by a man, even if he gave his 
whole time to the task.” The author just quoted—E. A. Sam- 
uels in his Birds of New England, p. 185—says: ‘‘In some ob- 
servations of this and other birds of Paris, it was found that 
‘the Titmouse destroys at the lowest computation, over two 
hundred thousand eggs of noxious insects annually. Does not 
this appeal to the good sense of the farmer to protect the 
whole class that should not be forgotten?” 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Second quill as long as the secondaries; tail very slightly 
rounded, lateral feathers about ten one hundredths of an inch 
shorter than the middle ones; back brownish ashy; top of head 
and throat, black, sides of head between them white; beneath 
whitish; brownish-white on the sides; outer tail feathers, 
some of the primaries and secondaries conspicuously margined 
with white. 
Length, 5; wing, 2.50; tail, 2.50. 
Habitat, eastern North America. 
PARUS ATRICAPILLUS SEPTENTRIONALIS (Harris). 
(735a. ) 
LONG TAILED CHICKADEE. 
For several years after my local observation of the birds 
began, I found considerabie variation in the length of the 
specimens of this species which came under my observation, 
without believing that I had ‘‘septentrionalis” occasionally, 
but it proved to be that beyond a question, and I reported it in 
a list published in 1874 as ‘‘rare” but it has been seen since that 
time a good many times. 
Its habits do not differ from the Black-capped except in 
breeding time, when the ‘‘soft, long-drawn note” of Coues is 
decidedly characteristic. However, the measurements grade 
into those of the other variety so often as to leave a doubt 
which we have, except in the case of those of completest 
characteristics. 
