78 NORTHERN TIT. 



In borealis the tail is longer and different in construction. The 

 outer tail feather is about two and a half or three lines longer than 

 the middle one, which is nearly as long as the longest in the tail. 

 The outer feather is considerably shorter than the other. In palustris , 

 on the contrary, the outer tail feathers are generally of the same length 

 as the middle ones, and always only about a line shorter than the 

 longest in the tail. 



Nilsson is of opinion that the species are distinct, and Kjserbolling 

 agrees with him. 



If I remember right the British Marsh Tit always builds its nest 

 with moss, etc. Now the nest of our P. borealis is always built of 

 the fine under bark of the dead alder. tree. That of the Crested and 

 Blue Tit of moss, and sometimes feathers. 



P. borealis is very common in the south of Sweden, and only acci- 

 dental in Denmark. 



They say palustris goes as far north as the birch grows. It is, 

 however, certainly very rare here, for all I kill are borealis. The 

 further north we go after passing Gefla the less common it becomes, 

 being replaced by P. sibiricus, which is very rarely killed south of 

 Stockholm. P. cyanus, according to Nilsson, is only found in the 

 north of Sweden." 



The following letter from Liljeberg to Professor Hamacren, of 

 Carlstaclt, was sent me by the late Mr. Wheelwright: — "Although P. 

 borealis comes very near to P. palustris, still I reckon them as distinct 

 species, because I think I have always found a constant difference 

 between them, both in structure and habit. With the exception of 

 the immature dress, I have always found a difference in the appear- 

 ance of the black colour on the head, the white on the cheeks, the 

 grey brown on the back, as well as the broad white edges on the 

 wing feathers. Since I have observed this, I can, at a tolerably long 

 distance, distinguish P. borealis by the white colour of the cheeks, 

 which extends far back; and other naturalists who have been with 

 me on excursions have done the same. The black colour on the head 

 of P. borealis I have always found different in the nearly total absence 

 of metallic gloss, whereas P. palustris has always this distinct. In the 

 summer plumage I have found in palustris the grey brown colour on 

 the back darker than in borealis in the same dress, and I have always 

 found the former wants the white edges on the outer webs of the 

 primaries. Nearly always I have found the wings of borealis shorter 

 than in palustris, and the exceptions are so few that the fact appears 

 to be normal. Degland's remarks about the colour of the legs have 

 evidently been made from stuffed specimens, and in all such the legs 



