54 Mr. J. I. S. Wliitaker on two 
on the whole, should be placed beneath the more typical 
Cranes^ though it may shew points of specialization. Osteo- 
logically, it appears to me that Arainus is distinctly more 
specialized than its allies ; in any case 1 am convinced that 
it is necessary to leave it as a genus of the family Gruidse, 
and not to create for it a special family or subfamily. 
Its main claim to be considered as nearly related to Balearica 
appears to me to lie in the fact that both these genera have 
been specialized from the more typical Crane-structure along 
the same lines. 
III. — Farther Informatioa on two recently described Species 
of Passerine Birds. By Joseph 1. S. Whitaker, F.Z.S.^ 
M.B.O.U. 
(Plates II. & III.) 
In the ' Bulletin ' of the British Ornithologists' Club for 
1901 (vol. xi. p. 52) a new species of Long-tailed Titmouse 
from Sicily was described by me under the name of Acredula 
siciila, sp.cimeus of the bird having been exhibited at the 
nieetiug of that Club held on the 20th of March, 1901. 
Having since obtained further information respecting 
this interesting addition to our European Ornis, and parti- 
cularly as regards its distribution and breeding in Sicily, 
I think it worth while to publish the result of my investi- 
gations in ' Tiie Ibis/ and at the same time to give a figure 
of the new bird. 
As will be seen by Plate 11., the Sicilian Titmouse greatly 
resembles A. caucasica, but, as mentioned in the ^Bulletin,' 
it differs from that species in its smaller size, and also, to a 
certain extent, in the colouring of its plumage. 
The following are the respective measurements of the two 
species, as given in the ' Bulletin' of the B.O.C. : — 
A. sicula ex Mus. J. I. S. Whitaker, Palermo : 
- ^ ad. Total length 50, wing 2 25, tail 2'9, tarsus 0-6. 
? ad. „ „ 50, „ 2-20, „ 2-9, „ 0-6. 
A. caucasica ex Owens College Mus., Manchester: 
(J ad. Total length 5*5, wing 2*45, tail 3*3, tarsus 0*7. 
? ad. „ ,, 5-5, „ 2-45, „ 3-2, ,, O'Z. 
