7 
two liveries of Parus alpestris and P. borealis, with the little difference that Parus palustris exhibits in these 
two states ; and we shall soon be led to attach great importance to this simple fact, not only to recognize and 
identify the first two Titmice, but further to separate the latter specifically. Parus alpestris, whose habitat 
touches that of the Common Marsh-Titmice, does not retire in autumn along with that species to the plain in 
order to pass the winter; constituted like P. borealis to resist the cold, it nests, like that species, in the 
mountains; but, also like that bird, it dons at its autumn moult very long plumes, silky in texture and 
differently coloured, which serve to protect it from the cold, and at the same time to distinguish it from the 
Common Marsh-Titmouse. 
“The female of Parus borealis much resembles the male in autumn, but differs from him a little in 
spring by its hood being slightly more brown, by the tint of the upper surface being rather clearer, by its 
black throat being more striped with white, and, finally, by its cheeks being a little less pure. The young, on 
leaving the nest, have the general tints of the upper and under surface more sombre and obscure than the 
adults ; the black of the head and throat is less extended and not so pronounced. 
“ Lastly, as regards the eggs, although I have been enabled to compare examples of our P. palustris, as 
well as those of P. alpestris and P. borealis, also of P. borealis of the north of Europe, not having as yet been 
able to work upon a sufficiently large number of subjects, I prefer to wait till I have got together a larger 
series of specimens before I venture to draw characters in this direction; I content myself with remarking 
here that I have ordinarily found in the eggs of P. alpestris and of P. borealis the little axis longer, in com- 
parison with the size of the egg, than in P. palustris, as well as the form a little rounder.” 
M. Fatio was so kind as to send us over some of his specimens to illustrate his paper, though he tells us 
that, in consequence of numerous applications, his series has been reduced considerably. His observations are 
borne out by the specimens before us; but we must demur to the supposition that a greater seasonal change 
takes place in P. borealis than in P. palustris; for in northern Europe the latter bird undergoes perceptible 
variation in the autumn. In fact, although the memoir of M. Fatio is a great advance towards the better 
understanding of the European Marsh-Titmice, much still remains to be elucidated with respect to their 
different changes of plumage. We have seen in Mr. Howard Saunders’s collection two specimens of Parus 
borealis from the Basses-Alpes, which do not differ from more northern examples, except in being a little more 
brown on the head. 
P. alpestris much resembles P. palustris in general appearance, but is more nearly allied to P. borealis by 
reason of its brown cap, produced to the interscapulary region, and its extended white cheeks. The colour of 
the back, however, is not quite so clear an ashy grey as the true P. borealis; and in autumn there appears to be 
a little more fulvous tinge on the sides of the neck, but in their summer plumage there seems to be little or no 
difference. We agree with M. Fatio in considering that this subspecies is not to be specifically distinguished 
from P. borealis. We have a young specimen, received from the Basses-Alpes, and sent to us by M. Fair- 
maire, of which we append a description. 
Young Bird. Above dull ashy-brown, much more dingy than the adult; wing-coverts broadly washed with 
the same colour as the back, as also are the quills, but the edging to the primaries and outer secondaries 
is more fulvous and even inclining to whitish; crown of the head dull sooty-black, strongly inclining to 
brown; sides of the face and neck, which are drawn back so as almost to cut off the black crown from 
the back, where the former becomes narrower on the hinder neck, whitish with a slight tmge of sandy ; 
throat black, with no whitish edgings; rest of the underparts whitish, inclinmg to sandy buff on the 
flanks and greyish on the sides of the upper breast. M. Victor Fatio, in a supplementary note to his 
former article (Bull. Soc. Orn. Suisse, i. p. 68), writes as follows :—“The feet and tarsus, in the young 
birds of the year, are of a pretty clear blue-grey, contrasting with those of the adult bird, which has 
them much darker and less blue. Besides this, the black on the throat extends, even in the young 
stage, rather low on the breast, and forms, more particularly in the young males, a sort of collar.” 
11 
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