PARIBJS — PAIUK2E : TITMICE. 



265 



43. L. atrocrista'tus. (Lat. airo, with black, crisf^f/rs, crested; o'wto, a crest.) Black-crestet> 

 Titmouse. $ 9 , adult : Pluinlieous, with a shade of olive, the wings and tail rather darker 

 and purer, edged with the color of the back, or a more hoary shade of the same. Beneath, ditll 

 ashy-whitish, especially on the breast, the aljdtimcu whiter, the sides chestnut-brown as in L. 

 bicolor. Extreme forehead and lores whitish ; entire crest glossy black. Bill blackish-plum- 

 beous; feet plumbeous. Small: length al)out .5.00 ; wing and tail 2.7.5. Valley of the Eio 

 Grande. Nest in natural cavities of trees, usually including cast snake-skins among its materi- 

 als ; eggs 0.75 X 0.58, white, spotted with reddish-bro^vn in fine d(,)ts over the general surface, 

 boldly l)lutched at large end, but not distinguishable from those of L. hicolor. 



43. L. woUweb'eri. (To one Wollweber. Fig. 137.) Bridled Titmouse. $ 9, adult: 

 Upper parts olivaceous-ash, wings and tail darker, edged "with the color of the back, or even a 

 brighter tint, sometimes nearly as yellowish as in Regulus. Under 

 parts sordid ashy-white. Crest black, with a central field like the 

 back. Whole throat black, as in species of Parus. A black line 

 runs behind the eye and curves down over the auriculars, distin- JSHi"^'! 

 guished from the black of the crest and throat by the white of -T'S^y -^^"^ 

 the side of the head and white superciliary stripe ; a half-collar 

 of black on the nape, descending on the sides of the neck, there i- «;"» ; 'SW 

 separated from the black crescent of the auriculars by a white cres- 

 cent, which latter is continuous with the white of the superciliary 



line ; considerable whitish speckhna; in the black of the forehead 



' „.,, F s „ ,, Fig 137. — Bridled Tit- 



and lores. Bill blackish-plumbeous ; feet plumbeous. Smallest : mouse, nat. size. (Mex. B. 

 length 5.00 or less ; wing or tail 3.40-2.65 ; bill 0.33 ; tarsus 0.00- Survey.) 

 0.70. Young : Chin narrowly or imperfectly black, and some of the above described head- 

 markings obscure or incomplete. The singularly variegated markings of the head of this 

 species at once distinguish it. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, abundant, going 

 in troops, in woods and shrubbery. 

 14. PA'RUS. (Lat. pans, a titmouse.) Typical Titmice. Chickadees. Head not crested. 

 Wings and tail rounded, of approximately equal lengths, and about as long as the body. Bill 

 typically parine (see foregoing characters). No bright colors (in any North American species). 

 Head in most species with black. Plumage lax and dull, without decided changes with age, 

 sex, or season. Size medium in the family. Nest excavated. Eggs spotted. 



Analysis of Species. 

 Species definitely black-capped and black-throated. 



A white superciliary stripe montanas 4» 



No white superciliary stripe. 



Tail not shorter than wing ; feathers of both with much hoary- whitish edging. 



Larger ; tail at maximum length, coloration most hoary. Missouri Region and Rocky 



^tts septentrion^lis 45 



Smaller ; tail moderate ; coloration less hoary. Eastern atricapillus 44 



Size of No. 44 ; coloration darker. Pacific Region occidentalis 46 



Tail shorter than wings ; whitisli edgings of wings and tail obsolete. 



Rather smaller than No. 44. South Atlantic States carolinensis 47 



Rather smaller than No. 44 ; coloration very dark. Mexican border . . . nwridionalis 87.'i 

 Species brown-capped, or crown quite like back, and blackish throat. 

 Cap hair-brown ; back little different. 



White confined to siiie of head. Eastern and Arctic kndsonicus 49 



"White spreading over sides of neck. Arctic cinctus 52 



Cap dark wood-brown ; back chestnut. 



Back and sides rich chestnut alike. Pacific, northerly rufesceiis 50 



Back chestnut, but sides only washed with rusty. Pacific, southerly neglectus 51 



44. P. atricapillus. (Lat. ater, black ; capiUiis, hair. Fig. 138.) Black-capped Titmouse 

 Chickadee. Crown and nape, with chin and throat, black, separated by white sides of tlie 

 head. Upper parts brownish-ash, with sUght oUve tinge, and a rusty wash on rump. Under 



