The Long-Tailed Tit. 145 



Fam ily—PARID^.. 



The Long-Tailed Tit. 



Acredula caudata, LiNN. 



THE British representative of this species, to which the name of Acredula rosea 

 has been given, can hardly be maintained as a distinct species ; inasmuch 

 as, in Western Germany and France, if not also in Italy and Turkey, it freely 

 interbreeds with the typical form ; as, in Lombardy it appears to do with another 

 variety — A. irbii, between which and A, rosea all kinds of intergrades exist. 

 Moreover the differences between these forms are slight and not invariably constant ; 

 and the fact that three or four examples of the typical form have been obtained 

 at various times, or seen in company with the British variety would tend to show 

 that the modifications are not even strictly climatic. The different types are as 

 follows : — 



A. caudata : — Head, nape and sides of neck, throat, breast, edge of wing and 

 under wing coverts snow-white. 



Distributed through Northern and Central Europe, across Southern Siberia to 

 Japan : has occurred in Great Britain. 



A. macrura : — Differing in having a larger tail by about half an inch in the 

 majority of specimens. 



Northern Europe, eastwards from St. Petersburg and in the island of Askold. 



A. trivirgata : — Slightly smaller than A. rosea, most examples having the black 

 eyebrow-streak continued across the lores to the base of the bill. 

 Yokohama. 



A. irbii: — Also slightly smaller than A. rosea, with the mantle, back, and 

 rump greyer, and the scapulars grey. 



Sicily, South and Central Italy and Spain. 



A. rosea : — The white on the head restricted to the crown and forehead. 

 Holland, Western Germany, France, Northern Italy and Turkey. Pretty 

 generally distributed, though somewhat local, throughout Great Britain. 



