96 



COLE TIT. 



COBLER'S AWL.— A name for the Avoset. 

 COBWEB.— A name for the Beam-Bird. 

 COCKANDY.— A name for the Puffin. 

 COCK OF THE WOOD.— A name for the Capercalzie. 

 CODDY MODDY.— The Gull in its first year's plumage. 

 COLD FINCH. — A name for the Beam-Bird. 

 COLE GOOSE.— A name for the Cormorant. 

 COLE TIT {Parus ater, Gesner.) 



*Parus ater, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 341. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 1009. sp. 1 .—Lath. Ind. 

 Orn. 2. p. 564. 8.— Rati, Syn. p. 73. A. 2.— Will. p. 175. t. 43.— Parus Atri- 

 capillus, Briss. 3. p. 551. 5. — La petite Charbonniere, Buff. Oh. 5. p. 400. — 

 Mesange petite Charbonniere, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 288. — Tannemeise, 

 Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 3. p. 853.— Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 268.— Cole Tit- 

 mouse, Br. Zool. 1. No. 164. t. 57. f. 3.— Arct. Zool. 2. No.327.— Will. (Ang.) 

 p. 241. t. 43.— Lath. Syn. 4. p. 540. l.—Lewins Br. Birds, 3. t. 180.— Mont. 

 Orn. Diet.— Ib. Supp.— Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 10.— Don. Br. Birds, 4. t. 79.— 

 Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. t. 241.— Shaw's Zool. 10. p. 56. t. 6.—Selby, pi. 51. 

 fig. 3. p. 231.* 



This species weighs about two drams and a quarter ; length four 

 inches and a quarter. The bill is dusky ; irides hazel. Crown of the 

 head glossy black, divided on the hind part with a white spot ; the 

 throat and underside of the neck, black ; cheeks white ; back, rump, 

 and tail, of a bluish grey, inclining on the rump to a buff colour; 

 breast and belly of a yellowish white ; the sides more yellow ; quill- 

 feathers like the tail ; the coverts of the secondaries, and the smaller 

 coverts immediately above them, are tipped with white ; legs lead 

 colour. 



As this bird has been considered by some naturalists to be the 

 same as the marsh tit, we shall remark that the head of this is inva- 

 riably of a glossy black, that of the other is of a dull sooty black ; the 

 black under the chin extends much lower down in this, in both sexes, 

 than in the other species ; the white mark on the head in this is never 

 to be found in either sex of the other ; and the tail of this is nearly a 

 quarter of an inch shorter. 



It must also be observed, that in the numerous specimens we have 

 examined, no white was ever to be found on the coverts of the wings 

 in the marsh tit, which is constantly met with in this. But in the 

 young of this species, before the white spot is thrown out on the 

 head, some white in the wings is visible ; in which state a figure is 

 given in the folio edition of the British Zoology for the marsh tit. 



Mr. Willughby has well defined the distinction of these birds. Dr. 

 Latham seems to have doubted the distinction, and appears to be more 



