134 



BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE. 

 PARUS ATRICAPILLUS. 

 [Plate VIII.— Fig. 4.] 



Parus atricapilluSy Linn. Syst. I, 341, 6. — Gmel. Syst. I, 1008. — La Mesange d tete mire 

 de Canada^ Buffon V, 408. — Canada Titmouse^ Arct. Zool. II, No. 328. — ^Lath. Syn. 

 IV, 542, 9. — Pe ale's Museum, JVo. 7380. 



THIS is one of our resident birds, active, noisy and restless, 

 hardy beyond any of his size, braving the severest cold of our con- 

 tinent as far north as the country round Hudson^s bay, and always 

 appearing most lively in the coldest weather. The males have a 

 variety of very sprightly notes, which cannot indeed be called a 

 song, but rather a lively, frequently repeated, and often varied twit- 

 ter. They are most usually seen during the Fall and winter, when 

 they leave the depths of the woods, and approach nearer to the 

 scenes of cultivation. At such seasons they abound among ever- 

 greens, feeding on the seeds of the pine tree ; they are also fond of 

 sun-flower seeds, and associate in parties of six, eight or more, at- 

 tended by the two species of Nuthatch already described, the Crest- 

 ed Titmouse, Brown Creeper^ and small Spotted Woodpecker; the 

 whole forming a very nimble and restless company, whose food, 

 manners and dispositions are pretty much alike. About the mid- 

 dle of April they begin to build, chusing the deserted hole of a 

 squirrel or Woodpecker, and sometimes with incredible labour 

 digging out one for themselves. The female lays six white eggs, 

 marked with minute specks of red ; the first brood appear about 

 the beginning of June, and the second towards the end of July; 

 the whole of the family continue to associate together during win- 

 ter. They traverse the woods in regular progression from tree to 



